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Agatha Christie's Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 7 Reviews)

An Amusing, Stylish...And Long...Agatha Christie Mystery
A golf game on a windy bluff above the sea, a cry, a man lying on the rocks below who struggles to say with his dying breath, "Why didn't they ask Evans?" And we're off on a three-hour Agatha Christie tale of family deception, murder, lies and ruthless intrigue. We're also thrust into the Twenties and early Thirties' world of wealthy English bright young things, a world of upper-crust accents, immaculate manners and immaculate croquet grounds, country homes with many rooms and even more servants, and gleaming autos almost as long as a cricket pitch.

This TV movie, originally a three-part British television production, would seem to have everything. So why is it unsatisfying? And why, as unsatisfying as I think it is, is it still amusing to watch? The unsatisfying parts first. 1) The story goes on and on. It easily could have been cut by at least half an hour. 2) The mystery is convoluted and hard to follow. 3) The two sleuths, Lady Frances Derwent (Francesca Annis) and Bobby Jones (James Warwick) got a bit on my nerves. Bobby is brave, a puppy dog around Frankie and not too smart. Frankie is very much the bright young thing, superficially brittle with hidden warmth, clever and, to my taste, a bit too self-satisfied. I never forgot that I was watching actors. 4) The direction is heavy handed, as if the director felt he had to nudge us that we're watching a slightly silly period piece. The background music is frequently used to emphasize things that don't need to be emphasized.

What makes it watchable? Style, story and several of the actors. 1) This production looks great. The stately homes, inside and out, provide wonderful settings for distinctly upper class life. The period clothes for both the men and women look authentic and are often elegant. Dressing for dinner never looked better. 2) While the story is convoluted, it carries within it enough false leads to keep one's interest. The solution to the mystery and the answer to the dying man's question is clever. 3) Despite the artificiality of Annis' performance, she's a good enough actress to keep me watching her. It's style over substance, and she carries off the style handily. One of the important roles, who may be a diversion to the plot or may be a key ingredient, is played by Eric Porter, a fine actor. This was one of his last roles. He plays Dr. Nicholson, who runs a discrete clinic for disturbed relatives of wealthy families. The doctor is solicitous and alarming at the same time. Porter does a great job. If you have a chance, watch him as Soames in the early TV production of the Forsyte Saga. He was, in my view, an exceptional actor. In smaller roles Bernard Miles and John Gielgud show up. Joan Hickson makes an appearance looking utterly different from Miss Marple.

On balance, I think this is a show you might like if you're fond of British mysteries involving the upper class and don't expect a classic. You'll need to appreciate Lady Frances...but as Bobby tells her at the close, "You were so frightfully plucky..."

The DVD transfer is soft but not too bad. There is a filmography of several of the actors.

James, Francesca, and Agatha Christie have done it again!!
Playing badly at golf witht the local doctor, starry-eyed Bobby Jones (James Warwick)discovers a body on the rocks below them. Before he dies, the man quietly says "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" Bobby passes the job of waiting for the doctor and some men to carry the dead one back into town to a passerby so that he can play the piano for his father's sermons.

While helping out a friend with a stuttering problem and love of 1920 cars, Bobby meets up with old friend, and secret love interest, Lady Francis "Frankie" Derwent (Francesca Annis). When both join the trial to see if the dead man's death was accidental or not, Bobby points out that a picture isn't the one he saw in the dead man's pocket. Thus, the adventure of a lifetime begins for the three friends (Bobby, Frankie, and Bobby's friend)as they meet up with a crazy doctor, a dashing young man that sweeps Frankie off her feet, a drug addict and his nervous wife, and the doctor's equally crazy wife.

Agatha Christie's made for TV movie is a wonderful adaptation of the book. What I mostly like about it is that you never get bored and it makes you keep guessing right up until the last scene of the movie (which is really a surprise no one would've guessed). James and Francesca have the most interesting and real chemistry I've ever seen. I've seen them in Tommy and Tuppence some years ago, and I feel in love with the characters as well as the actors protraying them. A perfect example is when both are tyed up by the "murderer" in a locked room and Bobby's friend saves them, Bobby becomes upset that Frankie has feelings for another man, but Frankie says "But, Bobby. I did miss you and I do care for you." And the way they look at each other...it's magical. I couldn't even tell if they were acting sometimes.

My favorite short scene in the movie is when Frankie and Bobby, when trying to save someone and have little time to do it, fly to Frankie's estate and borrow her father's car. It's funny because you just see the father and than Frankie and Bobby run by with Franie screaming, "Hi dad. Bye dad. Can't talk now, going to borrow the car."

Anyway, "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" is a wonderful film to me becasue of an interesting story with fake ID's and many twists and turns, thanks to Dame Agatha Christie, and the leads played by James Warwick and Fransesca Annis who play Bobby and Frankie, as well as Tommy and Tuppence, picture perfect. This is a good film to watch if you love Britsh movies or a huge Agatha Christie fan.

Francesca Annis is Ravishing
After watching this film, I found myself extraordinarily jealous of Ralph Fiennes. He is partnered with truly one of the most beautiful women in the world (even 20 years after this TV film was made).

That said, I spent much of my time watching the DVD in total lust (I probably should mention I'm gay which makes this experience even more extraordinary).

Beyond that, it's a really fun and (very)faithful adaptation of a Christie book. It's well-acted and the costume design and art direction is really beautiful (especially the scenes on the Welsh Coast). I highly recommend this DVD to all Christie fans and aficionados of classical beauty.

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