I recently saw the 1982 film version of Evil Under the Sun and I was wondering whether the film or the TV episode of Poirot is closest to the original book.
The first differences that I noticed were that the film took place on a Mediterranean island and the TV episode on an island off the south coast of England.
Also in the film Kenneth Marshall has a daughter, but in the TV episode it is a son.
http://oztvreviews.com/2015/01/british-crime-drama/
They both change things:
In the book Kenneth Marshall has a daughter, scissors, not glasses are left by the body.
The book takes place on the island from the TV show, just off the coast of devon, not only is it where the book is set, it's where Christie wrote the book.
The book is set in the 30's or very early 40's rather than the present day like the ustinov movie, the movie changes everyones backstories to match the period, making them rich and famous, theatrical producers and so on.
Hastings doesn't go to the island in the book.
The ustinov movie adds a weird tell-all biography and missing dimond subplot.
The ustinov movie changes massive amounts of dialouge in order to add "comedy", ustinov also Adlibs monolouges in his movies.
The book has a suacide attempt by Linda (Marshalls Daughter) Which isn't in either adaptation.
The Ustinov movie removes a couple of subplots, including the suspected blackmail and Heroin smuggling, both are kept in the TV adaptation, and both are expanded slightly there.
The book has the character of Mr Odell Gardener, Hastings takes some of his role in the TV adaptation, he and his wife are never suspected becuase they are playing tennis, and are more or less useless to the plot. The rest of hastings role is that of "Colonel Weston" (the Chief Constable), the Ustinov movie reduces the character to just one scene at the end.
In both Adaptations Mrs & Mr Masterman were deleted, they are insiginificant characters to the plot, so the first to go.
The Ustinov movie removes Rosamund Darnley, combining her role with Mrs Castle, and changes Emily Brewster into Rex Brewster and combines the role with Reverend Stephen Lane.
In the TV adaptation Japp is given the role Inspector Colgate has in the Book, The role is totally removed from the Ustinov movie.
I'm not sure what you think the present day is, but the movie version is definitely set in the 1930s, and, believe it or not, they had producers then as well.
shareI'm not sure what you think the present day is, but the movie version is definitely set in the 1930s, and, believe it or not, they had producers then as well.
Thanks for that very comprehensive comparison.
http://oztvreviews.com/2015/01/british-crime-drama/
You are welcome, one of my favorite stories.
shareThe attempted suicide of linda (Or lionel) being missing from the TV movie is a weird one, On my first watch i was sure that was where the book of poision was leading.
shareI suppose it depends on what you mean by "closest to the book". The Movie does a good job of translating the main storyline, but the TV show has more of the characters and subplots intact from the book.
Thanks for your reply, but the very comprehensive comparison above explained the differences that I had noticed between the two and how they related to the original book.
http://oztvreviews.com/2015/01/british-crime-drama/
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The Tv episode is closer to the original, the film changes many of the characters, and the setting, though not the murderers or their motive or the murder method, The Tv episode keeps the original setting, except for turning the hotel into a health farm, and most of the characters, except for some baffling reason turning the actress's stepchild from a girl to a boy.
share