The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

An unusual framing device is used for this meandering tale. At first I thought that the director was being arty as this was the first episode of the seventh series of Poirot. Poirot narrates this tale but there is something in the words he uses to describe some of the people that just makes it seem odd.

Poirot has retired to a village life and is trying to grow giant marrows and failing. Poirot at long last visits an old friend's factory. An industrialist Roger Ackroyd who Poirot once loaned some money to and Ackroyd has made a great success of his company. Yet Poirot makes disparaging remarks about the man in his commentary, like he dislikes Ackroyd.

Roger Ackroyd is found dead after a dinner party which Poirot had attended. Ralph Paton his feckless stepson is the main suspect but he has disappeared. There is also the intriguing case of a widow, Mrs Farris who killed herself almost a year after her husband died. Mrs Farris was linked somehow to Roger Ackroyd.

Poirot reluctantly comes out of retirement and gets involved in the investigation once Inspector Japp turns up.

The episode is let down by a leaden pace, it is another feature length episode that feels overstretched. I liked the production design which I know deteriorates in later years of Poirot. However I felt the director's misdirection was not sufficient enough to point away from the actual murderer.

The shoot out at the end was laughably banal, all that was missing at the end was a vat of acid for the body to fall into.

The second book I ever ready from Dame Agatha after And then there were none, was the murder of Roger Ackroyd, I waited for years for the book to be made into TV, and it was, and they made a hash of it. The novel is an out and out masterpiece, it's a stunning piece of work, they managed to make it so flat, so devoid of the genius it undoubtedly had.

It's a gorgeous looking episode, Ackroyd's home is gorgeously decorated, the enormous wall clock, the rugs, china etc, everything is so opulent, it just oozes sheer class.

Nothing wrong with the acting, it's solid as opposed to brilliant, Oliver Ford Davies is good value as Doctor Sheppard, and I'm a big fan of Selina Caddell, so I enjoyed her very much.

I think the main problem was the direction itself, it was just so flat, dare I say boring, the changes from the novel didn't seem to benefit, if anything they diminished the plot. I didn't like Poirot's narration. Through no fault of Oliver Ford Davies the character in the book is just so different, in the book there's a warmth to him that just doesn't come across.

It's so hard to believe this and Lord Edgeware dies were made at the same time, that was brilliant, this one is just flat. A tragic 5/10

Being a an equal member of the reading and watching public, and having more than the average understanding about what goes into bringing any previous work to film, I always approach filmed versions with a grain of salt.

I do not think I have ever been pleased with a depiction of any Agatha Christie novel. For some reason, the endings of these seem to be less than sacrosanct to writers and producers. Do not ask me why.

Also, it is usually very hard for every nuance a writer brings to her work to translate well onto the screen.

Yet, Suchet's charm has always seemed infectious to me. His Belgian eccentricities always make Poirot come alive to me. I may be overstating this for most tastes, yet, I can opine that Suchet has a way of transcending any plot mischiefs or storyline inaccuracies and makes every experience with Poirot a delight.

Such was the case with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It was finely wrought and delicately portrayed in a way that pleased what little I know of what life was like then. If there was much lacking from the book, all I can say is that I certainly expected it and I adapted to it unbegrudgingly. If I want true and complete Christie every time: I will read her books. They are the true source of this brand of pleasure aren't they?

Agatha Christie is a Master of Mystery and her writings are classic. "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" is one of her best and should have been a great movie. However, this movie bears very little resemblance to the book, especially at the end. I suppose the writers thought her ending would be too tame for today's audiences. Just once I wish someone would make an Agatha Christie movie that is faithful to her writing

Hercule Poirot retires from sleuthing and moves to a cottage in a small country town, King's Abbott. His old friend, the industrialist Roger Ackroyd lives there and he soon makes friends with some of the other townsfolk too. One day a widow, Mrs Farris, (apparently) commits suicide, almost a year after her husband died. Then, soon after a dinner party that Poirot attended, Mr Ackroyd is found murdered in his study. Suspicion immediately falls on Ralph Paton, Mr Ackroyd adopted son, the inheritor of his estate and a man who had large debts with Mr Ackroyd. Poirot is reluctant to get involved but then the investigating officer from Scotland Yard turns out to be an old friend and ally, Chief Inspector Japp. Poirot and Japp, the old firm, get on the case.

Intriguing but a bit more straightforward than most of episodes in this series. The murderer can be largely figured out through seeing whom the scenes draw most attention to. You can't be 100% sure though (I wasn't) so there is still a large degree of mystery to it.

The journal also adds a new dimension to the story, as we see Poirot reviewing the case after the event through reading the murderer's journal.

Also a decent degree of sentimentality and nostalgia, with Poirot giving up London for the country. This is made most clear when Poirot briefly goes back to his London home and reminisces.

Overall, reasonably entertaining and interesting.