The troupe that made “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?” (1980) for ITV reunites for “Seven Dials Mystery” (1981). The budget is smaller, which is fine for what’s more of an interior than exterior story. One budget-saver actually helps the movie considerably: It’s a little more than 2 hours long, as opposed to the 3 hours of “Evans.”
This makes for a tighter, brisker experience, but at the same time, writer Pat Sandys and director Tony Wharmby don’t excise anything significant from Agatha Christie’s 1929 novel. Individual scenes are played with more energy and pace, but that’s appropriate since this is a younger-leaning piece.
An opening sequence finds a bunch of budding young diplomats staying at Chimneys, the house of the Marquess of Caterham (John Gielgud) introduced in Christie’s 1925 novel “The Secret of Chimneys” (although there’s no movie version). One of them dies in his sleep, and the mystery is afoot.
“Seven Dials Mystery” (1981)
Director: Tony Wharmby
Writers: Pat Sandys (teleplay), Agatha Christie (novel)
Stars: John Gielgud, Harry Andrews, Cheryl Campbell
A Bundle of curiosity
Picking up the sleuthing is the marquess’ daughter, Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent (Cheryl Campbell). In Christie’s books, the nickname is from when she was a baby, I presume because she looked like a little bundle. It also fits her as an adult because she’s a bundle of energy with her mind firing on all cylinders.
Shorter than her sleuthing male pals among those young diplomats – sharp Jimmy (James Warwick) and dim Bill (Christopher Scoular) – Bundle is sometimes overlooked. In one humorous scene, she’s trying to hear the conversation between Jimmy and Bill, hopping behind them.
Sandys keeps most of the novel’s Bundle scenes and is more likely to cut non-Bundle scenes, so we as viewers don’t overlook her. And honestly, neither do most of the characters. Even Superintendent Battle (the large Harry Andrews, befitting Christie’s description) is willing to give her the time of day, despite his professional nature as a police detective.
And her father, flighty about most things, recognizes that Bundle is her own woman; he has long since given up trying to keep tabs on her. Just as Bundle makes Christie’s book fun to read, Campbell’s performance makes “Dials” fun to watch. In addition to sleuthing, Bundle also has to dodge the advances of George Lomax (Terence Alexander), whom she sees as a dullard.
Sandys keeps the novel’s playfulness intact without going too far into silliness. The film might’ve been tempted to pile on a British sitcom score, but it doesn’t; in fact, it cuts back on that compared “Evans” and instead favors mysterious (though not ominous) music.
The budget goes to the acting
As for the plotting, “Dials” finds Christie splitting the difference between her two favorite genres. It’s a multiple-murder mystery, but the motives are international espionage rather than something house-bound like an inheritance. She has it both ways, but that actually plays fine for me; I suspect I like this novel more than most readers.
Admittedly, the visual of seven people wearing hoods with clocks on the faces, gathered around a grand table in a hidden room (which nonetheless looks like a cheap set) is even more ridiculous than when Christie asks us to picture it in our mind’s eye. But the cheesiness fits with “Dials’ ” overall spirit of amateur sleuthing.
When we find out why the villain devised the scheme to steal state secrets – and then killed people to cover it up – it’s a case of Christie coming up with an intriguing psychological motivation but not exploring it. But because this is a consistently light piece, the lack of character exploration isn’t much of a knock against it.
As with “Evans,” “Seven Dials Mystery” has that modestly budgeted 1980s British TV feel. And again, the veteran professional cast doesn’t care about the cheapness around them; they pour themselves into the performances. They – especially Campbell – don’t stop to wonder if Christie’s material is ridiculous, and as such, a viewer isn’t encouraged to think about it either.
Sleuthing Sunday reviews an Agatha Christie book or adaptation. Click here to visit our Agatha Christie Zone.