Following up on the comment that the movie made Florence Nightengale a lesbian. No, they did not. The Florence in this movie was Florence Nightengale's Goddaughter and her namesake, not the famous owl toting nurse.
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trysmiling19 February 2019
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Coventry4 August 2020Yours truly is a genuine Agatha-Christiephile. I know that's not an official term, but what else would you call someone who's literally obsessed with everything regarding the legendary female mystery-author. I worship her novels & short stories, love the flamboyant film-adaptations of her most famous books and am fascinated with the enigmatic facts of her personal life. In 1926, Christie disappeared for a period of eleven days. An impressive search party followed, and she was eventually located in a hospital supposedly with amnesia. Multiple speculations arose, but the true circumstances and reason of her disappearance were never fully clarified. This modest made-for-TV production is a fictional tale about where she could have been, much like the 1979-film "Agatha", directed by Michael Apted and starring Vanessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman. At first, I was reluctant to see this, but I'm glad I did because it's a compelling and well-acted, albeit largely inconspicuous little film.
The 36-year-old Agatha Christie balances on the verge of a massive depression in 1926. Her husband Archie insists for a divorce, so that he can marry his much younger mistress, and she suffers from a writer's block because her fans always guess the identity of the culprit of her stories via the wrong method. When she's literally begged to help solving the real-life murder of nurse Florence Nightingale, who got brutally bludgeoned to death on a train six years earlier, she sees an opportunity to both escape her personal problems and to perform research and seek inspiration for her work.
The plot isn't exactly plausible, but it's nice to see how the writers attempt to hint at the possible origin of famous Agatha Christie stories that followed after 1926, like the luring of guests to a remote location (And Then There Were None - 1939) and the train settings for "4.50 from Paddington" and "Murder on the Orient Express". The anti-climax actually fits the plot rather well. None of the performances are highly memorable, but the entire cast does their best. You're still better off reading an authentic Christie novel, but "The Truth of Murder" certainly isn't a waste of time. -
I saw this movie with my mom, and we both enjoyed it. As a fan of Agatha Christie's work, it was certainly interesting to see this visial take on her strange disappearance. Much more interesting than the book entitled: Agatha, which was about the same thing. I don't think I shall ever feel the need to watch it again, but it accomplished what was expected.
The plot moved slowly, so it probably wouldn't appeal to viewers who appreciate more action. It actually reminded both my mother and I of the 2015 mini-series, And Then There Were None, based on Christie's novel with the same name. Of course, it does not move towards the same ending, but the basic idea was there.
A note on the profanity: one of the characters dropped the f-bomb a few times, and while I am not well-read about the time period, I'm fairly sure it wouldn't have been used the way it is used, today. It wasn't offensive enough to warrant a true rant, but it's there. -
blanche-24 December 2019There have been several takes on what happened to Agatha Christie when she disappeared for 11 days after her husband asked her for a divorce. All have been interesting. The most factual was the film Agatha starring Vanessa Redgrave. In that film, Christie, using the name of her husband's girlfriend, goes to a spa. With her vivid imagination it's likely she enjoyed being incognito, or it could have been the result of a psychotic break.
This particular film makes a fun supposition. Agatha (Rut h Bradley) is having problems because her mysteries have become too predictable. A woman named Mabel (Pippa Haywood) approaches Agatha and asks her to solve a real murder, that of her lover, Florence, six years earlier. At first Agatha doesn't accept; later, she decides to disguise herself, make a plan with Mabel to lure suspects to Florence's house, changes her name to Mary Westmacott, and leaves her home.
This is an entertaining and light story, beautifully costumed and photographed, with good performances. Ruth Bradley is a delightful Christie, who doesn't want to give her husband a divorce, but the fact is, he's in love with someone else.
The fun part is that Agatha Christie is in a slump with her stories, all right - she becomes convinced one person, then another, then another, is responsible for Florence's death. She soon realizes real-life mysteries are a little different.
Very enjoyable. -
yeswave7 April 2019I watched this on a Sunday afternoon making family dinner and thought it was fab.
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gridoon20246 May 2020Ruth Bradley is amazing as Agatha Christie: an elegant, sensitive, respectful portrayal - you can't take your eyes off her, and judging by photos I've seen she looks a lot like young Christie too. The film itself is entertaining and handsomely crafted, but what lets it down is the whodunit story, which is rather short on detection; there is one big red herring at the start of it, but Agatha seems to pull the solution out of her hat. For a wilder - and lighter - suppositional take on Christie's 1926 disappearance, I recommend the Doctor Who episode "The Unicorn And The Wasp". **1/2 out of 4.
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I_Ailurophile16 December 2022This is a cheeky bit of fun, isn't it? Writer Tom Dalton and director Terry Loane have concocted a splendid murder mystery modeled after Agatha Christie, but here centering her as a protagonist. It's worth noting, perhaps, that this picture adopts a more somber tone than adaptations of the author's work often do; while the likes of Hercule Poirot are known for their wit as much as their intelligence, 'Agatha and the truth of murder' rather denotes the truth that reality is uglier than fiction. Setting that aside, this quite looks and feels just as we'd expect. I won't say that it's wholly essential, but it's well done, and worthwhile on its own merits.
The cast is terrific, with Ruth Bradley especially notable in the nuanced range she demonstrates as Agatha - though that's hardly to count out anyone else involved, for they're all just as swell. While the narrative Dalton has whipped up is solid generally, I think it is a tad on the light side, and maybe a bit direct; on the other hand, the resolution of the plot is delightful. Meanwhile, the little details that round out that story are splendid, with strong dialogue and characters above all, and sturdy scene writing. I admire Loane's direction, giving that screenplay form, and the crew also put in fine work - production design, art direction, costume design, Damien Elliott's cinematography.
I mean it as no offense to anyone involved when I say that this feels less like a mystery one can meaningfully sink their teeth into, and more like a flavorful whimsy to enjoy in passing. This is, after all, a TV movie. This is no inherent mark against it however, and it's plentifully enjoyable - that is, it's all it needs to be. Those seeking the most complex and absorbing of titles may find themselves disappointed, while anyone just broadly looking for something entertaining will feel right at home. As if to emphasize the point, I find it difficult to speak at greater length about this film, for there's not an especial amount of depth to it. Suffice to say that 'Agatha and the truth of murder' isn't necessarily a must-see, but if you have the chance to watch, it's a pleasant way to spend 90 minutes. -
gpcheng8712 November 2019Kind of funny how the Agatha Christie character says she has a problem of making the most unlikely character(s) the murderer(s) in her novels but her readers manage to figure out who it is a few pages in; I picked off who the culprit/culprits was/were in pretty early on (and it's not because I'm particularly clever).
Simply put, the actors are great, sets and costumes are great, story is a little too... er... simple. Entertaining and worth watching, just don't expect a head-scratcher. -
Thanos_Alfie27 February 2021"Agatha and the Truth of Murder" is a Crime - Mystery movie in which we watch Agatha Christie missing for eleven days facing and trying to solve a real-life murder. She has to deal with a murder that occurred some years ago and now she has to solve it.
I liked this movie because despite its simple plot it was interesting and it was full of mystery and suspense. Something that also made it even more interesting it was the plot twists that I did not expect. The direction which was made by Terry Loane, it was simple but good, without many filler scenes. Regarding the interpretations of the cast, Ruth Bradley who played as Agatha Christie she was very good and I believe she succeeded on her difficult role as Agatha Christie. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Pippa Haywood's who played as Mabel, Tim McInnerny's who played as Randolph and Ralph Ineson's who played as Detective Inspector Dicks. To sum up, I have to say that "Agatha and the Truth of Murder" is an interesting mystery movie that despite the fact that it was not endorsed, licensed or authorised by the estate of Agatha Christie, it was entertaining and watchable. -
Molongirl5 September 2019Rather like a story from a Girls Own Annual, a very unbelievable plot. Came across as an attempt to cash in on Christie's name by making her the central character in a rather mediocre mystery. No wonder the Christie family weren't happy. A major fault is the laughable tick the right boxes for the current generation approach: we need someone from the LGBQ etc category, I know we'll make Florence Nightingales goddaughter a lesbian, tick We need men to be portrayed as pretty hopeless, racist and awful, tick. We need to portray women as the strong characters, tick. Let's make a character who's turned their back on God because He's responsible for all the bad stuff humans do, tick. I was waiting for some environmental statement, but no, maybe there's a 2nd movie planned where Agatha solves a crime and saves the planet. Oh, and despite its inappropriateness for the time period and mixed setting, let's toss the F word in somewhere. Laughable. But absolutely loved seeing Mrs Brittas playing a nurse and maid, I fully expected her to take a secret tipple in the wardrobe.
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Sleepin_Dragon24 December 2018When I heard the premise, and heard that it wasn't endorsed by Agatha Christie's family, or indeed the estate, I feared the worst, so in truth I watched it with exceedingly low expectations, and is so often the case, I really enjoyed it. I thought the plot, direction, acting, and general vibe were all terrific.
The last time I watched something which tried to explain away Agatha's disappearance it involved The Doctor, Catherine Tate, and a giant wasp, this proposed a slightly more Earthly solution, but was equally as entertaining and witty.
Great acting, I loved Ruth Bradley's interpretation of the great writer, Samantha Spiro and Pippa Haywood were excellent also.
Bravo to those involved, a great Agatha Christie fix, ahead of The ABC Murders.
9/10 -
FounHUGO11 January 2019The most precious thing is that the IQ of all characters in the whole process is online! This has rarely been seen in movies in recent years. The selection and performance of the actors is also very good. The dialogue is also reasonable and in line with the identity and character of the character. The touch-up parts such as the lens and the soundtrack are not good enough. The entire script also lacks a grand material or spiritual foundation. Overall it can only be considered a good stage drama level movie.
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terrydgold9 February 2019Why impose the "f" word on this otherwise good tale. "Bloody" sounds much more appropriate for 1920s Britain.
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Hallelujah28914 January 2022Agatha Christie went missing for eleven days. Whatever could have happened to her? Perhaps she had a murder mystery of her own to solve.
"Agatha Christie and the Truth of Murder" paints a plausible picture of a desperate author in the midst of divorce who would attempt anything to get her writing mojo back: perhaps build a gold course, or solve a near decade old murder case of a bludgeoning on a train.
Whether or not this this plausible behavior from the real life author I don't know, but the character of Agatha Christie works for the film. Like her fictional murder suspects she has motive.
"Agatha Christie and the Truth of Murder" has a satisfying character arc between Agatha Christie's desire to finish her murder mystery novel, solve an actual murder, and find resolution to her husband's desire for divorce.
The music is also atmospheric and the cast is a good range of actors young and old who act well.
The ending leaves a sour note of questionable morality regarding characters getting what they deserve-or not. My rating is between 6 and 7 out of 10 for this reason. But I give the movie a higher score for its themes rather than it's ending. -
pgr-8847013 June 2021When Agatha is telling her daughter she's going away, Albinoni's Adagio in G minor is being heard. It wasn't written by Albinoni in the 18th Century, but by Remo Giazotto, and published in 1958. There's no way it could have been played ib her house in 1926.
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westsideschl4 April 2021In 1926 Agatha was missing for 11 days; probably related to an upcoming divorce from her first husband as well as the recent death of her mother. Is she on a case that could lead to a new book? Also, the movie mentions her trying to overcome the ease with which readers solved her murders; "the least expected did it". She mentions the importance of working on her plots & subplots; subterfuge & misdirection.
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ebates-940-56397425 September 2021A cute idea executed well...writing an Agatha Christie style mystery with Agatha Christie herself as the lead character.
And it's well done too. Follows the standard Christie formula, with plenty of interesting characters and a few clever twists.
The ending is a bit far fetched and it's not as clever as her real stories and with some clumsy parts, but it's a decent addition for fans and an enjoyable watch. -
LetsReviewThat2622 February 2024The truth of murder is set in 1926 and tells the story of Agatha solving a real life murder, which in turn was inspired by her real life dissaperencs. Ruth Bradley tales on the title role and I feel she does a grand job and is believable. While Agatha is in a rute with writing a woman calls her to investigate a murder on a train, though not just any murder. Oh no it's a relation of Florence nightingale. Agatha with the help of a lady that's been investigating the case rallies the suspects in a house under false pretensions. It is here were the real investigation comes together and a rogue gallery of characters appear. It's a good film overall with a good cast and decent writing.
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patrickfilbeck14 November 2021This fictional processing of the 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie is a nice little who-was-it story related to Florence Nightingale. The film starts with arousing great interest through the opening scene and the background music as well as the dense atmosphere, then develops solidly, but without reaching any real peaks - and that's perfectly fine. A nice little film, but now and then a little too inconsistent in questions of the atmospheric effect, as well as the chosen costumes. The acting performances are not big leaps in terms of acting, but they are all enjoyable. It remains a film that certainly brings fun and excitement and also an interesting basic theme for a unique viewing, but is either a must for the dogmatic part of the Christie fans or receives extensive rejection.
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TondaCoolwal29 December 2018Riding in on the coat tails of The ABC Murders and the wall to wall David Suchet Poirot repeats, I was rather looking forward to this. But was disappointed. Why is it that every 'hook' programme these days has to bang the LGBT drum? That string added nothing to the plot save the idea of family embarassment being a possible motive for the original murder. Apart from that we also get anachronistic atitudes and dialogue. Some of the characters were far too coarse in their expressions in mixed company. The Police Inspector's initial comments to the suspects were most disrespectful and unprofessional, and I couldn't believe it when he told Agatha his wife had given him "clap". Surely he would have said VD at worst? As for the plot, I've played more convincing games of Cluedo! The idea that Agatha and Mabel could rent a stately home and set up an elaborate scam inviting all of the previous suspects to attend by suggesting they might be heirs to a a fictitious fortune is just stretching credibility too far. The final reveal was laughable. It starts as a suggestion quickly dismissed by the suspect, and then the other suspects suddenly reveal bits of previously concealed evidence which proves the case. Must do better.
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Tweekums25 December 2018In 1926 the authoress Agatha Christie famously disappeared for eleven days then reappeared claiming no knowledge of what happened; this story imagines what might have happened. Agatha is suffering writer's block and her husband is seeking a divorce; then she is approached to solve a real murder. Initially unenthusiastic she later agrees and starts investigating. Pretending to be a lawyer named Mary Westmacott she assembles the suspects, with the lure of a large inheritance and starts questioning them. She quickly realises that real mysteries and works of fiction are quite different.
I confess I was a little unsure about the premise of putting a real person in an obviously fictional situation... but surprisingly it really works if you can suspend your disbelief somewhat. The story nicely combines known facts about her life at the time with an interesting fiction. The mystery she investigates has the feel of one of her stories, perhaps somewhat helped by the way the time period is captured. There are a good number of suspects, each with their own motives, as well as one or two red herrings. The cast are really good; most notably Ruth Bradley as Agatha Christie, Pippa Haywood, as the woman who brought the mystery to her and Tim McInnerny as one of the suspects. As stated before it is necessary to suspends one's disbelief at times; noticeably towards the end when a local policeman recognises our protagonist but does tell the authorities despite it being made clear that there is a nationwide manhunt for her. Overall though this was a fine murder mystery that could easily have come from the pen of the great women herself. -
jonnaharkenson24 January 2022The film has a very classic *whodunit" mansion murder mystery feel to it. I like how it tries to imagine what may have happened during the time frame when the real life famous murder mystery writer, Agatha Christie, went missing and told people she didn't remember where she was. She had writers block since people were able to figure out who the murderer is in her murder mystery books too easily and she needed something to help her improve her novels (plus, she needed a distraction from her marriage which was falling apart). Then, someone who is a nurse, approaches Agatha Christie to ask her to help solve the murder of her friend (who was also a nurse during the war period) who was killed in a train (and she was her lover I guess, it was Florence Nightingale who was based on a real life person that was murdered). Then Agatha wrote to and invites all of the possible suspects to this manor or mansion that she rents out, and hides her identity by using a different name and wears eyeglasses, pretending that she was there to interview them about the possible large sum of inheritance from the woman who was murdered (the suspects all had some kind of relation or family lineage to her). Many of the characters were based on actual people but the story was a made up imagination, so I really enjoyed the imagination of the film's story writers. The film wasn't perfect and I felt that it could have been written better to make it more suspenseful and keep the viewer better guessing who the murderer was. But I still liked it and it took me back in time on an mystery adventure with Agatha Christie and it was enjoyable to watch. As I've said, I really think they could have done a better job with the film and made it much better, I felt like they didn't give us enough clues to guess who the real murderer was so it wasn't fun... so I was a little disappointed in that. But it was enjoyable either way as it kept me guessing and I liked it (I always love whodunnit mansion murder mysteries).
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Franklie21 December 2020After two attempts, we finally made it through the whole show.
The character of Agatha is wooden and cold and unpleasant, absolutely nothing that would make us care about her. Other characters aren't much better. She could have used some Miss Fisher type spark.
The scenery and pace are a bit dreary. Would have appreciated an escape to beautiful England.
It's a run-of-the-mill mystery that has nothing to do with Agatha or her disappearance and could have been solved by her or anyone at any time.
Crude vocabulary not cool for today or correct for then.
We're HUGE fans of British mysteries and appreciate it when they portray characters, real or imaginary, as they were in real life or in the original books.
Biggest disappointment was Agatha's boring personality. -
cekadah3 March 2019I both loved and felt let down after viewing this movie. The idea, the foundation, the concept of this movie is wonderful. But after watching I felt let down. Why? I am unsure.
Agatha Christie stories are a great joy for me. And this film is a fine addition - but it just doesn't grasp my interest. In other words I won't be watching a second time.
Finely written, nicely acted. But the ending came across as bit contrived. I encourage anyone into murder mysteries to watch this movie. -
jepots28 June 2020I'm a huge fan of Agatha Christie. And I can clearly remember the book (thanks to my high school library for having it) that made me a fan.. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.. No, not Peter Ackroyd... And I've read a lot of her books...
Now for the movie... Have to understand that while a real event in Agatha Christie's life was referred to, this is still fiction. The plot, while not too great, was really still enjoyable. And it was entertaining to watch the great creator of Poirot and Marple to be the one in action herself!