Experience the thrilling “A Haunting in Venice” this weekend, a movie inspired by Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel, “Hallowe’en Party.” This is Kenneth Branagh’s third stint as both the director and the iconic detective, Hercule Poirot.
However, it’s important to note that Branagh’s adaptations, including “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile,” are just a small fraction of the numerous movies based on Christie’s mysteries. In fact, many actors have portrayed Poirot on the big screen.
Follow the clues below to solve our latest quiz, which tests your knowledge of Agatha Christie movies:
1. Between the Broadway, film, and TV adaptations of “The Odd Couple,” five actors originated the roles of Felix Unger and Oscar Madison: Art Carney, Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, Tony Randall, and Jack Klugman. Can you guess which one of them also played Hercule Poirot in the 1965 film, “The Alphabet Murders” (based on Christie’s “The A.B.C. Murders”)?
2. Albert Finney, a five-time Oscar nominee, portrayed Poirot in the 1974 film “Murder on the Orient Express,” while Peter Ustinov, a two-time Oscar winner, took on the role in three films, including “Death on the Nile” and “Evil Under the Sun.” But which one of them received an Oscar nomination for their portrayal of the Belgian detective?
3. In 1926, Christie famously disappeared for 11 days in a real-life mystery that remains unsolved. The 1979 film “Agatha” starred Vanessa Redgrave as Christie in a fictionalized retelling of the case. Is it true or false that Redgrave appeared in an adaptation of a Christie novel five years prior to this film?
4. Timothy Dalton appeared alongside Redgrave in “Agatha” in 1979. Among Dalton and the other five actors who have played James Bond on screen, can you identify the two who have also starred in adaptations of Christie mystery novels?
5. British director Guy Hamilton, known for directing four Bond films, also brought “The Mirror Crack’d” to the big screen in 1980, featuring another one of Christie’s beloved sleuths, Miss Marple. Can you name the three-time Oscar nominee, 18-time Emmy nominee, and five-time Tony winner who portrayed Marple?
6. The film “Witness for the Prosecution” (1957) was based on Christie’s stage play. Do you know which director was behind this adaptation: Alfred Hitchcock, John Huston, Stanley Kramer, or Billy Wilder?
7. “The Mousetrap” is Christie’s longest-running stage production, which debuted in 1952 and ran continuously in London’s West End until March 2020, temporarily closing due to the COVID pandemic. Has there ever been an English-language film version of this play?
8. “And Then There Were None” is Christie’s best-selling mystery novel of all time and has been adapted for film multiple times in various languages. Was there an X-rated film adaptation titled “Ten Little Maidens,” starring adult film stars Ginger Lynn, Nina Hartley, and Kitten Natividad?
9. The upcoming mystery-comedy film “See How They Run” (2022), starring Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan, is set in the 1950s and features the original London cast of “The Mousetrap.” One of the cast members later directed the movie “Gandhi” and starred in “Jurassic Park.” Who is this multi-talented individual?
10. In the new film “A Haunting in Venice,” Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, and Kenneth Branagh share the screen. Can you identify the previous film in which all three actors worked together?
ANSWERS
1. Tony Randall
2. Albert Finney, who received a Best Actor nomination for his role in “Murder on the Orient Express”
3. True, Vanessa Redgrave also appeared in “Murder on the Orient Express”
4. Sean Connery (in “Murder on the Orient Express”) and Pierce Brosnan (in “The Mirror Crack’d”). However, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton appeared in British TV adaptations.
5. Angela Lansbury
6. Billy Wilder
7. No
8. Yes
9. Richard Attenborough
10. “Belfast”
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