Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery (1981)

Dreadfully Boring

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

SPOILER POSSIBLE! The version I saw (1981) came without captions, so I floundered a bit getting used to the dialogue without the help of captions. I also had a bit of trouble with the outdoor visuals which were not as clear and sharp as the interior shots. Then I thought I was in a quicksand of a movie that would drag me to the Infinite Boredom. Incredibly, the pace picked up and my interest was piqued. Cheryl Campbell, who excelled in PENNIES FROM HEAVEN and much later in the Poirot APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH, shone forth with her talent, and James Warwick seemed to be a perfect match for her. Was this another "secret six" kind of movie in which masked individuals plotted world domination, and didn't Christie write something like this before? It's more of a romp for the "bright young things" of the flapper age, as things turn out, not to be taken seriously since the plot is absurd. Still, high marks for the eventual conclusion which took me by surprise (OK, I am a sucker for unexpected revelations). Christie did it again: she bamboozled me. Takes patience to watch it all, since the movie runs over two hours, but it is rewarding. By the way, you have to watch the dexterity of John Gielgud in a small role as a English lord, father of the Campbell character: a great actor who can make even the smallest role memorable.

Bundle: "I say Jimmy, shall we go sculling with 37 of our closest friends?" --------- Jimmy: "I daresay Bundle, I'd rather be drawn into some international intrigue for the weekend, at our country house."Pre-war Agatha Christie mysteries are an odd dish. Much like the English Patient, they're thinly-veiled envy-pieces in which readers wish they were as glamorous as the gentry. In this case, it's not sufficient that the protagonists be wealthy, landed, titled and surrounded by boatloads of friends, they also need to find themselves at the center of an international cabal (w/o even getting out of bed), who wear clock-face masks, and generally behave like superheros on behalf of Dear Old Britain. It's like a James Bond family reunion.This yarn leaps from the quaint to the absurd, to the improbable, to the over-extended, finally jumping firmly outside the genre boundaries of 'whodunit.' When the over-scaled conclusion finally arrives, somehow it manages to still be unsatisfying and trifling. Christie hasn't figured out the low-effort formula that would keep her up to her ears in cash yet. Regardless, if the plot drew any excitement, it would be fine. But she's way out of her league here and would rarely try anything this far off course again.

A secret formula, an enigmatic society, and a murder steer the plot in this TV movie, based on Christie's whodunit novel, set in the English countryside during the 1920s.Most scenes take place indoors, using what looks like theatrical sets borrowed from some TV soap opera or Broadway play. As the actors move about, the production lighting casts annoying shadows on the walls. Further, the actors tend to overact, with accompanying facial mannerisms that are exaggerated. I found the Bundle Brent character to be particularly irritating, as she darts and flutters around, in a flippant sort of way.Especially in the film's first half, the stagy sets, the overacting, the absence, for the most part, of background music, and a very talky script, all contribute to the impression that we are watching a community playhouse production.The film improves in the second half, when plot suspense finally overpowers the production flaws, as a murderer tries to manipulate a mansion full of innocents. Near the film's end, flashbacks explain the story, reveal the clues, and show us once again how Agatha Christie cleverly leads her readers down the garden path.The book was better than this film, in my opinion. But, the film is not bad, if you can overlook the production weaknesses.

Even hardcore Whodunnit fans will probably be disappointed in this one, a slow, confusing and badly directed tv film, based on an Agatha Christie novel. Cheryl Campbell is sometimes irritating as Lady Brent, while James Warwick is adequately convincing as Jimmy Thesinger. The story is dated and lacks credibility, but this is probably due to the aforementioned poor direction; more interest was shown in recreating the late 30s era (which was achieved, by the way), which resulted in nervous editing and bad acting. Only to pass the time.3