Friday, August 21, 2015

August 21 - The ABC Murders

Today’s movie is a murder mystery with a scene that happens on August 21, Watch it tonight and enjoy.  

THE A.B.C. MURDERS            

On August 21, 1936 Capt. Hastingsreturns from the Orinoco. [1:04 to 6:46] Poirot has received an anonymous letter threatening something will happen in Andover that day. The next day they learn Alice Asher was murdered last night in Andover and an ABC Railway guide left near the body. Poirot and Hasting meet her niece.  Poirot gets another letter threatening a murder in Bexhill on the 25th   and he and Hastings travel there the day before. Very early on the 25th Betty Barnard is murdered and an ABC Railway guide left under the body. Poirot and Hastings meet with her sister Megan and boyfriend Donald Fraser. Poirot thinks they were killed just because their names start with the same letter in alphabetical order. Poirot gets a letter on the 29th that threatens a murder in Churston on the same day because it was incorrectly addressed. They learn that the very wealthy Sir Carmichael Clarke has indeed been murdered that day in Churston and an ABC Railway Guide left under the body. Poirot interviews Franklin Clarke, the brother and Miss Grey the secretary. The friends and relatives of the victims meet with Poirot to try and find a common link between the victims. Megan Barnard says her sister had just got some new stockings. Poirot goes to interview Lady Clarke the terminally ill widow who tells him she saw Miss Grey talking to a strange man the day of the murder. Donlad Fraser tells of a dream where he kills Betty. Poirot gets a letter threatening a murder in Doncaster on September 9th. Miss Grey now recalls talking to a man selling stockings and Poirot recalls seeing new stockings in Alice Asher’s rooms and believes he’s found the link. Augustus Bonaparte Cust, stocking salesman travels to Doncaster. The relatives and the police go to Doncaster to try and prevent the crime. Poirot now believes the murders were committed to obscure the solution to one of the murders in particular. Cust goes to a movie where a man is stabbed. Later he finds a bloody rag and knife in his pocket. His landlady sees him washing off blood and goes to the police, who find the knife. Cust goes and turns himself in. A witness comes forward and gives him an alibi for the Bexhill murder.  Poirot brings the suspects together and by lying forces Franklin Clarke to run, establishing his guilt in the murder of his brother. He was afraid that if Lady Clarke died, his brother would have married Miss Grey, ending his chance of inheriting the Clarke fortune. He killed the others to force the police to look for someone with a reason to kill all the victims, not just one. He arranged for Cust to visit the murder sites on the correct days. Cust is freed

Another triumph for Poirot. However, he took a big chance. If Franklin Clarke hadn’t run, there really was no evidence against him.

Date given in film at 5:47 and 6:10

Producer - Donald Toma

Director - Andrew Grieve

Screenplay - Clive Exton

Runtime - 1 hour 40 minutes

Release date - January 5, 1992

Starring -

David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings
Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard
Donald Sumpter as Alexander Bonaparte Cust
Donald Douglas as Franklin Clarke
Nicholas Farrell as Donald Fraser
Pippa Guard as Megan Barnard

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015.      

No comments:

Post a Comment