''Dead Man's Folly'' is a 1986 British-American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

featuring

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It is based on Christie's 1956 novel '' Dead Man's Folly''. The film was directed by Clive Donner and starred

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

as Poirot. The cast included

Jean Stapleton Jean Stapleton (born Jeanne Murray; January 19, 1923 – May 31, 2013) was an American character actress of stage, television and film. Stapleton is best known for her portrayal of Edith Bunker, the perpetually optimistic and devoted wif ...

, Tim Pigott-Smith, Jonathan Cecil, Constance Cummings and Nicollette Sheridan. It was shot largely on location at

West Wycombe Park West Wycombe Park is a country house built between 1740 and 1800 near the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England. It was conceived as a pleasure palace for the 18th-century libertine and dilettante Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baro ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, England.

Plot introduction

Hercule Poirot and his associate, Captain Arthur Hastings, are called in by his eccentric mystery author friend, Ariadne Oliver, to a manor house in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. Oliver is organizing a "Murder Hunt" game for a local fair to be held at Nass House, but she is troubled by something she cannot quite put her finger on. Things take a turn for the worse when during the "Murder Hunt", Marlene Tucker, the girl playing the "dead" body, is murdered for real. Soon afterwards, Hattie Stubbs, the lady of the manor mysteriously disappears and Merdell, an old man's, body is pulled from the river. Poirot must discover who and what are behind these seemingly unconnected events.

Cast

Sequels

In 1974, ''Murder on the Orient Express'' was released, starring Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot. As Finney was unable to reprise his role in 1978, for the sequel, ''Death on the Nile'',

was cast. He reprised the role for ''

Evil Under the Sun ''Evil Under the Sun'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1941Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of F ...

'' in 1982 and later committed to several made-for-television-films. Apart from ''Dead Man's Folly'', '' Murder in Three Acts'' and ''Thirteen at Dinner'' were released. Another screen adaption of one of Christie's novels in 1988, ''Appointment with Death'', marked Ustinov's final portrayal of the Belgian detective.

References

External links

* * * 1986 television films 1986 films 1980s mystery films American mystery television films British mystery television films 1980s English-language films Films based on Hercule Poirot books Films set in Devon Films shot in Buckinghamshire CBS films Warner Bros. films Fiction about child murder Films directed by Clive Donner 1980s American films 1980s British films English-language mystery films Murder mystery films {{mystery-film-stub