They did an extraordinary job on this one. By eliminating a few of the characters from the book, I believe they actually made the story easier to follow with better flow. Though my favorites of the film series are ABC Murders and Peril at End House, this comes in third, tying with Death in the Clouds. I don't think they took anything away from Agatha Christie's work by changing it a bit. Of course, they had a great story to work with. This is one of her most interesting books with great history worked into the motive and plot. Great job on this film. Recommended to watch over and over again.

It is supposed to be a quiet holiday, Hercule Poirot's Christmas, with a simple repast and a box of exquisite Belgian chocolates. And he's been looking forward to it - unlike Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson), for whom a visit to his wife's Welsh relatives is forecast. "If they start singing again ..." he groans wistfully after the pre-Christmas lunch with Poirot which he expects to be his last decent meal until the beginning of the new year.

But when Poirot is about to sit down for dinner that night, he registers a faint chill in his apartment - first his wine is a tad too cold, then he is even compelled to put on a blazer - and to his horror, he discovers that his radiator has gone cold. What is worse, his landlord informs him that it won't be fixed until after Christmas. And so, when he receives a phone call from cantankerous, wheelchair-bound old Simeon Lee (Vernon Bobtcheff), asking him to spend the holidays at his Shropshire estate Gorston Hall because his life may be in danger, Poirot has only one material question: "Tell to me, if you please, Monsieur Lee: Does your house have the central heating?"

Yet, even after his arrival in Shropshire, Poirot isn't quite sure what is expected of him; and unfortunately Mr. Lee, who made his fortune prospecting diamonds in South Africa, doesn't greatly elaborate - only that he (Lee) intends to make an announcement which will give his family, who already hate and fear him, even greater cause for hatred; and that Poirot is to keep his eyes and ears open. "Bien, what am I looking for? What am I listening for?" the detective inquires. "You'll know when it happens," is Lee's terse response. But later that night, after old Simeon has informed his family that he is about to make a new will to accommodate his just-returned third son Harry (Brian Gwaspari) and his Spanish granddaughter Pilar (Sasha Behar) - which inter alia means scrapping the allowance of Harry's brother George (Eric Carte), a Member of Parliament - and after he has then sent them off again, not without putting them down as "a set of mamby pamby weaklings," a loud crash and a scream reminiscent of the squeal of a slaughtered pig emanates from Simeon's room, and when the door (locked from inside) is finally broken open, they find him lying there with his throat slashed, the room in total disorder and looking like a battlefield - and the diamonds that Simeon had recently ordered to be sent from his company's museum in Pretoria are gone from his safe.

Now, of course, Poirot's task begins in earnest; and since Wales is just across the border, he quickly resolves to save Japp from his over-exuberant, carol-loving in-laws and invite him to join the investigation. Together with Shropshire Police Superintendent Sugden (Mark Tandy) they set out to find a murderer who may equally likely have tried to prevent the alteration of old Mr. Lee's will, steal his diamonds, or have had a different motive altogether - for as Simeon himself had boasted to both Pilar and Poirot, he had been "a very wicked man" and didn't regret it; in fact, he had "enjoyed every moment:" killing, stealing, lying, and producing a legion of sons born "on the wrong side of the blanket" in the process. As Poirot quickly discovers, almost every member of the household has not only a motive for murder but also a flimsy alibi at best: not only George who, like his young wife Magdalena (Andree Bernard) is deeply in debt, but even George and Harry's brother Alfred, who stands to inherit the lion's share of the fortune after having stayed at home and taken care of his father together with his wife Lydia (Catherine Rabett), enduring humiliation upon humiliation over the years. Then there is Pilar who, it turns out, has a few secrets of her own; Harry's reconciliation with his father is only a recent one (and who says it was honestly felt anyway?); valet Horbury (Ayub Khan Din) has yet other reasons to fear the police - and there is also an elderly lady (Olga Lowe) staying at a nearby inn, who likewise shows a peculiar interest in the goings-on at Gorston Hall.

While plot-wise relatively standard Christie fare - complete with locked room, country estate, belligerent patriarch, shockingly young wives, a prodigal son returning home after a promise of "fatted calf" (to the displeasure of his demure "stay at home, stick in the mud" brother(s)), sudden testamentary changes and other motives galore - and although Christie's imagination may have gone a bit overboard, as I am not sure the solution would have worked in reality quite the way it is described here, this adaptation of "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is a delightful entry in the canon featuring David Suchet, as always the perfect embodiment of the little Belgian with the many "little grey cells" and perfectly waxed moustache, whom a speck of dust would cause greater pain than even a bullet, and who cannot eat his breakfast eggs unless they're exactly the same size. Faithful to Dame Agatha's novel in setting and atmosphere, like a number of other installments this episode cleverly varies the series's distinctive title melody in tune and instrumentation so as to underline its specific seasonal backdrop and Shropshire locale; which to my mind even makes it reminiscent of the title melody of the "Cadfael" adaptations, likewise set in Shropshire and originally broadcast by ITV. Fans of Poirot's sidekick Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) may be a bit disappointed to find him missing - but this is still a fine Christmas gift from Dame Agatha, David Suchet and company, and as always there is plenty of banter between Poirot and Japp as well ... and an amusing little subplot involving their mutual Christmas presents.

"Ah, Chief Inspector, you have been thinking again - I have warned you of this before ..." (Poirot to Japp, after listening to his theory on the murder.)

One's again Poirot Rocks!!!!!!!

The movie is great!!!!! one of the best Poirot ever!!!

God Bless Agatha Cristie and Poirot!!!!!

If you like suspens, mistery get this dvd !!

;-)

+++++

I watched this movie without reading the 1939 Dame Agatha Christie novel that it was 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.

Here is the timeline of this movie:

1896 SOUTH AFRICA: two diamond smugglers turn on each other.
FORWARD 40 years later, London, England.
DEC. 21: Chief Inspector Japp (Phil Jackson) gives Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) a Christmas present. Later this day, Poirot is called by a stranger to his home to spend the Christmas.
DEC. 22: A murder takes place. Was it actually a suicide? Poirot investigates with the help of Police Superintendent Sugden (Mark Tandy) and later, Chief Inspector Japp.
DEC. 23: The investigation continues. Poirot buys Japp an expensive Christmas present.
DEC. 24: The investigation continues. An attempted murder occurs. Poirot opens Japp's present.
DEC. 25: Poirot solves the murder. Poirot gives Japp his present.

Who are the people Poirot spends the Christmas with? They are as follows:

1) Simeon Lee, the rich stranger who calls Poirot to his home (Vernon Dobtcheff)
2) Alfred Lee, one of Simeon's sons (Simon Roberts)
3) Ludia, Alfred's wife (Cathy Babett)
4) George Lee, a politician and another of Simeon's sons (Eric Carte)
5) Magdalene, George's wife (Andree Bernard)
6) Harry Lee, yet another of Simeon's sons (Brian Gwaspari)
7) Pilar Estonbodus, Simean's Spanish granddaughter (Sasha Behar)
8) Horbury, Simeon's valet (Ayub Kwan Din)
9) Tressilian, Simeon's butler (John Horsley)

As usual, Suchet's performance stands out. He gives a stellar performance portraying Poirot. Dobtcheff as the wealthy Simeon Lee also does a good job in his role.

This movie kept me guessing right to the very end as to whom the murderer was. There was good interaction between all the major characters and especially between Japp and Poirot.

The cinematography is visually stunning. All costumes and props are authentic looking.

The DVD has the usual text extras. Newcomers to the series might find these
interesting.

Finally, this movie is a solid murder mystery that can be viewed anytime, not just at Christmas time.

In conclusion, this is a fun movie even if you have read the novel it's based on!!

(1996; made for TV; 100 min; 10 scenes; full screen; British drama; color)

+++++

This is one of my three favorite movies. We watched it so many times when we first got it, it's too embarrassing to tell you how many times.

David Suchet is Dame Agatha Christie's fussy and very likeable Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot. He's so much fun. "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" is a 1930s Christmastime wealthy British in-the-country murder mystery with all the trimmings, including diamonds. It needs no other intro--just watch it. It's really wonderful, and it's not too Christmasy to watch at any time of the year. If you're really good at figuring out whodunnits, like I am, you can get this one a little less than midway through. However, it's worth it to the end because you have to see if you, indeed, are correct. And there is another little twist that you just couldn't ever figure.

What makes this a movie that you can watch over and over despite knowing whodunnit, is the wonderful 1930s costumes, the mansion that gives Chief Inspector Japp "the creeps," and all the simply fabulous characters, including Hercule's trusty Chief Inspector James Japp, Pilar Estrabados and Harry Lee.

If you love this movie, you simply must get all the David Suchet as Hercule Poirot murder mystery movies, which total a lucky 13 and include four other of my favorites "Evil Under the Sun" (Poirot is supposed to be recovering at a coastal resort from what only seems like 'obesity,' when he ends up embroiled in a look-alike murder); "Peril at End House" (a seance brings out the murderer); "Death in the Clouds" ("Death by poison dart on a British airplane; bizarre isn't the word," says Japp); and "Dumb Witness" (a fox terrier assists our Belgian sleuth.)

There are also 9 other series sets of David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in 50-minute shows which are quite good.

Lastly, if you like this stuff, you will probably also like three other sets of British light mystery movies: (1) Joan Hickson's collection of movies as she plays Dame Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. (2) Ian Carmichael plays Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey, a collection of movies filmed in the 1970s that are broken down into parts, set largely in 1920s England, absolutely wonderful believable stories, fabulous characters, exquisite attention to story details, and wonderful filming, albeit a bit quirky with using film outdoors and videotape indoors. (3) Dorothy Sayers Harriet Vane mysteries, a trilogy of multi-part movies that shows how Lord Peter Wimsey met and fell in love with Harriet Vane. Absolutely wonderful viewing, all three of these sets of movies. Well worth the money and time spent watching over and over.