Sad Cypress (2003)

Pretty Good

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Sad Cypress has a great cast ranging from Diana Quick, Paul McGann, Rupert Penry-Jones and Kelly Reilly.However despite framing the episode by having the suspect Elinor Carlisle found guilty of murder at the beginning of the episode, it has a leaden pace. The actual murder happens way into this film when the previous shorter episodes of Poirot would had revealed the murderer by then and Hastings and Poirot would be cracking a joke before the end credits roll.Elinor visits her wealthy ailing aunt living in a mansion. She has bought her fiancé Roddy who is smittened by a young blond lady, Mary who is a friend of the aunt. Doctor Lord visits Poirot because Elinor has received some anonymous letters. Doctor Lord carries a torch for Elinor but she gets heartbroken as Roddy carries on with Mary.However after her aunt's death Elinor becomes a the sole heir of her estate. Later when Mary is found poisoned, Elinor is the main suspect and she made her bitterness towards Mary rather plain.I think this adaptation would had worked better in a shorter format. It was just too slow to get going and the reveal was rather messily done and rather contrived. It only livens up when Poirot springs into action to save Elinor from the gallows.

This is a beautiful looking production, wonderfully shot and - on the whole - very well acted. David Suchet's excellent Poirot enters the story somewhat earlier than in the book but that's not too surprising - the series is called 'Poirot' and fans will want to see him at the earliest opportunity. Being one of my favourite Poirot books, I had quite definite ideas of how these characters should look and feel and generally speaking I was happy with the results in the film. Elisabeth Dermott Walsh was really spot on as Elinor and Rupert Penry Jones catches Roddy's weakness very well. It was nice to see the excellent Phyllis Logan pop up as one of the nurses and Diana Quick is suitably sympathetic as the invalid Mrs Welman. Perhaps my only slight reservation is that the crucial role of Mary Gerrard is played as rather more 'knowing' than she ought to be and as a result rather less sympathetic.Two disappointments, one very trivial and one not quite so. Much as I enjoyed the denouement, it didn't have the power of that in the book where the solution was revealed by a series of revelations within the courtroom. The film opts for a more exciting end but as a result it's less believable. The trivial disappointment is a lack of attention to detail, for the important supporting role of the Zephirine Drouhin rose is miscast - it should be bright pink and not crimson red! Seriously though, this is a very good film overall and well worth watching.

Hercule Poirot looks into the case of a woman accused for two murders: there is overwhelming evidence against her, her dislike for one of the victims - the girl who stole her fiancé's heart - is well-known, and she doesn't express any feelings of regret. Despite all that, a doctor, who is secretly in love with her, is convinced of her innocence and asks his old friend Poirot to help him prove it.Let me put it simply: the story, direction, performances, music, and set design of "Sad Cypress" are of higher quality than approximately 90% of what is available out there. Dropping the (highly entertaining, it must be said) sidekicks, changing the tone to almost completely serious, and reducing Poirot's screen time in favor of the other characters (in fact, it could be argued that the beautiful Elisabeth Dermot Walsh is the central figure here) are all bold moves, and they pay off brilliantly, in this case at least. Up to this point in the series, and without having seen "Five Little Pigs" yet, the only episodes I would rank above this one are "Wasps' Nest" and "Lord Edgeware Dies".A must-see if you love good cinema, even when it's made for TV. (***1/2)

David Suchet is a wonderful actor, he represents Hercule Poirot as anybody. I love Agatha Christie's novels. I never lose a movie with David Suchet, I saw him in Henry the VIII too, as cardinal Wolsey, very good performance. I like Peter Ustinov's performances too, of Poirot I mean, but David Suchet is insuperable. I am reading now The sad cypress and is very interesting as all the work of Agatha Christie, in a Spanish version. I enjoy the novels where Hercule Poirot is the protagonist. Miss Marple is very smart too but I prefer Poirot.Congratulations for Mr. David Suchet and I can not wait to watch on TV his last movie.Sincerely,Helen LarrauriLima,Perú