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Reviews
Marcello Marcello (2008)
A little charmer of a film
If you liked Mediteranneo and Cinema Paradiso, you'll love Marcello Marcello. A sweet little romance set in the 1950s in Amatrello, a small Italian village, it's not too sugary, just wryly amusing,cleverly plotted and just plain lovely. Lots of little side stories and wonderfully drawn characters you really care about. I've seen it three or four times now and always spot a little something extra that adds to the beauty of the film. What of those who don't like romantic films? Exquisite scenery, non stop sunshine, what's not to like? Quirky and delightful, it's like a Summer holiday on a plate! In Italian with English subtitles. A film to watch when the weather's bleak and you feel in need of a thoroughly relaxing film with no nastiness.
Poirot: The Big Four (2013)
Why change the story?
Just one question - why did Mark Gatiss make so many changes from Agatha Christie's original story? Her fans will be irritated by the changes and I suspect those who weren't previously fans won't have watched this anyway.
The first five minutes were excellent and very moving. It went downhill after that. As ever the wonderful Japp, Lemon, Hastings and George(s) were a treat.
David Suchet's Poirot seems to have become more theatrical and hysterical over the years - possibly the result of working with scripts that more and more depart from the source material.
I have loved Agatha Christie's stories for over 50 years and David Suchet's Poirot, like Joan Hickson's Miss Marple, remains the definitive interpretation, but nothing excuses missing out large chunks of the books, adding new elements to support gratuitous changes to the story. The result in The Big Four was to produce something that managed to be both over the top and boring.