Agatha

Although this story is fictional, it is based on a real mystery involving Agatha Christie Mallowen, the most well known mystery writer in the world. Shorty after her book "The Murder of Roger Akyroyd" won a prestigious English award, Christie disappeared for some twenty days, and to this day no one knows what happened to her in that period. This story is a good supposition, however, and worthy of the pen of the queen of mystery writers herself. Redgrave is excellent as Christie, while Timothy Dalton is suitably obnoxious as the insufferable, philandering, abusive and adulterous colonel Archibald Christie, who dismissed his wife's fame and talent as a mere nothing, while carrying on an affair that he did not even attempt to hide from her. If there was a weak character in the film it was Hoffman's American reporter, secretly in love with Christie from afar, who supposedly figures out her intentions in time to stop her. It was because of this weak point in the production that I had to rate this film as less than great. Still, it is the kind of story that mystery fans the world over will enjoy. Worth a watch. Agatha, where were you really?

In December 1926, the queen of crime fiction, Agatha Christie, vanished for almost two weeks, provoking a massive manhunt and a frenzy of press activity (speculating that she had perhaps been murdered or committed suicide). To this day, the full truth of her peculiar disappearance remains a mystery. In this 1979 film from director Michael Apted – working from a script by Kathleen Tynan and Arthur Hopcraft – a possible solution to the mystery is offered. The shy and insecure Agatha Christie (Vanessa Redgrave) is devastated when her husband Archibald (Timothy Dalton) declares that he no longer loves her and wants a divorce so that he can be free to marry his lover, secretary Nancy Neele (Celia Gregory). Initially reluctant to grant his wish, Agatha goes into an emotional meltdown… despite this, Archibald leaves her behind at the house and heads off to socialise elsewhere. Later, Agatha disappears suddenly following a car accident. The police and locals gather in huge numbers to search the surrounding countryside for clues, bewildered as to why she should vanish so completely in the wake of the crash. Has she wandered into the nearby marsh, dazed and confused, and drowned? Has she taken her own life? Has her husband murdered her and used the accident as a smokescreen to conceal his crime? In truth, Agatha has fled to a health spa in Harrogate where she has signed in under a false name, 'becoming' one Teresa Neele, a distant South African relative of her husband's illicit lover Nancy. Here she spends her days scribbling ideas in a small notebook – but what exactly is she planning? A new book? A suicide? Perhaps a revenge-murder? Besotted American journalist Wally Stanton (Dustin Hoffman) is determined to find Agatha. He tracks her down to the spa in Harrogate and, under a false name, woos her and finds himself falling in love. Can he get to the bottom of her tangled scheme and fragile psychological state before it's too late? Agatha is a good-looking film (courtesy, in no small part, of legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro). The 1920s period detail is immaculately captured in the impressive sets, styles and costumes. The mystery at the heart of the story is nicely handled overall, with the truth of Agatha's plan cleverly concealed almost all the way to the climax. At various stages it looks like she might be plotting to kill Nancy out of anger, to take her own life out of depression, or maybe even to humiliate her husband out of revenge. The dynamics of Agatha's state of mind and her intentions generate sufficient intrigue to keep viewer's guessing throughout. Where the film falls down somewhat is in the relationship between Agatha and the American journalist Wally Stanton. Redgrave and Hoffman are perfectly fine in the roles… but it's what draws them together, what makes them click as a couple, that never comes across as sufficiently developed or believable. The characters are not fleshed out fully enough to make the audience care, nor feel totally convinced, about their predicament. Nevertheless, this mysterious and intriguing real-life event provides a pretty good premise for a film. Yes, it has its flaws, but Agatha remains an interesting and reasonably well-made film, certainly worth 100 minutes of anybody's time.

Go, instead, for the gorgeous theme music by Johnny Mandel (Emily, The Shadow of your Smile -theme from "The Sandpiper"-, A Time For Love,) which Paul Willians put words to after they titled it "Close Enough for Love." It has become a jazz standard and has been recorded by every worthwhile artist playing or singing jazz. It's one of Johnny Mandel's best efforts, and that's saying a LOT! Stan Getz has a very nice version (instumental, of course.) The lyrics are some of Paul Williams' best. Starts out, "You and I, an un-matched pair..." Not perfect, no, but "close enough, for love." Bittersweet words... I thought the music, alone was well worth the price of admission. I rented the movie as soon as it came out on VHS (this was 28 years ago(!), and made an audio cassette of the theme so I could learn to play it. Songs that good don't come along very often...

I waited a long time to see Agatha. I remember seeing posters for this film at movie theaters when I was a kid and was intrigued about it ever since. For some reason I never happen to catch it, well, until now. I finally watched it on VHS (it's not available on DVD as of this writing). What a letdown. I said "That's it?" when the credits rolled at the end. I couldn't believe what a little, insignificant film it turned out to be. There are great things in it: the cast, lead by the magnificent Vanessa Redgrave. There's also Timothy Dalton and Dustin Hoffman. I always wondered how were they able to cast Hoffman, who's very short, against Vanessa, who's 6 feet tall I believe. Well, I know now: awkwardly. The cinematography by the great Vittorio Storaro is simply stunning and the music is excellent. But the story leaves a lot to be desired because, well, there's really no story. It's just an idea and a haphazardly conceived idea: after Agatha's husband told her he wants a divorce, the depressed mystery writer disappears from the public eye but goes to a health spa under another name and becomes obsessed with a device at the spa she wants to turn into an electric chair, and devises a plot in order for her to die from that electric chair but without making it look like it was a suicide. That's it. So according to this film, Agatha wanted to kill herself without making it look like a suicide but she obviously failed to do so as she was still alive and kicking after reemerging from her short-lived disappearance. Hoffman is the American who flirts with Agatha and eventually becomes part of the flimsy story. If I had known the story was this simple, I probably wouldn't have bothered with it. The production is grade A through and through but the screenplay is pure hokum.

I bought the movie because you can't even rent it these days. Being a HUGE Timothy Dalton fan it was worth the money. But the story is weak and there is no chemistry between Vanessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman. I'm quite confused as to why Hoffman was chosen to play this part. He certainly doesn't work with this material or this cast. Don't get me wrong.... I think Dustin Hoffman is a FABULOUS actor but just not in this movie. Even though Timothy Dalton is in the movie all too short a time, it's worth seeing if you're a FAN. He's gorgeous (as always!) and well worth watching. I believe it was made just after the mini-series Centennial so I see his physical portrayal of Oliver Seccombe in his character to some extent. Dalton fans.......check it out!

This quirky tale of Dame Agatha Christie's eleven-day disappearance in December1926 is a speculative account of the mystery, combining a romantic interlude, suicide attempt and desperate race to avert the loss of the world's most popular `Queen of Crime'. The film is not exactly in the style of a Christie plot or typical of one, as there are none of the trademark multiple corpses that usually litter her storylines. With her marriage on the rocks after being asked for a divorce, following closely upon the death of her mother, Agatha Christie seeks refuge from her coldly indifferent husband (a very apt Timothy Dalton), in the North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate. With the whole country looking for her, Dustin Hoffman is the American reporter, writing for an English paper, who finds, and then seeks to help, her. The difference in stature between the leading protagonists makes for an amusingly incongruous sight on the dance floor, and wisely the invitation to dance the Charleston together is declined. Although Dustin Hoffman's strident journalist strikes a jarring note, Vanessa Redgrave sensitively displays a troubled, if rather elegant, Agatha Christie. Helen Morse (Picnic at Hanging Rock; Caddie) is delightful as Evelyn Crawley who befriends Agatha, and is very discriminating in her choice of men, making an interesting observation on the unrealistic expectation (by both sexes) of men's fidelity, when she sagely states `Hardly seems worth it. Men change so, that's why choosing is important. Well we can't just let things happen to us.' The fine talents of Timothy West are also involved as the diligent deputy chief constable who withstands Colonel Christie's attempts to quash the hunt for his wife. When, as expected, her husband's mistress also arrives in Harrogate, Agatha, who had been using her surname as a pseudonym whilst unconvincingly trying to pass herself off as a widow recently returned from South Africa, begins to plot an elaborate revenge. A large part of the film is given to scene setting with nice observations of English class snobbery and a time past. The final part of the film then changes gear from its languorous pace and moves into thriller mode with a race against time. A fine sense of period detail and Vittorio Storaro's beautifully crafted cinematography enhance this film, with its gentle evocation of the 1920's gentility taking the spa waters for the relief of their multifarious ailments. The famed Victorian architecture borrows from Bath as well as Harrogate, along with York's railway station, and the Old Swan Hotel and Royal Baths are given full promotional treatment. Although Agatha Christie returned to her husband her marriage finally ended two years later. In the UK video copies are available through Blackstar and Amazon.

At the time this film was made Dustin Hoffmans career was on a downward curve.He was at the time managed by Jarvis Astaire,who is one of the credited producers.The part as originally written was very small.However Hoffman was persuaded to take the part on the basis of it being written up.This is what happened.So that you have long stretches of the film where Hoffman is not present and then further stretches where he is ever present.The problem is that where the film should really be about the disappearance of Agatha and what is happening to her it becomes all about Hoffman trying to find her.It has to be said that when they do meet up it is rather laughable with the diminutive Hoffman overshadowed by the towering Redgrave.This really must be one of the worst films made by either actor in their distinguished careers.Not long after the film Astaire and Hoffman ended their business relationship

source: Agatha

Trailer—Agatha

Agatha