Poirot - Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Hollow (DVD)

...John Christow? More importantly, will Poirot be able to prove who is responsible?

In what is one of the longer Poirot episodes at nearly 90 minutes long, Poirot is once again played by the talented David Suchet. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, there is no better Poirot - and I am considering great actors like Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney here. David Suchet simply plays the part exactly as Agatha Christie intended, with ...
...of the fun of the Poirot episodes is to see who is in it this time - there are always familiar faces - although it can be a little distracting at times.

The story line is a good one. As usual, the person killed is the one that is most deserving, therefore creating a number of potential suspects for Poirot to sift through. And although I know the story back to front, I don't think the outcome is all that obvious, something that newcomers ... more

Dr John Christow is a respected doctor, husband and father - but he has problems staying faithful to his wife, Gerda. On a trip to the country to stay with the Angkatells, complete with wife and mistress, Henrietta, he runs into a former lover, famous actress Veronica Cray. The next day, Poirot, who has been invited to lunch, arrives to witness Gerda Christow standing over the body of her husband. Henrietta then throws the gun in the swimming pool. Gerda later claims that she found her husband already shot and simply picked up the gun - and as she loved her husband deeply, despite his indiscretions, it seems likely that this is the case. But who really killed John Christow? More importantly, will Poirot be able to prove who is responsible?

In what is one of the longer Poirot episodes at nearly 90 minutes long, Poirot is once again played by the talented David Suchet. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, there is no better Poirot - and I am considering great actors like Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney here. David Suchet simply plays the part exactly as Agatha Christie intended, with all his famous mannerisms such as a distaste for the country and a love of perfect order. He also looks the part, complete with egg-shaped skull. In this episode, he is perhaps not quite as involved as usual - the first part concentrates on building up the other characters - but it is still very much his case and his presence is completely enjoyable.

John Christow is a very charming man, but he treats his wife with disdain, and takes advantage of the fact that she worships him. He is played with great zeal by Jonathan Cake, an actor I particularly remember from an episode of The Thin Blue Line. I think he is perfect for the role - he has that James Bond look about him and a drawl to the voice; it is easy to see why he is such a ladies' man. He has great on-screen chemistry with lover Henrietta, played by Megan Dodds; while his coldness towards faithful wife Gerda is plain for all to see. Megan Dodds as Henrietta is also great - there is no trace of the ditsy, annoying Kate from Not Going Out here - she is cool, calm and collected and, despite her affair with John, is very fond of Gerda.

Claire Price is good as Gerda Christow. Gerda is chock full of feelings of worthlessness and stammers and stutters her way through the story, encouraging sympathy in the viewer (or me, at least). Then there is Lord and Lady Angkatell, played by the wonderful Edward Hardwicke (Sherlock Holmes' Watson) and Sarah Miles - the latter is particularly entertaining as a wealthy woman totally away with the fairies. The list of well-known actors goes on - Edward Fox is a competent butler and Lysette Anthony plays the famous actress. Part of the fun of the Poirot episodes is to see who is in it this time - there are always familiar faces - although it can be a little distracting at times.

The story line is a good one. As usual, the person killed is the one that is most deserving, therefore creating a number of potential suspects for Poirot to sift through. And although I know the story back to front, I don't think the outcome is all that obvious, something that newcomers to crime fiction want to avoid. At the same time, there is none of that last minute addition of a relevant person to the crime - it is very much a closed house crime, giving the viewer time to get to know each of the suspects. I particularly liked the side story of Edward Angkatell, who is in love with Henrietta without realising that little cousin Midge is much more suitable for him.

Part of the charm of the Poirot series is the period costume and setting, and there is no exception here. The clothes and hairstyles are spectacular and the house and grounds that the Angkatells live in is stunning. The episode was presumably filmed in autumn, because there are some gorgeous red-leaved trees that the film-makers use as the background for a lot of the scenes, making it truly eye-catching. I don't know enough about history to tell how accurate the period features are, but it most certainly looks as if the researchers put a great deal of effort into finding out.

There is really nothing that I dislike about The Hollow, except perhaps that it isn't my favourite episode - but that is only because there are Poirot stories that I like even more. Compared to most crime fiction these days, it is certainly of much better quality. And some people will be disappointed to find that Hastings, Inspector Japp and Miss Lemon are not to be seen. This doesn't bother me though; as a fan of the books, I know that these characters don't appear in the books as often as they do in the TV series and, although I enjoy the interaction between the characters, it is a pleasant change to not have them around for once.

There are no extras with my DVD; I am therefore reviewing the film only version.

I am a big fan of anything Agatha Christie related and, although this is not one of my favourite stories, it is incredibly well-made and one of the better TV episodes. Of course, if period crime fiction is not your thing, you are probably not going to enjoy this; otherwise, it is well worth a watch. I'm not sure that there is much need to buy a copy though - Poirot re-runs always appear to be on the television and no doubt this one will be due an outing soon. Recommended.

The DVD is available from Amazon from £3.94.

Classification: 12

Running time: 89 minutes
 

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