Stylish Films: Sparkling Cyanide (2003)

In my ongoing quest to watch every Agatha Christie adaptation that I can find, I have come across some unusual interpretations. One of the most unusual has to be the 2003 British adaptation of Sparkling Cyanide. This was a made for TV movie that is very enjoyable, and has a certain amount of charm, but changes the format of the film from being followed through the eyes of our heroine, Iris, and instead becomes a sort of police/secret service investigation that actually dismisses some characters from Agatha’s original book. That said, it works quite well as a gentle thriller, police procedural story, and is certainly a decent afternoon viewing on a wet day.

The Story

The main difference in this story is that Colonel Race has gone, and is now morphed into the two lead characters, Colonel Geoffrey Reese and Dr Kate Kendall, his wife who are middle-aged secret service agents. They are called in to investigate the murder of a soccer chairman’s (George Barton, played by Kenneth Cranham) much younger wife, the beautiful Rosemary Barton, who was poisoned by cyanide during a glamorous dinner party. The initial belief is that Rosemary may have taken her own life due to depression, but when this is dismissed Colonel Reese and Dr Kendall are called in to investigate. It seems all the guests at the dinner party have a good motive for wanting Rosemary dead – adultery and affairs, money and jealousy.

The two leads are played are played by Oliver Ford Davies and Pauline Collins. Several reviews I have read talk about how their relationship is very reminiscent of Tommy and Tuppence and I have to agree wholeheartedly. They have a lovely chemistry which reminds me of N or M, an affectionate banter, and they make a great team. The cast has some other very good actors including Lia Williams, Dominic Cooper (an early role) and Susan Hampshire.

Thoughts

I did enjoy this as an easy watch, but have to say I think the tension of the original book is better. Updating this to modern day London works well, and most of the performances are fine. This isn’t a version that would set the world on fire, but it is worth watching.

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