Living the role
Poirot’s farewell last week was predictably sad. I don’t remember Hercule dying on the page in the book,but TV handled it well. The ‘Being Poirot’ documentary that followed was interesting and enlightening. The off-set shots showed very clearly that when David Suchet was dressed and made up as Poirot, he was Poirot, right down to the accent and the walk.
Categories: General
Quintin Jardine's blog 
I thought it was a suitably restrained death, but was sorry for Poirot that he was not lying neatly on his back, as he would sleep. A telling detail. It was also interesting that he deliberately turned to his rosary and ignored his medication as the attack began; I think the book may indicate that he had placed the medication out of reach, also deliberately.
I don’t think Poirot was bothered at the time. And yes, the book does say that he put his amyl nitrate out of reach.
Guess I haven’t missed much-never really got into the whole Poirot series many years ago when I read Agatha. As a character, he didn’t appeal-she did better with little old ladies!!!
For most people in Britain, Suchet gave Poirot a dimension that not even Dame Agatha managed. For me the early series were a bit too jokey, but the later two-hour TV movies were much darker and really worked.
I have only read “Murder on the Orient Express”, which I read after seeing the Suchet film because it seemed out of character; the film was indeed rather different from the book. However, the Suchet films are well worth while viewing and the “Being Poirot” documentary is also worth catching. I think Poirot is as good, if not better, than Miss Marple, but then, I like David Suchet!
If your only experience of Agatha Christie the writer is ‘Orient Express’ your comparison can only be between the TV and film adaptations. There has only ever been one TV Poirot, but several Marples. Who was your favourite? To me, Joanna Hickson was incomparable.
Just a passing thought, but tho’ I was always intrigued by her plotting, her writing seemed stilted and never approached the level of her contemporaries. Do I get pilloried for this thought???
No, but the stocks might be a possibility.
I think I prefer Julia Mckenzie, but I’m not too fussy about my Miss Marples!