I don’t know about you, but I was so glad to have a lovely lazy day at home today – just eating leftovers and watching TV. I was quite disappointed that the Agatha Christie this year is an updated ABC Murders. John Malkovich as Poirot is very different from David Suchet’s version, very much rougher, but I did enjoy seeing the wonderful De La Warr Pavillion in Bexhill again, always a joy – especially in reality but I haven’t been to Bexhill for years. The ABC Murders is set in 1933 and the De La Warr didn’t exist then as it wasn’t built until 1935. Just a bit of nit-picking on my part!
The contrast between the immaculate art deco building and the sleazy poorer quarters featured is stark. You can almost smell the damp. Whoever has the job of designing such settings triumphed – peeling wallpaper and all. On the whole though I found this new version to be painfully slow, but I’ll no doubt be watching the second part tomorrow night.
Before the ABC Murders I enjoyed watching The Midnight Gang. I haven’t read any of David Walliams’ books but this TV adaptation was definitely worth watching, for kids of all ages.
I didn’t have any time for looking at anything on TV before today really and I see that on the 23rd I missed something called Agatha and the Truth of Murder. I’m wondering if it’s worth watching it on the iPlayer. Let me know what you thought of it if you watched it please.
I have to say that on Christmas Eve I chose to watch entirely the wrong thing. I’m not at all religious nowadays but I do love all the old familiar carols. Unfortunately I tuned in to the BBC service – big mistake as it came from Buckfast Abbey, there were no carols at all. Everything was chanted and a lot of it was in Latin! Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out whether things are RC or very high Church of England, but Buckfast must be RC, however I thought they had given up on the Latin in the 1960s so I don’t know what that was all about. Nothing resembling a good old carol was sung, in fact nothing was really sung – just chanted. I can’t imagine why the ‘high heid-yins’ in the BBC would think that it would be appreciated by many viewers. Yes the setting of the abbey is very grand, the costumes (chasubles and such) worn are sumptuous. But it missed the festive mark by miles. Clearly I should have been on ITV but I gave up and went to bed.
Have I missed anything worth watching?
We had a quiet Boxing Day – just went out for a walk. I didn’t watch the ABC Murders but I think David might have recorded it to watch later. I did watch Agatha and the Truth of Murder.about the missing days when no one knew where Agatha was. In this version she was solving a murder. The cast was good and I thought it was OK, but a bit daft – rather fanciful.
Margaret,
If I’m at a very loose end I’ll give Truth of Murder a go although I have watched something else about her missing days before. We’ve had a few walks too, I don’t know how anyone could think of tackling the sales.
I wasn’t aware until reading your post that someone new is playing the part of Poirot, so I read a couple of reviews which seem to be mixed. I have loved David Suchet’s portrayal of him for so long that I can’t imagine anyone else being believable. I guess when the new version airs in the US, I may give it a try and see for myself. Enjoy the remainder of the holidays!
Paula,
I think the new version of Poirot is just too far away from how Christie described the character. I grew to like the Suchet version but given the choice I prefer Miss Marple, especially Joan Hickson and Geraldine McEwan. I hope you’re having a lovely time.
Ken and I had a lovely Boxing Day. Christmas was just too busy preparing for a dinner party at our friends’ house in the Glen on the Hudson River, complete with fast-flowing rapids. And then attending the Christmas Party. With two obvious Republicans invited and being overbearing. (God help me keep a civil tongue in my head!)
We did not discuss politics, but it was so obvious where they were coming from.
So Boxing Day was an absolute delight. We had our Christmas breakfast, we exchanged presents (and they were wonderful), and then we went for a good tramp and the few flakes that had been falling increased into a veritable snow globe! We walked out to the beaver bog/swamp with the view of Crane Mountain and it was just so lusciously beautiful. We came home and read books. Then we went out to dinner and talked about old times with the owner of the restaurant, the snow still lightly falling. A perfect day!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed your day, too.
We watched the American classic “White Christmas,” which we haven’t viewed for years and years. It was so much fun. Starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.
Have you ever watched this one?
Judith,
I have seen White Christmas numerous times, but the other day I watched Holiday Inn for the umpteenth time. In black and white of course but – so stylish.
Judith,
It does sound like you had the perfect day, especially with the fall of snow. I’m just astonished that no matter what your POTUS does – there are still people apparently thinking he can do no wrong. There’s none so blind ….!
We’re lurching from a few days of hard frost to very mild weather – the plants don’t know what to do.
I gave up on ABC Murders halfway through the second episode – not least because it was filmed so darkly that I could barely work out what was going on!
I have just caught up with 1940s film The Bishop’s Wife on iPlayer, which was lovely.
Simon T,
Yes it was filmed in what I call ‘Supermurkovision’ – I struggled on to the end, I don’t know why really.
I love old films so I’ll give The Bishop’s Wife a go. Thanks.
Don’t get me started on the ABC Murders – I could reel off a dozen things wrong with it compared to the book. I read the book and rewatched the Suchet version so I knew what to look for….but simply dreadful…yet I felt compelled to watch it. I had done my homework I suppose and wanted to make sure I had paid attention!!
There was a wonderful programme about behind the scenes at St Paul’s on BBC2 which is worth a watch.
Jo,
It was not good, but like you I watched it to the grim end – then wondered why I had bothered!I should take note of the TV programmes that I intend to watch on the iPlayer – before I forget about them and they disappear.