A Haunting In Venice [DVD]

This is a great Hercule Poirot story!I especially liked the story setup !Agatha can really tell a story, get just enough details out there to hook you, then she reels in the reader for the finale !Thoroughly enjoyable !

Very happy with the product

The profound inherent talent of Agatha Christie and the genius of her writing are rarely adaptable to the screen because these qualities transcend the mundane constraints of time, money, values and derivative ingenuity. Therefore, every adaptation or retelling should stand on its own excellence and not on any faithfulness to the novel, for her original works are incomparable in that the essence of the heart and soul, the creativity of the unique confluence of ideas and words are lost in translation to the screen.There is no novel titled "A Haunting in Venice" written by Agatha Christie. To say that "A Haunting in Venice" is 'based on' or 'an adaptation of' Agatha Christie's novel "Hallowe'en Party" is relatively self-serving. The so-called connections to Agatha Christie and "Hallowe'en Party" are mere nuance.Seeing the big picture, so to speak, it was wise business acumen to enlist the prestigious collaboration of Agatha Christie's great-grandson James Prichard, the managing agent for the literary and media rights to Agatha Christie's works, as the executive producer of "A Haunting in Venice". Prichard's endorsement noted that, while this film is based on Agatha Christie's "Hallowe'en Party", "the adaptation was not direct enough to warrant carrying on the book's title". Of this, Prichard said, "This is a very different adaptation. This is a very different movie in tone. It also departs quite a long way from the original story, both in terms of storyline but obviously also in terms of location".There isn’t much connecting "Hallowe'en Party" to "A Haunting in Venice", only the names of some of the characters. "A Haunting in Venice" is an entirely different story. "Hallowe'en Party" involves a Halloween party and nothing supernatural. "A Haunting in Venice" involves a séance and the supernatural. More to the point, in "Hallowe'en Party" there are multiple murderers for multiple murders, and in "A Haunting in Venice" there is only one murderer. Its plot, motive, method, characterization, timing, and setting, – all are tired tropes borrowed from other mysteries; they are not from "Hallowe'en Party". Above all, the Poirot in "A Haunting in Venice" is not the same Poirot as in "Hallowe'en Party"; he is unmistakably not Agatha Christie's Poirot.Neither the reimagined Hercule Poirot nor Ariadne Oliver of "A Haunting in Venice" conform to the characters created and described by Agatha Christie, especially as they are in "Hallowe'en Party". Other than their names, they are not Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot or Ariadne Oliver. Here, they are newly invented creatures rich in pastiche and amusingly eclectic, however clichéd.Comparative reviews and revelations will spoil your viewing. The less you know before you watch, the more likely you will be open to enjoying the movie. Don't consider the reviews, watch with a clear mind, without preconceptions."A Haunting in Venice" is a synthesis of myriad clichéd theatrical tropes, presented in a quirky style of exaggerated elements and scenes; set in the classic macabre grim atmosphere of a "haunted house" on a "dark and stormy night"; with all the suspicious guests of a "damsel in distress" brought together for a supernatural séance. There are murders aplenty and of course The Great Detective. Poirot must solve not one but a number of mysteries while everyone in the palazzo is cut off from the outside world by the storm and downed lines.This detective whodunit murder mystery is not a flawless masterpiece; it is not a new and original detective murder mystery. Although the storyline is trite it is nonetheless admirable; yet, even so, in need of a creative twist. Herein lies its shortcomings. The production, direction and casting visions are hackneyed, wanting a renaissance, say, in the style of Molière or commedia dell'arte à la Scaramouche.Definitely worth a watch, it is fun entertainment. The storyline and characters are mysterious, interesting and engaging; the settings are startling and thrilling; the acting sensational; and the aha! exclamation moments are awesome, though lacking the magic of Frankenweenie and Corpse Bride. Smile!My only complaint is that this Blu-ray is not 4K. Murder on the Orient Express is 4K; Death on the Nile is 4K; A Haunting in Venice is not 4K! Disappointing. However, when watching on premium 4K Blu-ray Player and 4K TV with upscaling, viewing is nearly as good as actual 4K. Since I am an avid movie collector, I would have purchased 4K. Now that I've made this purchase, I will not be tempted by a later 4K lure, for the commercialistic marketeers have forever lost this opportunity with me.

Kenneth Brannagh's adaption of Poirot mysteries just get better and better.In a third movie and a third international setting, A Haunting in Venice, giving a nod to Christie's Hallowe'en Party, Poirot is living in Venice and hiding away from his work and the world outside his waterside villa. Authoress, Ariadne Oliver arrives and dares him to come with her to a Halloween Party hosted by a retired opera star to debunk a medium who talks to ghosts. The house of Rowena Drake is not just haunted, but cursed with a disturbing history and the latest was the tragic suicide of Rowena's beloved daughter who was driven mad by ghosts. Poirot doesn't believe in the supernatural, but he does believe in evil actions of the living and fights off some inexplicable distractions to get to the heart of the matter.Brannagh was an excellent Poirot and the rest of the cast was stellar. Kudos to the brightest star of the show this Venice-ian Haunted House setting. The character development was just the right amount and the plot development had some fabulous twists and turns that are mostly original with a couple winks at the Christie story.Good quality film and our DVD copy was good. Definitely recommend for mystery fans who want a little fright with their murder.

First, Kenneth Branagh. He’s an excellent actor and I’ve enjoyed many of his movies over the decades, which is the only reason this is a 3 star review instead of a big fat goose egg. I’ve avoided his Hercule Poirot movies until now because I believed he would be miscast as Poirot. Not every actor is meant to play every role, and it doesn’t detract from their acting abilities. However, this movie was available on Prime and Halloween Party is one of my favorite Agatha Christie books, so I decided to give it a try since I could watch it for free.Second, the movie. This adaptation is ATROCIOUS. The movie has nothing in common with the book except the names of the characters. The plot, the personalities and circumstances of the characters—all completely different. There was no attempt to adapt the book other than using the same character names and claiming it was based on Halloween Party (which it absolutely was not). Ariadne Oliver was remade as a nasty sharp-tongued travesty of her character in the book and, at least in my opinion, I was correct that Mr. Branagh is miscast as Poirot.As much as I admire his acting and have enjoyed other movies of his, I don't regret avoiding Mr. Branagh's Hercule Poirot movies and I won’t be watching any others. If you just want to watch a Kenneth Branagh movie, you may enjoy this. If you want to watch a movie based on an Agatha Christie book, I advise giving this a very wide berth. Now I’m going to go re-watch the 1993 adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing so I can watch an amazing cast, including Mr. Branagh, in an amazing movie.

I was expecting a typical Poirot movie but this one was different and kept me intrigued for the entire duration of the movie. It was a pleasant surprise as movies with lots of film stars often fail to deliver. This one delivers. I did not know that Kenneth Branagh directed the movie, in addition to starring in it as Poirot. Branagh was smart to let the story and other characters shine with Poirot in the background until the latter part of the movie. Even the ending where Poirot points out the killer has a twist. Overall, a great direction and well told story.