  The STEWARDESS did it!! Or did she??, 2004-07-29
+++++
I watched this movie without reading the 1935 Dame Agatha Christie novel that it is based on. I'm glad I did this! Why? Because it forced me to really watch the movie in order to try and deduce who the murderer was.
As a brief synopsis, the murder takes place on a plane in flight and involves an insect (wasp) as well as a poison dart. Also on the plane is (you guessed it) the great sleuth himself, Hercule Poirot (David Suchet). The actual murder takes place "not 10 metres [or about 30 feet] away from him." As a result, Poirot has to "restore his reputation" by solving the crime. He is aided in his investigation by Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson). Eventually another person that was on the plane is killed but it appears to be a suicide.
One thing both Poirot and Japp are sure of is that the murder on the plane is not your "normal" murder. Poirot has trouble "sinking his teeth" into this case.
Who are the passengers and workers on the plane? There are nine altogether besides Poirot and they are as follows:
1. Ex-actress Lady (Cicely) Horbury (Cathryn Harrison)
2. Socialite and money lender Madame Giselle (Eve Pearce)
3. Archaeologist Jean Dupont (Guy Manning)
4. Crime Novelist Daniel Clancy (Roger Heathcott)
5. Stewardess Jane Grey (Sarah Woodward)
6. Steward Michael (John Bleasedale)
7. Dentist Norman Gale (Shawn Scott)
8. Maid to Cicely (Jenny Downham)
9. Friend to Cicely, Venetia Kerr (Amanda Royle)
Of the eleven actors above, Suchet's performance stands out. I feel he does a stellar job in his performance as Poirot. His interactions with Japp are sometimes comical. Another performance to look for is that of Cathryn Harrison as the now seemingly wealthy Lady Horbury.
The cinematography of this movie is visually stunning. This movie takes place in Paris and we are shown close-ups of major landmarks. The costumes are authentic looking. As well, the background music adds to each scene.
The DVD (where the movie is in full screen format) has four extras. Of these, I found three interesting: biographies of Suchet and Christie as well as the one entitled "Poirot Trivia."
Finally, the only problem I had with this movie was with the final scene where Poirot deduces who the killer is. If you've been keeping track there are now seven suspects. But in this final scene there are only five shown! There is a sixth person in this scene but that person was not even on the plane when the murder was committed. One of the missing suspects is briefly assumed to be innocent (no explanation is given as to why). The other missing suspect is not even mentioned! Thus, I found this final deduction scene somewhat disappointing.
In conclusion, this is a fun movie, even if you have read the novel!!
(1992; made for TV; 100 min; British drama; 10 scenes; color)
+++++
GREAT!!!!!!!, 2005-01-12
Like always Poirot rocks!!!!!Very Nice, well done, the plot is wonderfull, the acting too. Go Poirot !!!
One of My favorite Books, 2001-06-25
Death In The Clouds was always one of my favorite of Christie's books, and while I really enjoyed this, I thought it wasn't as good as adaptation as many of the others, such as ABC Murders. But don't get me wrong, I loved it, and the story is great! To me it just wasn't quite as good as some of the other adaptaions. Usually I don't prefer the books over the movies, they're both good. But for once, I prefer the book. Again, I still loved it and thought that Poirot and Japp did very good jobs in their rolls. My favorite scenes included Poirot's first talk with Japp, Japp cringing at Poirot's behavior on the plane, and Japp interacting with the French Inspector. Good stuff! And one of my favoite mystery plot-lines to boot! I actually give it 4.5 stars, but that's not an option on the rate-a-ma-jig device!
The Prettiest Poirot, 2002-10-06
One of my favorites in the "Poirot" series, "Death in the Clouds" nonetheless significantly alters the story of Christie's novel. While some of the changes are the inevitable result of condensation and simplification, the most noticeable seem to have been made more with an eye to drawing attention to the show's period reconstruction. That is what I find personally appealing about the adaptation, the fastidious style, as immaculately turned out as Poirot himself. The style is perhaps more perfectly realized in this episode than in any of the other feature-length adaptations in the series. For example, the novel begins with the plane flight from Paris to London during which the murder occurs. In the adaptation, however, it takes quite a while to get to the flight, as the film makers dawdle in 1930s Paris, providing a meticulously reconstructed tennis match, trips to gaming houses, superbly recreated upper crust hotel rooms, even a brief trip to a museum to remind us this is the high point of Surrealism in the arts. If you can enjoy these details for themselves, you will probably view "Death" repeatedly and with great pleasure. If you are more interested in seeing Christie's novel "faithfully" adapted to the screen, you will be disappointed. In addition to cutting characters, some of those who remain have been reduced quite a bit in importance, and not always to the benefit of the story. Others, like Jane Grey, the young hair dresser on holiday in Paris, have been changed so much that they are practically different characters. Still, even with these reservations, it's difficult to imagine anyone who enjoys the Suchet "Poirots" not getting a kick out of such choice moments as the detective trying to determine if someone could use a blow pipe unnoticed in a crowded airplane, or Japp's hapless efforts to communicate with people in French. With the polished period exteriors dressing up these wonderful bits of business, it's almost impossible to resist the episode's charms.
Nostalgic more than anything else, and a great mystery!, 2004-07-14
I saw this with my mother on DVD ($12.99 at Sam's Club, believe it or not!) and we both enjoyed it immensely. Even my 11-year-old sister liked it (I'm 14). The scenery in this one is wonderful - Mom commented on the white cliffs of Dover. (What are those made out of, anyway? Salt? Limestone?) As usual, I read the book first and liked it a lot, but I loved the movie! As the plot centers around a murder that takes place on a plane not three feet over from a sleeping Hercule Poirot (who wishes to restore his reputation, especially when the alleged weapon is found near his seat), it takes one back to a time when air travel was mostly worry-free (except for the airsick, including Poirot) and terrorists and bomb threats were not even in the picture. My two favorite scenes are the classic drawing-room conclusion, as always, and a scene in the middle where Poirot performs a few little "experiments" aboard a plane, much to the chagrin of poor Chief Inspector Japp ("I've been to see the lawyer, Inspector - " "Chief Inspector.") ;-) Featuring David Suchet in a fine performance as the star detective, and also Cathryn Harrison as the high-society smoking gambler Lady Cicely Horbury, who, according to the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), is the granddaughter of Rex Harrison. All in all, a great film adaptation, but also a great movie in its own right. A lot more funny moments in this one. :-)
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