Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1980)

A Disappointing Continuation

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is not one of Agatha Christie's best books but when Christie wasn't quite at her best she knew how to make a mystery entertaining and engrossing and that is true of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? This 1980 TV version I can see, in the future and right now, is not going to please everybody. Some people will find it well made, diverting and classic Agatha Christie, others will find it contrived, long-winded and perhaps confused. Depends on your perspective, and perhaps if you're familiar with the story. This version of Why Didn't They Ask is not what I call perfect, there is one information strand that does feel thrown in, all too easy and underdeveloped. But the adaptation is leagues ahead of the 2009 version(as part of the ITV Marple series), which was all of the things that I have seen people criticise this version of being, even though that adaptation had great production values and a splendid Julia McKenzie, it wastes most of the supporting cast, is meandering pacing-wise and the ending was a mess.Back to this, it is very well-made, actually looking authentic without being too late-70s/early-80s with nice photography and costumes and sets that are both sumptuous and atmospheric. The dialogue is very faithful to Agatha Christie and helps to make the mystery interesting throughout, and the story, while paced slowly but appropriately, is both suspenseful and intricate, if seemingly implausible on first viewing. On this point, I do think this is an adaptation that is best to see more than once, then again I might be alone in this notion. I personally liked the cast, James Warwick and Francesca Annis are very likable and reminds one fondly of their Tommy and Tuppence, while John Gielgud- while not stealing scenes as seamlessly as in Seven Dials Mystery- is his usual commanding self. Joan Hickson also has a glorious and deliciously over-the-top cameo, but it is Eric Porter's alert and sometimes alarming Doctor that indeed steals the show.Overall, not perfect and not the most accessible of Agatha Christie adaptations(I also think Seven Dials Mystery, which had most of the cast from here in that, is better), but well-made and interesting with a good cast and far better than the later adaptation. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I was hooked by Francesca Annis and James Warwick when they played Tommy and Tuppence in Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime, and as an avid Christie fan have always wanted to see them again in Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Although its plot is very picaresque, and suffers from some of the careless crafting found in Agatha Christie's earlier work, it is, in fact, an enjoyable book, and has no doubt been adapted adequately for television. Infuriatingly, the DVD is not available in the UK, or in the entire Region 2! I don't suppose it ever will be. Odd, isn't it? I believe that American viewers have similar difficulties obtaining English films and television programmes in Region 1 format, Perhaps, one day, there will be a single standard for all of us.

This BBC version of an Agatha Christie book shows the pitfalls of following a book too closely. Christie's books tend to move at a gentle, sometimes even sedate pace, and "Evans" is one that certainly does. It also has a solid school of red herrings to confuse the plot. This version is extremely faithful to the book, which results in a very slow, involved story. As a Christie fan, I gave it 7 stars, but it takes 3 hours to make its way through a relatively action-free story. I appreciate some of the tightening of plots that the BBC did for its later Christie productions much more.In the end, this movie is a leisurely pleasure, highlighted by the breathy waif Francesca Annis who brings considerable charisma to her role and plays off James Warwick very well.

Spoilers herein.I make a habit out of examining film adaptations of classic mystery novels for clues. I'm looking for clues about why the narrative works. There is a reason Christie is the best selling writer in history, even now as print runs are huge.I think I understand the primary mechanisms, how she engages the reader in a contest of wills. Usually, these don't translate well to film and we are given instead some puzzles with a surprise answer at the end.One approach is what was attempted here, just work through the book more or less as it is written. But that doesn't work either because the infrastructure of the imagination differs so between reading and viewing.Here the stretch of the mystery is too long for the reward. We'll know who the villain is soon enough just because of the theatrical mannerisms of the actors, and the rest comes across as `Hardy Boys' stuff. Add in some unbelievable coincidences (even for Christie), a Miss Moriarty Morphia and a little too pert Frankie and you'll see why this series wasn't continued.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.