Appointment with Death is a 1988 mystery film, made by Golan-Globus Productions and produced and directed by Michael Winner. It is an adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel of the same name featuring the detective Hercule Poirot. The screenplay was by Peter Buckman, Anthony Shaffer and Michael Winner.
The film stars Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot, Lauren Bacall, Carrie Fisher, John Gielgud, Piper Laurie, Hayley Mills, Jenny Seagrove and David Soul.
Gielgud & Bacall had previously starred together in another big-screen Poirot adaptation, 1974's Murder on the Orient Express.
Plot
Emily Boynton (Piper Laurie), stepmother to the three Boynton children - Lennox (Nicholas Guest), Raymond (John Terlesky) and Carol (Valerie Richards) - and mother to Ginevra (Amber Bezer), blackmails the family lawyer, Jefferson Cope (David Soul), into destroying a second will of her late husband which would have freed the children from her dominating influence. She takes herself, the children and her daughter-in-law Nadine (Carrie Fisher) on holiday to Europe and the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) meets up with a woman friend, Dr. Sarah King (Jenny Seagrove), who falls in love with Raymond Boynton to Emily's disapproval. Lady Westholme (Lauren Bacall), her secretary (Hayley Mills) and Cope are following them too. The children discover about the second will and Emily succeeds in rubbing the rest up the wrong way causing much hatred towards her. At a dig, everybody wonders about the camp and Emily is found dead... poisoned. Poirot investigates.
Family Tree
Emille Boynton had three children with his first wife: Lennox Boynton (married to Nadine), ', Carol Boynton, and Raymond Boynton. He married his second wife, Emily Boynton, and had one child Ginevra Boynton.Mr. Boynton dies, and Emily continues to control the family as the wicked stepmother.
Changes
The novel takes place primarily in Petra, Jordan whereas the film takes place in Jerusalem. This change was made because the production company was Israeli.
Poirot on film
This film was the sixth time that Peter Ustinov played Hercule Poirot. It also marks Poirot's last big screen appearance. The film was succeeded by a television series produced by British television company ITV, in which Poirot was played by David Suchet.
References
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