SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 50:00 Min.
First broadcast on February 19, 1989, Renny Rye directed this early episode that Stephen Wakelam adapted from Agatha Christie’s 1936 short story. On holiday at the scenic Greek island of Rhodes, Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot reluctantly observes marital troubles flaring up between two vacationing couples: the Chantrys and the Golds.
Poirot’s stern effort at intervention to avert imminent tragedy fails once the glamorous Mrs. Chantry is fatally poisoned. With Mrs. Chantry’s rumored lover, Douglas Gold, arrested for her murder, Poirot senses a more sinister outcome has now been set in motion.
Hercule Poirot: David Suchet
Pamela Lyall: Frances Low
Douglas Gold: Peter Settelen
Marjorie Gold: Angela Down
Commander Chantry: Jon Cartwright
Valentine Chantry: Annie Lambert
Major Barnes: Timothy Kightley
Police Inspector: Al Fiorentini
Skelton: Anthony Benson
Hotel Manager: Patrick Monckton
Young Greek Girl: Georgia Davis
Older Greek Woman: Sofia Olympiou
Cashier: Dimitri Andreas
Policeman: Stephen Gressieux
Ship Purser: Giannis Hatzgiannis
Customs Officer: Tilemanos Emanuel
Note: For historical purposes, “Triangle at Rhodes” predates Christie’s similar Poirot novel, Evil Under the Sun, by five years.
REVIEW:
The Poirot TV series faithfully adapts “Triangle at Rhodes” with welcome precision (i.e. beautiful scenic locations, superb acting, etc.). Even better is that the script smartly expands upon Christie’s source material in the right places. For instance, David Suchet’s on-screen chemistry with Frances Low’s Pamela Lyall and Timothy Kightley’s Barnes as his temporary crime-solving partners is well-played.
Though “Triangle at Rhodes” is a relatively obscure mystery, its TV adaptation certainly merits re-discovery.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7½ Stars
