Today’s film is a murder mystery with a scene that happens
on September 21. Watch it tonight and enjoy.
SAD CYPRESS
During the final summation at her
murder trial Elinor Carlisle thinks back on how she ended up on trial for her
life in a long flashback. She shows a letter to her fiancée and cousin Roddy
Winter that says someone is plotting to cut them out of their Aunt Laura
Welman’s will. They go to visit their
aunt and find the housekeeper Mrs. Bishop, the nurse Miss Hopkins and Mary Gerrod, the gardener’s daughter are
living at Hunterbury. The couple consult with Dr. Lord about the letter and he
takes it to Poirot. Mrs. Welman has
another stroke and asks to see her lawyer. The nurse claims a vial of morphine
is missing from her bag. Even though Poirot asks them to save the letter,
Elinor and Roddy burn it. Elinor then discovers Roddy kissing Mary Gerrod.
Laura Welman has another stroke and dies. Laura Welman’s funeral is on
September 21, 1937 [28:45 to 38:57] They learn that Laura Welman died without a
will, so everything goes to Elinor, who ends her engagement to Roddy. Elinor stupidly decides to give Mary £7,000
and learns Mary made a will at the suggestion of Nurse Hopkins, leaving
everything to Mary’s Aunt in New Zealand.
Elinor buys sandwich paste and has lunch with Mary Gerrod and Nurse
Hopkins, who makes tea for herself and Mary. Afterwards Elinor noticed Nurse
Hopkins had a wound, which she said was caused by the rose-bush. Mary is found
dead and Elinor is arrested. After Laura Welman’s body is exhumed and it is
discovered she was murdered by morphine overdose, Elinor is charged with her
murder also. After her trial Elinor is convicted of both murders and sentenced
to be hung. After a nightmare, Poirot starts to investigate the case. He learns
that Mary Gerrod was actually Laura Welman’s daughter. Poirot proves that the
murderer could not have distinguished which of the sandwiches was the salmon
paste that Mary ate. Poirot discovers that Nurse Hopkins is actually Mary
Reilly, Mary Gerrod’s Aunt. Since Mary was Laura Welman’s daughter, she
inherited the entire estate of £200,000, so Nurse Hopkins killed her by
poisoning the tea, then injecting herself with an emtic, which caused her to
throw up the poison. She tries to kill Poirot, but her confession is overheard
by the police. Elinor is saved from the gallows and begins a relationship with
Dr. Lord, who was instrumental in saving her life, by getting Poirot to
investigate.
If Elinor had done what most
people would have done and told Mary to clear off, she wouldn’t have been tried
for murder and Mary would not have been murdered. Another good one from that
master of mystery Dame Agatha Christie. Poirot is brilliant here.
The date is given in the film at
28:36 in the newspaper.
Producer – Fiona McGuire
Director – David Moore
Screenplay – David Pirie
Runtime – 1 hour 33 minutes
Released – December 26, 2003
Starring –
David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh as Elinor
Carlisle
Rupert Penry-Jones as Roddy
Winter
Kelly Reilly as Mary Gerrard
Paul McGann as Dr. Peter Lord
Phyllis Logan as Nurse Hopkins
Marion O'Dwyer as Nurse O'Brien
Diana Quick as Mrs. Laura Welman
Stuart Laing'' as Ted Horlick
Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.
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