Le grand alibi

Although it featured Hercules Poirot,"the hollow" (FRench title : "Le Vallon" ) was much more psychological drama than detective story.The plot essentially concerned Gerda (the wife who had lots of hang-ups),her husband John and artist Henrietta Savernake .These three characters were given French names and are lost in the supporting cast.It's hard to find who is who in this mess,even if you are familiar with the novel .The ending of the book which was deeply moving -unlike most of Christie's books it did not feature a happy end - is butchered.Good actors are wasted (Miou-Miou,Arditi,Wilson) and others are simply not up to scratch (Bruni -Tedeschi).

Two short appearances by great actress Emmanuelle Riva are the old cine buff's consolation prize.