Death on the Nile

Hercule Poirot is on holiday in Egypt. Part of his travels includes a trip down the Nile on a passenger boat. On board are a mixed selection of characters. Most notable is a wealthy heiress, Linnet Ridgeway, and her husband, Simon Doyle. Also on board is the woman Mr Doyle left for Ms Ridgeway, Jacqueline De Bellefort. In revenge for Ms Ridgeway stealing the love of her life, Ms De Bellefort has been openly following Ms Ridgeway around and generally irritating her. One night, Ms De Bellefort, in a fit of anger and jealousy, shoots and wounds Mr Doyle. The next morning Ms Ridgeway is found murdered, shot through the head. However, the only two possible suspects - Ms De Bellefort and Mr Doyle - have perfect alibis and could not possibly have killed her. Who did then?

Intriguing murder mystery, with a great twist. Not as good as the 1978 Peter Ustinov version - that had more atmosphere, better cinematography and generally was more entertaining - but the differences in quality are not large.

Supporting cast includes Edward Fox, David Soul and Emily Blunt.

The book Death on the Nile is long and complicated, but superb all the same, and one of my favourite Christies. The Peter Ustinov film is one of the better outings of his as while it wasn't completely faithful, it boasted a superb cast and it was sumptuous to look at. This adaptation for me is slightly inferior to the Ustinov film, and the only one of two to make me feel that way (the other is Evil Under the Sun). Starting with the pros first, it is breathtaking to look at. The Egyptian scenery and the costume and set designs were top draw, the script captured the style of the book perfectly and the music was excellent. And the acting was great, David Suchet is impeccable as Poirot, and Emma Malin is a superb Jackie, gorgeous and expressive. Frances DeLa Tour gives a first rate performance as Salome Otterborne, the same character that Angela Lansbury overplayed so deliciously in the 1978 film. In fact the only weak performance came from Emily Blunt as Linnette, she looked the part (more than Lois Chiles I'd say) but she wasn't quite bitchy enough. As a matter of fact, neither Blunt or Chiles quite nailed Linnette quite right. And there are slight improvements over the 1978 film too, one is that the pacing is faster, the other is that it is more faithful to the book, the murders are closer to the ones in the book and the ending done in Romeo and Juliet style is closer too. However, there are one or two flaws, namely the direction from Andy Wilson, it wasn't absolutely abysmal, but it wasn't quite as efficient or as suspenseful as it could've been. Also there were times where I felt that I had been told too much too early, and this was a similar problem I had with Murder on the Links. All in all, this is a very good episode. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox

Suspense and intrigue with Hercules Poirot on board a cruise in Egypt . This is is a fine episode , as the flick will appeal to mystery lovers and Agatha Christie-Poirot novels buffs .The set design and costumes are riveting , the tale is magnificently set by that time . Very good chapter in which Poirot investigates the killing of a mysterious person stabbed in his compartment and aboard a luxurious Nile cruise steamer . This whodunit deals with Hercules Poirot (David Suchet) as the Belgian sleuth man in he case of killing a rich heiress honeymooning on a Nile cruise ship , being found murdered, shot through the head . Poirot investigates the travelers and numerous suspects , all the support cast , such as : Linett's financial advisor (David Soul) from the US, her French maid , the Austrian doctor , a wealthy aristocrat , a left wing philosopher , among others . Who is the killer? , can he find the guilty? . Along the way Hercules is helped by Colonel Race (James Fox, Edward Fox's brother) . After the clues have been shown we will get a chance to give the answer with Poirot finding out about the culprit at a twisted finale with outstanding surprises . Then are taken the murders from different viewpoints of everyone aboard which it makes a little bit boring , endless and overlong .

The film is a detective story in which you are the detective . In the picture there is mystery , emotion , a twisted love , suspense and wonderful outdoors just like : the pyramids Keops , Kefren , Micerinos , sphinx Gyze , temples : Karnak , Luxor and the rout of river Nile in the cruise ship . The premise is simple : a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board , can Poirot identify the killer before the ship reaches the end of its journey? . As Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who is also a passenger aboard the cruise, is about to uncover a murder so carefully planned that even he must admit that the murderer has thought of everything .The pace is deliberate , slow and relaxed . And while the dialogue is in English, the film has a deliciously international flavor , with a mix of interesting accents and word pronunciations . Actors's interpretations are wonderful and including sunny outdoors . At the beginning of the film talks about a rich British heiress who is stalked by a former friend, whose boyfriend she had stolen before making him her new husband , this one will be related with the subsequent death .This movie was made and released about 67 years after Agatha Christie's source novel of the same name was first published in 1937 . Filming had to be stopped every day at noon for around two hours because of the high temperatures . Nice acting by the great David Suchet , his acting is similar to Albert Finney (Murder on the Orient Express) and Peter Ustinov : Evil under the sun (Guy Hamilton), Appointment with Death (Michael Winner) and Death on the Nile (Guy Hamilton) . Interpretation of the support actors are first-rate , such as Emma Griffiths , Zoe Telford , JJ Feild , Judy Parfitt , Barbara Flynn Alastair Mackenzie , Frances De la Tour , Daisy Donovan and the ravishing Hollywood actress Emily Blunt and the American TV star David Soul .



Martin Fuhrer' s cinematography is atmospheric and colorful ; being shot at Pinewood Studios and Egypt with nice production design by Michael Pickwoad . The movie gets a lush costume design and magnificent setting and art design. Evocative and suspenseful musical score by Christopher Gunning . This Hercule Poirot episode was efficiently directed by Andy Wilson .The TV movie will appeal to suspense enthusiasts and thriller lovers . There is another famous rendition based on this known novel by Agatha Christie ¨Death on the Nile¨(1978) by Guy Hamilton with Peter Ustinov , George Kennedy , Bette Davis , Lois Chiles , Angela Lansbury , Jane Birkin , Olivia Hussey , John Finch.

David Suchet returns to the small screen as Agatha Christies, Hercule Poirot, in a dramatically glamorised version of Death On The Nile.

Following her betrayal to her friend Jacqueline De Bellefort (Emma Malin). Linnet Ridgeway Doyle (Emily Blunt) a beautiful young American heiress, and the husband she entranced, honeymoon in Egypt, closely followed by a devastated Jacqueline, hell bent on reclaiming the love she and Linnets new husband Simon (JJ Feild) used to have. When Linnet is found shot dead in her cabin, aboard a luxury cruise liner, there is no shortage of suspects. Her husband who stands to gain her fortune. Jacqueline, for the betrayal Linnet did to her when they were friends. Andrew Pennington, (David Soul) the American trustee who found himself in a spot of bother upon Linnets sudden marriage. And the mysterious passenger whose father was ruined by Linnets fathers irresponsibleness at the stock market.

As the clues begin to unfurl, Poirot discovers that nearly everyone aboard the liner have secrets to hide. Colonel Race (James Fox) replaces Captain Hastings as Poirots crime busting partner. As they close in two more murders the reason behind Linnets murder becomes all the more important to solve. With an all star cast including Alistair McKenzie, Barbara Flynn, Zoe Telford, Daisy Donovan, and Frances De La Tour. Death On The Nile is truly a magical rework. With beautiful scenery and enchanting views over the Pyramids and Deserts, you can enjoy the beauty of Egypt without leaving the country.

I waited years for this to get made, I always assumed that due to the success of the Ustinov version, this would always follow, quickly. Wrong, it took a good few years, I'm sure budget restraints were the issue. Boy was it worth the wait, it's a stunning production, it's beautifully written, gloriously acted and visually jaw dropping.

Initially I couldn't get over how good the casting was, Emma Griffiths Malin had an almost passionate Latin look to her, JJ Feild was very hunky and perfect for Doyle, then came Linnet Ridgeway, I love Emily Blunt, but she was not right for this role, she didn't fit somehow, that was really my only gripe of the production, and it was only a miner. The rest of the cast was flawless, Frances de la tour, Barbara Flynn, Daisy Donovan etc, and I thought a stunning performance from Zoe Telford.

It had an epic feel to it, but it was never overdone, it stayed remarkably true to the book, although some characters were omitted, sadly no Bowers.

The actual shooting of Simon scene I thought was very well done, you could sense the mood shift when Jacqui enters singing 'love is the sweetest thing,' very well done and directed.

The costumes were incredible, how sad we don't get to see much of Zoe Telford's red costume in the scene when Jacqui rushes in late for dinner, from a distance it looks stunning, she has a red dress and fantastic red head gear, out of interest Francesca Annis wore it in Partners in Crime.

The music is outstanding and helps build tension in the right places, it works really well, the scenery of course is magical, they couldn't fail could they.

The conclusion is hugely satisfying, I love how they did it, so dramatic, exactly as it was written, and the use of flashbacks was brilliant.

All in all a perfect adaptation, as good as Ustinov's. 10/10