Thirteen at Dinner (film)

*Thirteen at Dinner*
Thirteen at Dinner
Genre	Crime; Mystery; Thriller
Based on	Lord Edgware Dies; by Agatha Christie
Written by	Rod Browning
Directed by	Lou Antonio
Starring	Peter Ustinov; Faye Dunaway; Diane Keen; Bill Nighy; David Suchet
Music by	John Addison
Country of origin	United Kingdom; United States
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Neil Hartley
Production locations	London; Royal College of Music, Prince Consort Road, South Kensington, London, England; Shad Thames, Southwark, London, England
Cinematography	Curtis Clark
Editor	David A. Simmons
Running time	87 minutes
Production companies	CBS Entertainment Productions; Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	October 19, 1985
Related
	Evil Under the Sun; Dead Man's Folly;

Thirteen at Dinner is a 1985 British-American made-for-television mystery film featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.^[1] Adapted by Rod Browning from the 1933 Agatha Christie novel Lord Edgware Dies,^[2] it was directed by Lou Antonio and starred Peter Ustinov, Faye Dunaway, Jonathan Cecil, Diane Keen, Bill Nighy and David Suchet, who was later to play Poirot in the long-running television series entitled Agatha Christie's Poirot.^[3]^[4] The film first aired on CBS Television on October 18, 1985.^[5]

Synopsis

Hercule Poirot appears on David Frost's talk show with actor Bryan Martin. The two are joined by Martin's costar Jane Wilkinson, who is later revealed to be a Wilkinson impersonator named Carlotta Adams. Adams' impression of Wilkinson is so perfect it fools Martin himself. Martin, Poirot, and Poirot's assistant Captain Arthur Hastings attend a dinner party, where the real Jane Wilkinson corners Poirot and asks for his help getting her a divorce from her husband, Lord Edgeware. Poirot agrees, only to discover that Lord Edgeware has already granted the divorce.

The next day, Lord Edgware is found dead. His staff insist that Wilkinson must have killed him, since she had threatened to once before. Inspector Japp is ready to arrest Wilkinson for the crime, but she has an alibi: she was at a dinner party with 12 other people. After Carlotta Adams is also murdered, Poirot investigates, much to Japp's annoyance. In the end, it is revealed that Jane Wilkinson did in fact murder her husband, hiring Adams to attend the dinner party in her stead in order to give herself an alibi. She then killed Adams to ensure her silence.

Cast

Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot
Faye Dunaway as Jane Wilkinson / Carlotta Adams
Jonathan Cecil as Arthur Hastings
Bill Nighy as Ronald Marsh
Diane Keen as Jenny Driver
David Suchet as Inspector James Japp
John Stride as Film Director
Benedict Taylor as Donald Ross
Lee Horsley as Bryan Martin
Allan Cuthbertson as Sir Montague Corner
John Barron as Lord George Edgware
Lesley Dunlop as Alice Bennett
Avril Elgar as Miss Carroll
Amanda Pays as Geraldine Marsh
John Quarmby as Sir Montague's Butler
Pamela Salem as Mrs. Wildburn
Lou Antonio as Movie Producer
David Frost as Himself
Tony Hawks as Man in Background at party
Sue Lloyd as Woman speaking in Background at a meeting (uncredited)

Production

Thirteen At Dinner was the first of three television films featuring Sir Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot. All three were given contemporary settings, rather than being set in the era in which they were originally written. Ustinov had appeared as Poirot in two previous theatrical films after taking over the role from Albert Finney.^[6]

References

^ "Agatha Christie's 13 At Dinner". TCM. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
^ Parkinson, David. "Thirteen at Dinner". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
^ "13 at Dinner (1985)". BFI. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018.
^ "BFI Screenonline: Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989-)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
^ Sanders, Dennis (1989). The Agatha Christie companion : the complete guide to Agatha Christie's life and work. Len Lovallo. New York: Berkley Books. ISBN 0-425-11845-2. OCLC 20660363.
^ "The 5 Best Actors Who Have Played Hercule Poirot - The New York Times". The New York Times. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.

External links

Thirteen at Dinner at IMDb
Thirteen at Dinner at the TCM Movie Database

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[1] "Agatha Christie's 13 At Dinner". TCM. Retrieved 28 December 2021.

[radio-2] Parkinson, David. "Thirteen at Dinner". Radio Times. Retrieved 28 December 2021.

[3] "13 at Dinner (1985)". BFI. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018.

[4] "BFI Screenonline: Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989-)". www.screenonline.org.uk.

[5] Sanders, Dennis (1989). The Agatha Christie companion : the complete guide to Agatha Christie's life and work. Len Lovallo. New York: Berkley Books. ISBN 0-425-11845-2. OCLC 20660363.

[6] "The 5 Best Actors Who Have Played Hercule Poirot - The New York Times". The New York Times. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.

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