Sad Cypress (2003)

I love this movie so much

Did you people see the same film I saw?

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The other reviews do a good job summarizing this fine movie. So I'm "casting" this book with actual people from Agatha Christie's own real-life romantic tragedy...Fickle Fiancé' Roddy Winter...could be played by Agatha Christie's charming but unfaithful first husband Archie Christie.Elinor's aunt Madame Wellman could be cast as Agatha's late mother. Like Elinor Carlisle, Agatha Christie faced a double loss of two beloved people. In Agatha's case, it was her recently deceased beloved mother and -- soon after --the departure of her fickle husband Archie.Hercules Poirot...does not have a direct counterpart in Agatha's real life marriage breakup.. His advice to Elinor is wisely given... Perhaps he represents various unnamed friends who gave her support.Actually, Dr. Lord, who has admired Elinor from afar, I'd definitely cast as Max Mallowan, Agatha's beloved and faithful second husband. Dr. Lord radiates loyalty and good character. He brings in Hercules Poirot and (partial spoiler) Hercules Poirot...ultimately saves Elinor from execution for the murders of Madame Wellman and Mary Garrard.Mary Gerrard, the new love of Fickle Roddy Winter, represents the actual young woman who captured her husband's heart while she, Agatha, was away settling her late mother's estate.I think it unsurprising that Mary is...murdered. However, Mary is shown as a pleasant young woman who accepts Roddy's attentions but declares "I did not lead him on." Elinor feels guilty because she wanted dead...but she will learn...there's a difference between desire...and action.The actual murderer is, of course, eventually revealed. However, Elinor's resignation at her murder conviction almost keeps Poirot from getting from her...the key info needed...to find the actual murderer.So...this is a very human drama with love/loss as a repeated theme...Madame Wellman's lost love; Elinor's lost Roddy Winter; Roddy's soon-murdered new love..Mary Gerrard.Christie does not make simple good/bad characters. I hope writing this book helped her work through her personal pain. This book was published over 10 years after her marriage broke up. Her second marriage...to Max Mallowan...was a success. I "imagine" Elinor Carlisle and the kind Dr. Lord in a similar good marriage...

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).

This tale of the sad death of a dowager who strokes out carries with it a deep moral message which all of us should heed. If you're going to die at all, it is far better to die rich than poor. When you're terribly wealthy, old, and ill, friends and relatives rush to your country estate and lavish their affections on you. They pay attention to your every need. Did you take your medicine? How about another shot of morphine? Would you like some tea? Did you make a will? And when you finally shuffle off this mortal coil, it's from an overdose of morphine which, if you have to go, is the way to do it.The old woman of course had a household full of servants and was being visited by her closest relative, Elinor, Elinor's fiancé Roddy, and the old lady's protégé, the cute blond Mary. Mary and Roddy fall for each other in next to no time and the stricken Elinor returns Roddy's engagement ring. There are several hints that Roddy and Elinor have been playing doctor on a pre-conjugal basis, two lascivious animals. But I don't think Roddy had the time or the opportunity to get it on with Mary. Too bad for him. There is a doctor involved too, who loves Elinor from afar, but he looks a lot like Gabriel Byrne so we may dismiss him as a suspect at once.Elinor (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh) is actually an attractive women but make up has done its best to render her less radiant than the wall-eyed but sensual Mary. Elinor hates Mary.The old lady dies and leaves all her estate to Elinor who is obsessed by her bitterness. In a curious scene involving Elinor, a maid, Mary, and jars of salmon paste and crabmeat, Elinor serves the maid and Mary tea and sandwiches -- English sandwiches, meaning two slices of crust-free bread with a thin film of something in between. Mary winds up dead, poisoned by morphine too. Elinor is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death.I don't want to get into the rest of the plot. As usual it's more twisted than it looks and contains intrigues, greed, illegitimacy, daughtercide, jealousy, adoption, family ties, and class borders. It has a terrible scene in which the director uses what it sometimes called the Vertigo shot. We see Mary's lovely face turn into a rotting, grinning skull. It's horrifying but then Poirot wakes up and thrusts his sweating face into the camera with a grunt. Will we never see the end of this hoary cinematic cliché? Poirot winds up pleased with himself and two lovers ride off happily into the sunset. No Japp, no Hastings, no Lemon, but it's an interesting story.

David Suchet is a wonderful actor, he represents Hercule Poirot as anybody. I love Agatha Christie's novels. I never lose a movie with David Suchet, I saw him in Henry the VIII too, as cardinal Wolsey, very good performance. I like Peter Ustinov's performances too, of Poirot I mean, but David Suchet is insuperable. I am reading now The sad cypress and is very interesting as all the work of Agatha Christie, in a Spanish version. I enjoy the novels where Hercule Poirot is the protagonist. Miss Marple is very smart too but I prefer Poirot.Congratulations for Mr. David Suchet and I can not wait to watch on TV his last movie.Sincerely,Helen LarrauriLima,Perú