Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Dalton, Helen Morse, Celia Gregory
Release Year: 1979
Country: UK/US
Run Time: 98 minutes
Plot
What happened when best-selling mystery novelist Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days back in 1926? The British Agatha "answers" that question. Vanessa Redgrave is cast as Ms. Christie, who vanished from her home not long after her husband (Timothy Dalton) informed her that he was leaving her. Nearly two weeks later, after being the subject of a nationwide search, Christie showed up none the worse for wear at a health spa in Yorkshire, insisting that she could remember nothing of her experiences during her disappearance. According to scriptwriters Kathleen Tynan and Arthur Hopcraft, Christie was located before her return by American reporter Wally Stanton (an uncomfortable-looking Dustin Hoffman), after enjoying a brief romantic fling with the authoress. The journalist decided to keep his discovery a secret. Another plot wrinkle concerns Christie's plan for revenge against her errant husband -- a scheme with all the earmarks of a Miss Marple or Poirot whodunit. Agatha represented former TV director Michael Apted's matriculation to A-pictures with major stars; he fared better with his subsequent endeavor, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
There's so much that's right with Agatha that it's a shame its flaws are equally substantial. The biggest flaw, and the one that does the most damage, is simply that it tries to be two films -- a speculative mystery and a quirky romance -- instead of one. Had it stuck to the former, creating a real Agatha Christie-like puzzle full of intricate pieces, it might have been a memorable picture, for the mystery portion of the film is very engaging. Unfortunately, the writers opted to muddle up the proceedings through the introduction of a supposed attraction between Agatha and Stanton, which throws the film off-track and out of kilter. It doesn't help matters that there's a lack of chemistry between Vanessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman, or that Hoffman, while undeniably interesting and engaging, is a bit too mannered. By contrast, Redgrave is simply sublime, turning in a performance that's always a joy to watch and manages to mix naturalism with a certain heightened reality to very good effect. Michael Apted's direction is smooth, if not quite up to the task of melding the film's disparate moods into a cohesive whole, and the film has a glorious look -- sumptuous costumes, lovely sets, atmospheric cinematography. If all Agatha's assets can't quite overcome the problems with the script, they still are worthy of admiration. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Paul Brooke - John Foster; Yvonne Gilan - Mrs. Braithwaite; David Hargreaves - Sgt. Jarvis; Peter Arne - Hotel Manager; Pamela Austin - Pierrots; Alan Badel - Lord Brackenbury; Tony Britton - William Collins; Anne Francis - Jane; Robert Longden - Pettelson; Donald Nithsdale - Uncle Jones; Carolyn Pickles - Charlotte Fisher; Hubert Rees - Official at Literary Luncheon; Tim Seely - Capt. Rankin; Liz Smith - Flora; Irene Sutcliffe - Dress Shop Manageress; Timothy West - Kenward; Howard Blake - Hotel Trio; John Joyce - Hotel Waiter; Sandra Voe - Therapist
Credit
Simon Holland - Art Director, Shirley Russell - Costume Designer, Jonathan Benson - First Assistant Director, Michael Apted - Director, Jim Clark - Editor, Johnny Mandel - Composer (Music Score), Shirley Russell - Production Designer, Vittorio Storaro - Cinematographer, Jarvis Astaire - Producer, Gavrik Losey - Producer, Christian Wangler - Sound/Sound Designer, Arthur Hopcraft - Screenwriter, Kathleen Tynan - Screenwriter, Kathleen Tynan - Book Author
When her husband Archie (Dalton) confronts her with his affair and demands a divorce, crime writer Agatha Christie (Redgrave) tells him she fears for her life and promptly vanishes. She signs into a Harrogate hotel under the name of Archie’s lover and, as the country flies into a frenzy of rumour regarding her disappearance, secretly plans a dark revenge against him that can only be averted by Wally Stanton (Hoffman), an ambitious American journalist who falls in love with her...
Reception
Agatha was generally very well received by critics, and maintains an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[1]
