Murder in Three Acts
Murder in Three Acts is a 1986 British-American made-for-television mystery film produced by Warner Bros. Television, featuring Peter Ustinov as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Directed by Gary Nelson,[1] it co-starred Jonathan Cecil as Hastings, Tony Curtis, and Emma Samms.
| Murder in Three Acts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Crime Drama Mystery |
| Written by | Agatha Christie Scott Swanton |
| Directed by | Gary Nelson |
| Starring | Peter Ustinov Tony Curtis Emma Samms Fernando Allende Diana Muldaur Jonathan Cecil |
| Theme music composer | Alf Clausen |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Paul Waigner |
| Production location | Acapulco |
| Cinematography | Donald R. Rode |
| Editor | Neil Roach |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Television |
| Distributor | CBS |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | September 30, 1986 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Dead Man's Folly |
| Followed by | Appointment with Death |
The film is based on Christie's book Three Act Tragedy (1934), published in the US under the title Murder in Three Acts.
Cast
- Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot
- Jonathan Cecil as Captain Arthur Hastings
- Tony Curtis as Charles Cartwright
- Emma Samms as Jennifer "Egg" Eastman
- Dana Elcar as Dr Strange
- Lisa Eichhorn as Cynthia Dayton
- Nicholas Pryor as Freddie Dayton
- Fernando Allende as Ricardo Montoya
- Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. as Colonel Mateo
- Frances Lee McCain as Miss Milray
- Marian Mercer as Daisy Eastman
- Diana Muldaur as Angela Stafford
- Concetta Tomei as Janet Crisp
- Philip Guilmant as Rev. Mr Babbington
- Jacqueline Evans as Mrs Babbington
- Martin LaSalle as Doctor
- Alma Levy as Nurse
- Julio Monterde as Manager
Premise
Poirot joins his assistant Hastings in Acapulco, Mexico, where Hastings is staying. They go to a party at which the other guests include the writer Janet Crisp, the American actor Charles Cartwright, a clergyman called Babbington, Daisy Eastman and her daughter Egg, Dr Strange, and Ricardo Montoya. Babbington dies of poisoning, then Strange is poisoned, too, and Poirot hunts the murderer.
Changes to the original story
The main change is the relocation of the action from London to Acapulco. In the book, Poirot's assistant is Satterthwaite, replacing Hastings, but in the film Hastings is reinstated in his usual role. Christie's English theatrical actor Sir Charles Cartwright turns into Charles Cartwright, an American movie star.
A version made in 2010 in the long Poirot series starring David Suchet restored the title Three Act Tragedy, as well as reinstating Sir Charles Cartwright (played by Martin Shaw) as an English stage actor.
Sequels
In 1974, Murder On The Orient-Express was released, starring Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot. As Finney was unable to reprise his role in 1978, for the sequel, Death On The Nile, Peter Ustinov was cast. He reprised the role for Evil Under The Sun in 1982 and later committed to several made-for-television-films. Apart from Murder In Three Acts, Thirteen At Dinner and Dead Man's Folly were released. Another screen adaption of one of Christie's novels in 1988, Appointment With Death, marked Ustinov's final portrayal of the Belgian detective.
References
- "Murder in Three Acts". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
External links
