Agatha Christie and Me by Heather Haven

Even though I never knew Agatha Christie personally, she has been an important person in my life. I was a lonely kid and can only say the phrase, “Books are my friends” was on the mark for me. I started reading Nancy Drew mysteries when I was nine. I moved on to Agatha Christie when I was about sixteen. In the following years, I read anything that came my way, from Ernest Hemingway to P.G. Wodehouse, Ruth Rendell to Erma Bombeck. Thrown into this mix was required reading, such as “Ode to a Grecian Urn.”

But I always came back to Christie. Her books were like a trip home. I knew I would care about the characters and be certain of where they were going i.e., a solved crime, but at the same time, be perplexed by the mystery. Above all, it would be a good read. Something to savor and enjoy, to be sorry when it ended.

Arguably, but let’s not argue about this, Christie invented the genre we know today as the cozy mystery. Although, most of them were not as cozy as people like to think. If you scratch beneath the surface, you will find deceit, betrayal, greed, selfishness, and amorality. Even in her romantic mystery series with Tommy and Tuppence, these two were up against some pretty evil doings amid the charm and fluff.

It is said that the best way to learn how to write a mystery is not just to study writing but to read others who have gone before. Read the best and you cannot help but become a better writer. So, I read her a lot. From Christie, I learned the value of having a protagonist people enjoy reading about and are committed to. I learned pacing, plot building, and the element of surprise. But mostly I learned the importance of sustained good writing.

Do I write like or as well Agatha Christie? No. But this isn’t a competition. I’m me and Christie is Christie. My goal is to write as well as I can, in my way, and in my voice. But hearing her angels singing in the background helps. Seeing in my mind’s eye the day-to-day existence of her people, even in the smallest of ways. Poirot measuring his eggs. Marple knitting her latest pair of baby booties. They help me with my own protagonists’ quirks and foibles, keeping my characters interesting and believable. There may be chit-chat about the Great God Google, but to me, Agatha Christie is my goddess.

With this kind of god-like appreciation, comes a certain amount of ownership. I am quite possessive about what is done with her work in other media. I can remember seeing Margaret Rutherford on TV in four black and white movies with her playing Miss Marple and thinking, uh-oh.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore Margaret Rutherford. She was a wonderful character actress of the 50s and 60s who was in many fine movies, such as Blythe Spirit, The V.I.P.s, and The Importance of Being Earnest. She even won an Academy Award for The V.I.P.s. However, her approach to Miss Marple was more along the dotty and confused sleuthing line, with less observation and mental acuity. Rutherford also decided to add her own husband to the stories as her sidekick, Mr. Stringer. Of her performances, it was said Christie respected Rutherford, but later wrote that ”Margaret Rutherford was a very fine actress, but was never in the least like Miss Marple.” I’m with her.

Glossing over 5’8″ Angela Lansbury’s Miss Marple played when she was 55 years old and looking as if she could fell a horse, we move on. Christie’s quintessential Miss Marple was Joan Hickson. Agatha Christie even wrote her a letter saying, “I hope one day you will play my dear Miss Marple.” Christie eventually got her wish when the opportunity arose for Hickson to star in the role at the age of 78. Others come and go, but Joan Hickson was and is my perfect Jane Marple.

Another gloss-over moment is Tony Randall playing Hercule Poirot in The Alphabet Murders. Despite adding Robert Morley to the cast, the movie didn’t work on any level. The script was compromised, the heart of the story was neglected, and Tony Randall was simply miscast. He found his feet in The Odd Couple but certainly tripped all over himself as Poirot.

Albert Finney did Poirot one time in the movie Murder on the Orient Express. With an all-star cast, the script followed much of Christie’s novel. Thank you. Finney’s portrayal of Poirot was exacting, respectful and believable. My own respect for Albert Finney went up several notches after seeing that movie. This handsome dude who starred in the movie Tom Jones not ten years before became the excentric, middle-aged, not-so-good-looking Hercule Poirot.

Peter Ustinov played a very credible Poirot in six movies. While he didn’t look physically very much like the description of Poirot in the books, he had a great sense of fun, the intellect was there, and he honored the character and the role. And he was a wonderful actor. The films were made on location and tended to follow the plotlines, always a plus. His Death on the Nile is one of my favorite go-to movies.

But now we come to Kenneth Branagh. He’s a good Shakespearean actor, but his Hercule Poirot is more one of his fancies than what Christie wrote. His Poirot is a man with a touch of Ian Fleming’s double 0 seven in him, blondish, younger, and far more strapping than any Poirot previously done. And his mustache seems to change in every film. He’s done three films so far, all uneven, and probably plans to do more. Okay. Everybody’s gotta make a living.

If you want to know what Hercule Poirot looks like according to Agatha Christie, either read the books or watch one of David Suchet’s performances. Because we have just gone back to quintessential. David Suchet played Hercule Poirot for nearly 25 years on television. It was a faithful version of the character. According to movieweb.com, “Throughout his 25-year tenure as the detective, Suchet managed to consistently bring to life all of Poirot eccentricities, right down to the physicalities and movement of the character — as, notably, Suchet managed to perfect Poirot’s distinct walk.”

Keeping in mind that actors need to work, and they’re going to take a job whether I like their version of the role or not, when I really want to visit Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, or Poirot, I pick up one of Agatha Christie’s books. Timeless and wonderful.