Agatha (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'Agatha' (directed by Michael Apted) is an imaginative 1979 British biopic that fictionalizes the true-life mystery of Agatha Christie's never explained 11-day disappearance in December of 1926; just as her successful literary career was taking shape. On a cold wintry day, Agatha's (Vanessa Redgrave, superb) damaged car with her expensive fur coat is found abandoned on the side of a quaint country road. While the police initially suspect that she committed suicide, her imperious husband, Col. Archibald Christie (Timothy Dalton), who is not overly helpful with the authorities, is adamant that she is alive. What he does not inform them is that he recently asked her for a divorce so he could marry his secretary, Nancy Neele (Celia Gregory).
This came as no shock to Agatha {as she knew of his extramarital affair}, but she did not want to grant him the request due to her still loving him. At the same time, American news columnist Wally Stanton (Dustin Hoffman) was scheduled to lead an interview with Agatha. So due to her disappearance, Stanton instead tries to figure out what happened to her, himself. He tracks her to a fancy Yorkshire resort, where she goes under an assumed name, and he does not divulge his own identity to her. Stanton's goal is to discover what's up with her, but also to preserve her good name; which means not allowing the police to find her before he uncovers the reason behind her vanishing. And Stanton's own motives add complexity to the mystery.
Vanessa Redgrave, also great in 1979's Yanks, is fantastic here as the much troubled Agatha. Dustin Hoffman gives an interesting performance that counters Redgrave's serious one with a real boisterousness; apparently the writers of the film had to tinker with the script due to Hoffman's daily characterization offerings. Physically, they make for an odd couple thanks to their height differential, and emotionally, the stark difference in their acting styles lent an interesting yin-&-yang to the proceedings. Timothy Dalton impresses as the husband who has no regard for his talented wife.
'Agatha' is an extremely polished & glamorous film that contains pleasant music from Robert Mandel, stunningly muted compositions from top cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, impeccable 1920s sets & locales, and beautiful period costumes from Shirley Russell {who was Academy Award-nominated for her work, here}. At 105 intermittently engaging minutes, I hoped for more -- it is lacking in plot, romance & suspense. But on the whole, I enjoyed this twee, old-fashioned 'watch it on a lazy Sunday afternoon' movie for its performance & visual particulars more than for its brain or heart.
This came as no shock to Agatha {as she knew of his extramarital affair}, but she did not want to grant him the request due to her still loving him. At the same time, American news columnist Wally Stanton (Dustin Hoffman) was scheduled to lead an interview with Agatha. So due to her disappearance, Stanton instead tries to figure out what happened to her, himself. He tracks her to a fancy Yorkshire resort, where she goes under an assumed name, and he does not divulge his own identity to her. Stanton's goal is to discover what's up with her, but also to preserve her good name; which means not allowing the police to find her before he uncovers the reason behind her vanishing. And Stanton's own motives add complexity to the mystery.
Vanessa Redgrave, also great in 1979's Yanks, is fantastic here as the much troubled Agatha. Dustin Hoffman gives an interesting performance that counters Redgrave's serious one with a real boisterousness; apparently the writers of the film had to tinker with the script due to Hoffman's daily characterization offerings. Physically, they make for an odd couple thanks to their height differential, and emotionally, the stark difference in their acting styles lent an interesting yin-&-yang to the proceedings. Timothy Dalton impresses as the husband who has no regard for his talented wife.
'Agatha' is an extremely polished & glamorous film that contains pleasant music from Robert Mandel, stunningly muted compositions from top cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro, impeccable 1920s sets & locales, and beautiful period costumes from Shirley Russell {who was Academy Award-nominated for her work, here}. At 105 intermittently engaging minutes, I hoped for more -- it is lacking in plot, romance & suspense. But on the whole, I enjoyed this twee, old-fashioned 'watch it on a lazy Sunday afternoon' movie for its performance & visual particulars more than for its brain or heart.