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| Anthony Andrews and Deborah Raffin in Sparkling Cyanide (1983) |
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What is up with this man? Every time I turn around right now, Anthony Andrews is popping up in some mystery or other. First Columbo then Miss Marple then Rosemary and Thyme and now he's starring in a stand-alone Agatha Christie known as Sparkling Cyanide. I suspect that the screenwriters probably butchered Ms. Christie's original story, but like my fondness for By the Pricking of My Thumbs, it doesn't entirely matter.
The story itself is about a woman named Rosemary who keels over dead at dinner out with her friends, one of which is a handsome, debonair Englishman played by Anthony Andrews. Her sister, Iris, is completely devastated, particularly when it seems that Rosemary might have killed herself due to being involved in a very murky extra-marital affair with Iris' best friend's husband. Nothing is quite as it seems, nothing that is except for the delightful fascination that AA's character Tony has for the adorable Iris.
I LOVE movies and tv shows from the 1980s. Don't ask me why. I mean, I know there's the hokey hair, and the sweater-fetish and dudes sharing earrings with their girlfriends or, worse yet, wearing a safety pin through their ear! There is no logical reason behind my love for this era. So, yes, I realize that Sparkling Cyanide is not supposed to be set in the 1980s, and probably not even set in America, but I don't care because the film combines three things I love into one glorious place: Anthony Andrews, Agatha Christie, and the 1980s.
If you do not like the 1980s, you will not like this adaptation of Sparkling Cyanide. It's gotten a lot of guff from Agatha Christie fans who hate the era, although how something from the 80s can look dated, but nothing from the 1920s is dated is absolutely beyond me. I mean, everything is dated to the era in which it was either set or filmed so Sparkling Cyanide is no exception.
I could wax melodramatic about the glorious nature of this movie, but to be perfectly honest, it's fairly mediocre. If not for Anthony Andrews and the era, it probably would be quite forgettable. I just loved seeing Anthony in jeans and a sweater as he holds hands with the sweet girl who has completely captured his heart. It's delightful, and I'm not all that picky about these types of films. I'll watch B grade movies if an actor I adore stars in it.
And to show you how serious I am, I actually tracked down a fairly rare DVD copy for my personal collection. Now I can watch it whenever I want without having to guiltily stream it online!
The story itself is about a woman named Rosemary who keels over dead at dinner out with her friends, one of which is a handsome, debonair Englishman played by Anthony Andrews. Her sister, Iris, is completely devastated, particularly when it seems that Rosemary might have killed herself due to being involved in a very murky extra-marital affair with Iris' best friend's husband. Nothing is quite as it seems, nothing that is except for the delightful fascination that AA's character Tony has for the adorable Iris.
I LOVE movies and tv shows from the 1980s. Don't ask me why. I mean, I know there's the hokey hair, and the sweater-fetish and dudes sharing earrings with their girlfriends or, worse yet, wearing a safety pin through their ear! There is no logical reason behind my love for this era. So, yes, I realize that Sparkling Cyanide is not supposed to be set in the 1980s, and probably not even set in America, but I don't care because the film combines three things I love into one glorious place: Anthony Andrews, Agatha Christie, and the 1980s.
If you do not like the 1980s, you will not like this adaptation of Sparkling Cyanide. It's gotten a lot of guff from Agatha Christie fans who hate the era, although how something from the 80s can look dated, but nothing from the 1920s is dated is absolutely beyond me. I mean, everything is dated to the era in which it was either set or filmed so Sparkling Cyanide is no exception.
I could wax melodramatic about the glorious nature of this movie, but to be perfectly honest, it's fairly mediocre. If not for Anthony Andrews and the era, it probably would be quite forgettable. I just loved seeing Anthony in jeans and a sweater as he holds hands with the sweet girl who has completely captured his heart. It's delightful, and I'm not all that picky about these types of films. I'll watch B grade movies if an actor I adore stars in it.
And to show you how serious I am, I actually tracked down a fairly rare DVD copy for my personal collection. Now I can watch it whenever I want without having to guiltily stream it online!
Yeah... the 1980's killed this movie for me. Never have liked that era, so I'd have preferred it to be set in the 30's or something. But I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised you didn't like the era. I admit, the 80s is weird, beyond weird sometimes. It's all that 21 Jump Street that went to my brain. And Macgyver. There's actually a whole slew of tv shows and movies I can blame for my fascination with the 80s.
DeleteI do wonder what SC would have been like in the right era. My guess is they didn't have enough funding.
Being born in that era, I tend to flinch at everything about it -- I remember the big hair, the stupid clothes, those little round things you put your shirt tails in to create a twisty knot, the B-movies... it's all kind of hilarious when you think about it.
DeleteI just finished reading this book... I'll have to find it online and watch it! :)
ReplyDeleteI think veoh had it up. I watched it online first before biting the bullet and finding a DVD copy. Hope you like it when you do see it!
DeleteThat's so funny that you have a thing for the '80s! I have a thing for the '60s that I suspect is fairly similar. I lived through the '80s but have no real feelings one way or the other for the era. Doesn't bug me, doesn't entrance me. But I tend to like it better than the '70s!
ReplyDeleteNever liked the 70s apart from a few, a very few exceptions. I think the 80s fascinates me because I literally remember nothing about it. I was too young, born in 84, so nothing stuck. My era is essentially the 90s so I'm curious about what I missed. And man, the 80s were nuts, but a whole lot of fun. Love those crazy clothes!
DeleteI watched this adaptation for AA only. LOL. It was one of the only Christie books I hadn't read, and so I didn't know going into it who would be the murderer...had a horrible suspicion it would *SPOILER* be AA. LOL. Anyway. The story is definitely cringe-worthy and hopelessly dated (I agree with Charity...remember enough of the 80's to be glad we're OUT of them), but I did enjoy this movie in a weird way...if nothing else because AA kicked in a door and was awesome and called cheetos "disgusting little orange crunchy things" and that made me happy. :D
ReplyDeleteWell, they certainly strung us along into thinking it would be AA. I even thought it could be so I was thrilled at a different outcome! I'm trying to read the book right now, but I actually like the setting in the 80s better. Which is a weird thing for me since I usually love the eras Christie uses in her writing. The book just seems a little bland. Of course, right now I'm reading the delightful snark of Tommy & Tuppence so anything else Christie wrote doesn't feel nearly as lively. I must be rare in my fondness for the 80s. Poor Charity, I've forced her to sit through various 80s shows and movies. My bad!
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