Agatha

For a period of eleven days in 1926 famed British murder mystery writer Agatha Christie mysteriously disappeared. Director Michael Apted, better known for the compelling "Up" documentary films and "Coal Miner's Daughter", offers a speculative account of what may have happened. As our film opens Agatha's (Vanessa Redgrave) heartlessly cruel British colonel husband, Archie (Timothy Dalton), coldly demands a divorce from her so he can marry his secretary. Without scandal, of course, to avoid damage to his family's good name and reputation. Heartbroken, Agatha races away in her auto and experiences an accident in the deserted woods. Unscathed, she takes a train to Harrogate and checks into a health spa there under an assumed name for an indeterminable number of days. Meanwhile the constabulary and the paparazzi of the day fear the worst and dredge the area of the crash. Also on her trail is a dogged self-described hack American yellow journalist, Wally Stanton (Dustin Hoffman) whose intentions prove to be nobler than what one might expect. I would describe this film as a poignant unrequited romance with mystery elements that would satisfy Christie's most ardent fans. Both Redgrave and Hoffman are equally superb here demonstrating a kinetic chemistry, daresay a certain eroticism, that is palpable. Dalton's turn as the ruthless cad will send chills down your spine. This film is quite tasteful and suitable for mature audiences with just some incidental health spa nudity. I'm not a fan of the murder-mystery genre but I was quite enthralled by this film. Hoffman would win the Oscar for a performance in a film released later that year, "Kramer vs. Kramer", that was inferior to the one he delivers here. For that matter "Agatha" is far superior to that forgettable film that inexplicably won Best Picture in 1979. I saw this film on it's initial release a few weeks shy of my sixteenth birthday and it kind of underperformed at the box office considering the star power involved. I went to see it on the basis of the fact it starred the dude from "The Graduate" which I saw numerous times in truncated form on UHF. I didn't really appreciate this film at the time because for want of a better word I was a little immature to appreciate a film that was about the mysteries of the human heart.

This is a really good movie. The era is well represented. A very tasteful and classy film. It’s important to keep in mind it is not a documentary, but rather a fictitious account of a scenario that could have occurred. It works well to not interfere with history. The story unfolds nicely. The ending is, in my opinion a triple surprise. Ms. Redgrave and Mr. Hoffman give delightful performances. Truly a fine piece of artwork. It is surprising that this is such a hidden film. Ms. Redgrave does a wonderful job with her character. The love story that unfolds and is played out by Mr. Hoffman is beautifully romantic and enchantingly believable. He has a true talent for these roles. It’s a pity he doesn’t play a romantic lead in more of his films. It is definitely worth a watch.

I am a Agatha Christie fan. It deal with a period in her life where she went missing for 11 days. She never talked about where or why she decided to go missing but her husband certainly did not treat her with respect. She had to get away from it all and take time off to settle her mind. Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman and Timothy Dalton were excellent in the movie and although fiction, it just may have happened close to what the movie suggested.

Agatha and her husband seem a mismatch on their way to inevitable divorce, although they may have been smitten at the beginning of their relationship and the actors playing these roles had a relationship at one time in real life. But more than that, Agatha and another character, Wally Stanton, seem like they belong to different species. A willowy pale English woman, well educated, articulate, and reserved + a short dark American who chews on his words and speaks with a deep nasal voice whilst behaving dangerously like a stalker does not = love.Dustin Hoffman was probably the wrong choice for the role of Wally, and probably knew it. The story is intriguing but not exciting enough to compensate for these casting mistakes. It still surprises me that Agatha was so completely prepared with wardrobe and money - in the days before credit cards and identity theft - that she hoped to pull off the short con portrayed in this movie. In real life, I imagine she stayed in bed for days while hiding out. Here, she played and indulged in health and beauty treatments, all the while within spitting distance of her nemesis, her husband's mistress. While using the same last name with a particular spelling that anyone would notice.This all got by audiences. Those were the days. Such errors are excused today if you throw enough CGI in the audience's laps.

I want to counter one review here. I had seen this movie when it first came out. It DID NOT do well in the box office, BUT! This movie was beautifully filmed with excellent focus adjustments that mirrored the "mystery" that never took place, but could have. I also want to say that if anyone "falls asleep" at the beautiful music of Johnny Mandel, especially the closing title song "Close Enough for Love" then they think 50 cent is a gospel singer (By the way it has been recorded by more great singers and jazz artists than almost any song of Mandel's since the Shadow of Your Smile). This is first rate fiction and while Hoffman's character is almost plastic in its portrayal, Redgrave's and Dalton's is first rate. This one will disappear into obscurity, evidenced by its lack of DVD availablility.I am afraid, like so many movies that we are now trying to pull from the celluliod graveyard, it will be re-discovered way too late. You need to grab this one and remember the choice is yours a "cigarette or a kiss."

I should say first of all that there seems to be some discrepancy between the item pictured on the Amazon website , and the item actually delivered.I found this a bit unnerving when the DVD was delivered (superb delivery service); and I had to reassure myself that I had the right DVD. Well, it was the film Agatha, and although titled in Spanish, it did also play in English. I loved the film with its splendid casting and fine filming of a misty English countryside and of the elegant spa-town of Harrogate. The only thing that was less than perfect was the sound-track, which was so heavily overlaid by the music-score that it was sometimes difficult to hear the words : pity when the voices were as fine as those of Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffmann. and the excellent Paul Brooke. Having said this, I should say that I had searched in vain for the DVD in the shops, ever since staying at the Swan Hotel in Harrogate, featured lovingly in the film, and I could not get it until I tried Amazon!

Finally, I've tracked a copy of this movie!At first I was spooked- a cover, not in English! Was this CD going to be dubbed? Would there be subtitles? Happily the answer was no.The CD played perfectly, in English, it arrived after a length of time.What a superb film; if you don't know it-then what a delight when you do see it. I can't understand why this film isn't talked about in the highest terms. It is a delight, stylish, well-acted, intriguing, I personally adore it!Think about all those Christie films of the 70's, this ingenious film about the great author is the culmination. Fiction is all it may be, but what fun!

Having met him ,while he was filmiing Agatha in my home town it brings back many warm and friendly memories and i just had to buy it .

Very pleased to see such an excellent adaptation of a little-known episode supposedly drawn from an occurrence in Agatha Christie's real life.Excellent production values--makes you feel like you're right in that period. Superb casting as well. With Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman, Timothy Dalton and host of remarkable British character actors you can't miss.LOVED IT!

This is in Spanish with subtitles. It was not advertised s such and basically I would like a refund please.