Based on the same script and set-up as the famous Billy Wilder version, which starred Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and Elsa Lanchester, this TV version tries to impress but doesn't quite make it.
This time around the possible murderer is Beau Bridges, Ralph Richardson is the lawyer, Diana Rigg is the mysterious wife, and Deborah Kerr the nurse. Although they are all good, they can't hold a candle to the classic performances.
This Agatha Christie tale was always on the clunky side - too much going on and an unrealistic conclusion. For a TV movie it works well, perhaps more successfully than a new theatrical remake. It just doesn't remove memories of the superior original.
This time around the possible murderer is Beau Bridges, Ralph Richardson is the lawyer, Diana Rigg is the mysterious wife, and Deborah Kerr the nurse. Although they are all good, they can't hold a candle to the classic performances.
This Agatha Christie tale was always on the clunky side - too much going on and an unrealistic conclusion. For a TV movie it works well, perhaps more successfully than a new theatrical remake. It just doesn't remove memories of the superior original.