''Murder in Three Acts'' is a 1986 British-American made-for-television

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

produced by

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

, featuring

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

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

's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Directed by Gary Nelson, it co-starred

Jonathan Cecil Jonathan Hugh Gascoyne-Cecil (22 February 1939 – 22 September 2011), known as Jonathan Cecil, was an English theatre, film, and television actor. Early life Cecil was born in London, England, the son of Lord David Cecil and the gr ...

as Hastings, Tony Curtis, and Emma Samms. The film is based on Christie's book '' Three Act Tragedy'' (1934), published in the US under the title ''Murder in Three Acts''.

Cast

as Hercule Poirot *

as Captain Arthur Hastings * Tony Curtis as Charles Cartwright * Emma Samms as Jennifer "Egg" Eastman *

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as on the 1980s and 1990s television series ''MacGyver'' as Peter Thornton, MacGyver's immediate ...

as Dr Strange * Lisa Eichhorn as Cynthia Dayton *

Nicholas Pryor Nicholas Pryor (born Nicholas David Probst; January 28, 1935) is an American actor. He has appeared in various television series, films, and stage productions. Life and career Pryor was born Nicholas David Probst in Baltimore, Maryland, the son ...

as Freddie Dayton *

Fernando Allende Luis Fernando Allende Arenas (born November 10, 1952) is a Mexican singer, actor, painter, film producer, and film director. Early life Allende was born in Mexico. His father is Mexican, and his mother is from Cuba. Allende's grandfather on his f ...

as Ricardo Montoya * Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. as Colonel Mateo * Frances Lee McCain as Miss Milray * Marian Mercer as Daisy Eastman *

Diana Muldaur Diana Muldaur (born August 19, 1938) is an American film and television actress. Muldaur's television roles include Rosalind Shays on '' L.A. Law'' and Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season of '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. She als ...

as Angela Stafford * Concetta Tomei as Janet Crisp *Philip Guilmant as Rev. Mr Babbington * Jacqueline Evans as Mrs Babbington *

Martin LaSalle Martin LaSalle (10 August 1930 – 17 October 2018) was a French-Uruguayan actor. LaSalle first appeared in the Robert Bresson film ''Pickpocket'' (1959). Previously unknown, and in line with the director's mature practice, not then an actor, he ...

as Doctor *Alma Levy as Nurse *Julio Monterde as Manager

Premise

Poirot joins his assistant

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has ...

, Mexico, where Hastings is staying. They go to a party at which the other guests include the writer Janet Crisp, the American actor Charles Cartwright, a

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

man called Babbington, Daisy Eastman and her daughter Egg, Dr Strange, and Ricardo Montoya. Babbington dies of poisoning, then Strange is poisoned, too, and Poirot hunts the murderer.

Changes to the original story

The main change is the relocation of the action from London to Acapulco. In the book, Poirot's assistant is Satterthwaite, replacing Hastings, but in the film Hastings is reinstated in his usual role. Christie's English theatrical actor Sir Charles Cartwright turns into Charles Cartwright, an American

movie star A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and wh ...

. A version made in 2010 in the long ''Poirot'' series starring

David Suchet Sir David Courtney Suchet''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' ( ; born 2 May 1946) is an English actor known for his work on British stage and television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial '' Oppen ...

restored the title " Three Act Tragedy", as well as reinstating Sir Charles Cartwright (played by Martin Shaw) as an English stage actor.

Prequels & 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'' in 1982 and later committed to several made-for-television-films. Apart from ''Murder In Three Acts'', '' Thirteen At Dinner'' and '' Dead Man's Folly'' 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 films British television films British mystery films Films based on Hercule Poirot books CBS network films Warner Bros. films Films directed by Gary Nelson 1980s American films 1980s British films {{mystery-film-stub