User reviews

Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an old woman which happened during a flight from France to England - a flight on which he was also on board! The victim seems to have been killed by a poisoned dart shot on her neck, and Poirot's investigation takes him (along with Inspector Japp) to Paris, where the woman lived.

Before seeing "Death in the Clouds" and without having read the book, I was under the impression that the action would be almost entirely confined inside the plane, but no - the murder happens there, but most of the action takes place on land (and most of it in Paris). There is ingenuity in the way the murder is carried out, but some of the coincidences revealed by Poirot at the end to explain the motive seem a bit strained. The pacing is also quite deliberate (this is a feature-length episode). Nevertheless, the production (including the Paris location shooting) is up to the usual high standards, and the cast is well-chosen; in the absence of Captain Hastings, Inspector Japp gets a lot of screen time and has some good moments, and Sarah Woodward, as an air stewardess who was also on board the same flight, makes a very likable sidekick for Poirot. (***)

It seems Poirot can't go anywhere without being embroiled in murder, while travelling on a Plane from Paris to London the murder of Madame Giselle takes place a few seats behind him. Naturally Poirot assumes it's one of his fellow passengers, and with the help of Stewardess Jane Grey he sets out discovering who the guilty party is.

I really like this one, I like the mystery, the setting, the characters, and the overall style of the episode, the fact that the murder occurred so close to Poirot gives it a very different feel. The French setting also changes it up. I like the casual pacing of the story, Poirot certainly isn't rushing, and the dynamic between Japp and Fournier is great.

I absolutely love the imagery and style of the episode, it has the streets of Paris, the French Open, the Art from the surrealists, there are so many stylish aspects to this episode, it's a treat to watch.

Possibly the best thing I've seen Shaun Scott (Norman Gale) in, and Cathryn Harrison is tremendous as the glamorous and spoilt Lady Horbury.

A very pleasing watch, 8/10

I only have vague memories of the book, so I can't judge properly by how faithful this adaptation is. That said, this is very absorbing and stylish. There are parts when the pace is a tad too sluggish and the final solution feels a bit more strained than it usually is. Even with the failings this is still a rock solid outing from the brilliant Poirot series. This adaptation is sumptuously filmed, with fine locations (Paris looked amazing!) and costumes, and the music is gorgeous. The acting is also very well done; David Suchet is impeccable as always as Poirot, and while Hugh Fraser as Hastings is noticeably absent, Phillip Jackson as Japp gets more screen time, and makes the most of it in a truly delightful performance. Sarah Woodward is very pretty and likable as Jane Grey, and Shaun Scott does a good job as Norman Gale. All in all, very well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox

"Death in the Clouds" is another superb film of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. As always, in this long series of films and TV shows, David Suchet is in top form. In this story, Poirot is joined by Chief Inspector Japp. After flying back to England from Paris, Poirot must solve a murder that happened right under his nose. Madame Giselle was murdered on the plane as Poirot dozed.

Poirot and Japp fly back and forth a couple times in this stickler of a mystery. Not until the very end is it clear "who dunnit." This is an intriguing mystery with a number of detours that come up almost as red herrings.

Poirot is afraid of flying and grimaces when he looks out the window of the plane. He closes his eyes for takeoff, and puts some sort of body wrap around himself. The French police get involved in unraveling this mystery. But, the super sleuth and police are too late to prevent a second murder.

A couple of humorous situations occur in this film. When Japp works with the French police, he takes over Inspector Fournier's office. Before a return flight to Paris, Japp joins Poirot for breakfast. The waiter asks for his order and Japp, rubbing his hands together, says cheerily, "Full English, please." Poirot's smile fades and he looks down. Will he never be able to get Japp to try real cuisine? This is always good for a chuckle.

Hercule Poirot is on a plane from Paris to London when one of the other passengers, Madame Giselle, is murdered. The murder weapon appears to be poison, delivered from a dart fired from a South American blowpipe. On board was Lady Horbury who owed the murdered woman a great deal of money - she is the prime suspect. Soon after Madame Giselle's death is announced, her daughter appears in Paris to claim her inheritance, but then soon disappears. A cross-channel investigation into Madame Giselle's murder, involving Chief Inspector Japp, the French police and Poirot, commences.

Intriguing, as always. However, too complex though to figure out for yourself. The best Agatha Christie stories are where you can figure it out for yourself, or at least come close to figuring it out, before Poirot reveals the plot. This is not one of those. Still very entertaining though.

Wouldn't you just know it, there's a murder on the plane on which Poirot is traveling from Paris to London. One Madame Gisele is killed via poisoned dart. Madame Gisele was a moneylender to the upper crust and also a blackmailer. Poirot has seen her with the haughty Lady Horbury, but Lady Horbury claims never to have seen Madame Gisele before. Poirot is troubled. A wasp is found on the plane, killed by one of the passengers with his coffee cup. Poirot wonders what the wasp was doing there. And how did someone kill Madame Gisele with a dart in front of all the passengers? It's a knotty problem, which Poirot finally solves, but it's much more complicated than it appeared in the beginning with situations involving bigamy and fake identities.

Excellent mystery with Poirot and Japp working together, and Poirot enlisting the aide of the female flight steward as well. The usual high production values abound.

Within the confines of a commercial passenger plane, Hercule Poirot was ideally placed in a seat to observe his fellow air passengers. Over to his right sat a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite; ahead, in seat No.13, sat Lady Horbury; across the gangway in seat No.8, a detective writer was being troubled by an aggressive wasp.

What Poirot did not yet realize was that behind him, in seat No.2, sat the slumped, lifeless body of a woman, killed by a poisoned dart.

A really buzzing Poirot mystery with a murder in a confined space, greatly etched characters, and a series of clever misdirection. It's well-paced and full of tension. Death in the Clouds is an underrated novel, and was adapted well here, though reading Agatha's books is a real treat. The genius is in her writing.

Several episodes of "Poirot" were double-length and this one features two killings. The first occurs early on as you'd expect, but the other one caught me by surprise late in the show.

Although Poirot claims that he hates boats and airplanes, he sure does travel a lot! This time, he's in Paris...and oddly Hastings is no where to be seen during the episode. My aunt informed me that Poirot stories OFTEN don't have Hastings...even though he is often inserted into episodes of the show.

On his way back from Paris and the French Open, Poirot spends a miserable time aboard an airplane headed back to Britain. While he was snoozing, someone murdered an old woman who was a moneylender. There's an obvious suspect...which in real life means they probably did it. But this is an Agatha Christie story, so you know it's NOT that simple.

This is a very good episode. I thought it amusing that once again, the show portrays some Brits abroad as real xenophobes. But beyond that, the story is pretty interesting, though I wonder WHAT poison was in the poison dart, as Curare takes a long time to kill a human and few poisons (except on TV and in books) kill instantly. They never did say WHICH poison was used but even Cyanide might take at least 20-30 seconds to kill. This is NOT a complaint...just curiosity.

By the way, although IMDB points out that the episode must have occured in 1935, the DC-3 airplane they were on wasn't in service with any airline until 1936. This sort of error is no big deal, as very few airliners from the era are flightworthy today and only nuts like me would notice this minor mistake!

A fine episode with all the usual cast of trope characters...the arrogant aristocrat; the frumpy ladies maid; the over fawning nice fellow; and on. The Murder setting on a plane from France to England is a nice change from the Mideast or Greek islands or whoever Poirot travels; which is odd in itself since he does not travel well. Death occurs as a result of a small poison dart. The cabin was also home to pesky wasps. What sticks out to me is the rather cool, even antagonistic back and forth between Poirot and Cheif Inspector Japp. In earlier episodes they are quite amiable; almost close friends. But here, they show no initial pleasant surprise on meeting and thereafter no real sign of any previous history. Strange.

This whodunit, adapted from an Agatha Christie story, stars David Suchet as the fastidious Hercule Poirot. Like Poirot, everything about this production is subdued and mild-mannered, resulting in a "drama" that feels rather undramatic.

The solution to the crime hinges on a couple of apparently-inconsequential clues which Poirot ferrets out in a leisurely manner. The motive feels almost irrelevant. This is not one of Christie's best inventions, but it provides some enjoyable scenery and costuming.

Detective procedurals with more passion-if only a modicum or if seething below the surface-are more interesting.

This episode is quite enjoyable and the story relies on a plot device that I really love: a crime within an enclosed space with quite a few suspects. Lady Horbury is very glamorous, while Poirot seems quite smitten by the sir hostess Jane Grey. One of the things that haven't aged well in the series is how the detective, though asexual, almost seems to be stalking young women who show interest in case, like Jane. Or his nickname "Papa Poirot" in The Mystery of the Blue Train. From a sympathetic supporter to a creepy old guy. What makes this episode so interesting is the focus on Paris as a city, where the detective takes us on a walk along the city's most famous landmarks, like the Palais Chaillot, basilica Sacre Coeur. I love the narrative related to tennis too. Generally, I'd put this on my Christie watch list.

Hercule Poirot is admiring the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris. On the flight from France to England while Poirot was asleep an old lady has been killed. It seems a poisoned dart was used.

Among the suspects is a crime writer and a snooty aristocrat, who was in Paris to see Fred Perry at the French Open and gamble. It seems she was in debt to the old lady.

Poirot and Japp visit Paris to find out more about the victim and seek out a woman who claims to be the victim's long lost daughter.

This feature length mystery has wonderful production values of vintage Paris and the recreation of the French Open. However it is padded more than a psychiatric cell. I know we have moved on from the Agatha short stories but really you can see the director falling back on various tricks just to drag the story out such as the scenes on the plane which go on for ages. We even have a character telling Poirot to get on with it during the denouement.

This TV film looks fabulous of course, with splendid settings and costumes. But oh, the script! It reduces a typically complex Agatha Christie novel to utter banality. The joy of Christie's Poirot is to follow the workings of his mind as it holds up the case like a crystal and examines each facet in turn. There is none of this in the film: Poirot just happens to bump into the key characters while wandering aimlessly around Paris, apparently stalking Jane Grey. It's just silly.