Nonureva Really Surprised!

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

grantss Elinor Carlisle and Roddy Winter are happily engaged. Elinor's aunt is receives is Laura Welman, wealthy but ailing and bed-ridden. Elinor receives an anonymous letter, warning her that someone will try to gain favour with Mrs Welman, to her expense. Her aunt's doctor, Doctor Peter Lord, contacts Hercule Poirot to investigate. Mrs Welman dies with no will, and, as her next-of-kin, Elinor receives everything. Elinor. Shortly before her death, Mary Gerrard, an old friend of the family, reappears after a long absence. Roddy falls for her and this ends his engagement to Elinor. Elinor is openly resentful of Mary ending her relationship with Roddy and says she wished Mary was dead. One afternoon, Mary stops by for tea and sandwiches with Elinor and a short while later is found dead, poisoned. After a thorough investigation, which Poirot assisted in, Elinor is charged with and ultimately found guilty of the murders of Mary and Mrs Welman. She is sentenced to hang. Doctor Lord insists that Elinor is innocent and implores Poirot to reinvestigate the case. Poirot agrees, resulting in a race against time to save Elinor.Clever and intriguing. The number of suspects is quite small, but you're never sure which it is. Motives by anyone other than Elinor appear non-existent, making things more difficult. So, the murderer is very well hidden, making the case even more interesting.Sad Cypress does have a similar story and feel to Mrs McGinty's Dead. However, Sad Cypress has a much more plausible plot, especially backstory and motive.In the great tradition of the Poirot series, a great supporting cast. The notable names this time are Paul McGann (of Withnail and I and Hornblower fame) and Kelly Reilly (True Detective S2, among other things).

TheLittleSongbird Sad Cypress is one of my favourite Poirot episodes, along with Five Little Pigs and Peril At End House everything about this adaptation was stunning. I do admit I did cry two or three times. It is faithful to the book, apart from a slight misjudgement about the rose. The plot is quite a complex one, but it is very well constructed here. The look of Sad Cypress was absolutely exquisite- you can never go wrong with dazzling photography, splendid scenery and lovely costumes- this adaptation had all three of those things. The music was gorgeous, haunting yet tragic, and I think it was this that reduced me to tears. The script is very good, beautifully written, and does have a hint of faithfulness about it. The acting was exceptional, although he looked tired, David Suchet turned in an impeccable performance as Poirot. I do consider Suchet the definitive of the Poirots, like Jeremy Brett was the definitive Sherlock Holmes. Elizabeth Dermott Walsh was beautiful beyond words as Elinor Carlisle, just perfect for the role, and Rupert Penry Jones perfectly conveys his flawed character. Diana Quick and Phyllis Logan are fine actresses, and they were superb in their roles. The final solution was very well done, not quite as good in construction as the one in the book, but still effective. I have to say when I first saw this adaptation, I was extremely disturbed by Poirot's dream of Mary Gerrard and her decompsing face. All in all, highly recommended. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Iain-215 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.

gee-15 I was pleasantly surprised to come across the adaptation of another Agatha Christie novel starring the inimitable David Suchet. He really IS the definitive Hercule Poirot.While pleasantly surprised, I was mildly dismayed to realize that it was an adaptation of "Sad Cypress", one of Christie's "minor" Poirot mysteries and certainly not her best. However, I couldn't have been more wrong. This has to be one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book. In the book, much of the action is discussed within the context of Elinor's trial, making it come across as a sort of Britishized Perry Mason mystery. The movie, while narratively framed by the trial, wisely jettisons most of it to focus on the characters and, of course, Poirot.The actors are all very good with special kudos to actress Elizabeth Dermot-Walsh as the wrongly accused (or is she?) Elinor Carlisle. Her performance is heart-breaking. And it doesn't hurt that she's one of the most interesting-looking women I've seen in a long time.The only weakness comes in the middle of movie as the shift of Roddy's affections from Elinor to Mary seem to be rather rushed and not well-explained. But overall, the movie is time well-spent.