I’m going to do some comparisons between the three different
adaptations of Death on the Nile. I will assume you’ve seen at least one or
read the book, otherwise this is meaningless and spoiler alter - filled with
spoilers.
Characters and
key plot: |
1978 Version |
2004 Version |
2022 Version |
Hercule
Poirot |
Peter Ustinov
|
David Suchet |
Kenneth
Branagh |
Colonel Race |
David Niven |
James Fox |
Omitted |
Linnet Doyle
née Ridgeway |
Lois Chiles |
Emily Blunt,
playing American |
Gal Gadot, no
longer American |
Jacqueline de
Bellefort |
Mia Farrow |
Emma
Griffiths Malin |
Emma Mackey,
no longer American |
Simon Doyle |
Simon
MacCorkindale |
JJ Feild |
Armie Hammer,
playing English |
Linnet's maid
Louise Bourget |
Jane Birkin |
Félicité Du
Jeu |
Rose Leslie |
trustee
Andrew Pennington |
George
Kennedy |
David Soul |
Ali Fazal
swapped in as Andrew Katchadourian |
Salome
Otterbourne, romance novelist |
Angela
Lansbury |
Frances de la
Tour |
Sophie
Okonedo, now an American jazz singer |
Rosalie,
Salome’s daughter |
Olivia Hussey,
becomes engaged to Mr. Ferguson |
Zoe Telford, propositions
Tim, but he is a homosexual and turns her down |
Letitia
Wright, Salome’s daughter and business manager, in a secret relationship with
Bouc |
Tim Allerton |
Omitted, so
the pearls are not counterfeited |
Daniel
Lapaine |
Tom Bateman
swapped in as Bouc, he steals the necklace and hides it in Euphemia’s luggage
where it is found |
Tim’s Mother |
Omitted |
Barbara Flynn
|
Annette
Bening swapped in as Euphemia |
Marie Van Schuyler, socialite kleptomaniac |
Bette Davis,
steals and returns the pearls |
Judy Parfitt,
steals the fake pearls and Cornelia returns them (I think - I’ve forgotten already)
|
Jennifer
Saunders, no longer a socialite or kleptomaniac, now a closeted lesbian with
her “nurse.” |
Cornelia
Robson, cousin of Marie |
Omitted |
Daisy Donovan,
agrees to marry Dr. Bressner after turning down Mr. Ferguson |
Omitted |
Miss Bowers,
nurse to Marie |
Maggie Smith |
Omitted |
Dawn French, closeted
lesbian companion of Marie. |
Mr. Ferguson,
communist, witnesses first shot |
Jon Finch |
Alastair
Mackenzie |
Combined with
below. |
Dr. Bessner,
Austrian |
Jack Warden |
Steve
Pemberton |
Russell Brand
swapped in to replace Dr. Bessner and Mr. Ferguson as Linus Windlesham |
Guido
Richetti, archeologist |
Omitted |
Omitted |
Omitted |
Jim Fanthorp,
lawyer/solicitor |
Omitted |
Omitted |
Omitted |
|
|
|
Susannah
Fielding, Poirot’s former fiancée, not a character from the source material |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1st
murder victim |
Linnet |
Linnet |
Linnet |
2nd
murder victim |
Louise |
Louise |
Louise |
3rd
murder victim |
Salome |
Salome |
Bouc* New
character in this version. |
4th
murder victim |
Simon |
Simon |
Simon |
5th
body |
Jacqueline |
Jacqueline |
Jacqueline |
|
|
|
|
Pearl
Necklace |
Still pearls,
stolen by Marie |
Still pearls,
stolen by Marie, counterfeited by Tim |
Changed to
diamond necklace |
Nail Polish
Bottle |
Filled with
unexplained paint |
Filled with
unexplained paint |
Filled with
red paint from new character Euphemia’s paint supplies. |
This proves what? Nothing. Just noting the differences to
keep track of them. One difference in the 2022 movie which I think was a
problem was Linnet saying she rented out the entire riverboat for her guests.
All of the characters, including Poirot, are on the cruise by Linnet’s invitation
and yet Jacqueline still manages to get a room despite Linnet renting the whole
boat. Doesn’t make sense. And why change it? It was fine that Poirot just
happened to book himself onto the cruise. And that the other people had some
connection with Linnet. She was rich and owned a lot of properties or companies
or something. Everyone didn’t need to be on the boat at her request.
I also didn’t think the changing of Salome and Rosalie’s
characters in the 2022 version worked. Salome was such a great character in the
other 2 versions that the changes just didn’t work in 2022.
2022 wide shots of the Nile looked like CGI and did nothing
to entice me to want to visit Egypt. 1978’s shots of the Nile and Egypt were better.
Which is good because it was filmed on location.
Anyway, what are my thoughts? 1978 was the best as a movie.
2004 seems most faithful to the book and is the shortest one, so that’s a
bonus. 2022 was embarrassing and cringe in so many ways. Just search on YouTube
for the opening dances between Simon and Jacqueline and Simon and Linnet and
see if it doesn’t make you incredibly uncomfortable.
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