Agatha Christie's Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
by John Davies, Tony Wharmby
List Price:
Our Price: $17.95
You Save: $12.00 (40%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $8.70 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Bernard Miles, Eric Porter, Francesca Annis, John Gielgud, Leigh LawsonDirector: John Davies, Tony Wharmby
Brand: Acorn
Cinematographer: Mike Humphreys
Producer: Tony Wharmby
Editor: Geoff Beames
Editor: Ray Helm
Producer: Jack Williams
Writer: Agatha Christie
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 180 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-04-08
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Acorn Media
DVD Reviews of Agatha Christie's Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
DVD Review: An Amusing, Stylish...And Long...Agatha Christie Mystery
Summary: 3 Stars
A golf game on a windy bluff above the sea, a cry, a man lying on the rocks below who struggles to say with his dying breath, "Why didn't they ask Evans?" And we're off on a three-hour Agatha Christie tale of family deception, murder, lies and ruthless intrigue. We're also thrust into the Twenties and early Thirties' world of wealthy English bright young things, a world of upper-crust accents, immaculate manners and immaculate croquet grounds, country homes with many rooms and even more servants, and gleaming autos almost as long as a cricket pitch.
This TV movie, originally a three-part British television production, would seem to have everything. So why is it unsatisfying? And why, as unsatisfying as I think it is, is it still amusing to watch? The unsatisfying parts first. 1) The story goes on and on. It easily could have been cut by at least half an hour. 2) The mystery is convoluted and hard to follow. 3) The two sleuths, Lady Frances Derwent (Francesca Annis) and Bobby Jones (James Warwick) got a bit on my nerves. Bobby is brave, a puppy dog around Frankie and not too smart. Frankie is very much the bright young thing, superficially brittle with hidden warmth, clever and, to my taste, a bit too self-satisfied. I never forgot that I was watching actors. 4) The direction is heavy handed, as if the director felt he had to nudge us that we're watching a slightly silly period piece. The background music is frequently used to emphasize things that don't need to be emphasized.
What makes it watchable? Style, story and several of the actors. 1) This production looks great. The stately homes, inside and out, provide wonderful settings for distinctly upper class life. The period clothes for both the men and women look authentic and are often elegant. Dressing for dinner never looked better. 2) While the story is convoluted, it carries within it enough false leads to keep one's interest. The solution to the mystery and the answer to the dying man's question is clever. 3) Despite the artificiality of Annis' performance, she's a good enough actress to keep me watching her. It's style over substance, and she carries off the style handily. One of the important roles, who may be a diversion to the plot or may be a key ingredient, is played by Eric Porter, a fine actor. This was one of his last roles. He plays Dr. Nicholson, who runs a discrete clinic for disturbed relatives of wealthy families. The doctor is solicitous and alarming at the same time. Porter does a great job. If you have a chance, watch him as Soames in the early TV production of the Forsyte Saga. He was, in my view, an exceptional actor. In smaller roles Bernard Miles and John Gielgud show up. Joan Hickson makes an appearance looking utterly different from Miss Marple.
On balance, I think this is a show you might like if you're fond of British mysteries involving the upper class and don't expect a classic. You'll need to appreciate Lady Frances...but as Bobby tells her at the close, "You were so frightfully plucky..."
The DVD transfer is soft but not too bad. There is a filmography of several of the actors.
Description of Agatha Christie's Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? - DVD MovieBestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Agatha Christie Hour: Set TwoAcorn; Release date: 2011-01-25; DVD
Best price: $25.04
Price in other shops:
Agatha Christie's Poirot Movie Collection Set 6Acorn; Release date: 2011-07-12; DVD
Best price: $29.99
Price in other shops:
Poirot, Series 5Release date: 2012-02-15; Amazon Instant Video; TV Series Season Video on Demand
Best price: $16.99
Marple: The Classic Mysteries Collection (Caribbean Mystery / 4:50 from Paddington / Moving Finger / Nemesis / At Bertram's Hotel / Murder at Vicarage / Sleeping Murder / They Do It with Mirrors / Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side)A&E; Release date: 2006-02-28; DVD
Best price: $24.99
Price in other shops:
Evil Under the SunLions Gate; Release date: 2009-01-27; DVD
Best price: $4.61
Price in other shops:
Agatha Christie's Marple Season 5Release date: 2012-02-15; Amazon Instant Video; TV Series Season Video on Demand
Best price: $16.99
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime - Tommy & Tuppence, Set 2Acorn; Release date: 2004-03-30; DVD
Best price: $22.89
Price in other shops:
Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime - Tommy & Tuppence, Set 1ANNIS,F/WARWICK,J; Release date: 2003-04-08; DVD
Best price: $26.21
Price in other shops:
And Then There Were NoneImage Entertainment; Release date: 2001-11-27; DVD
Best price: $5.26
Price in other shops:
Agatha Christie's Seven Dials MysteryAcorn; Release date: 2004-03-30; DVD
Best price: $6.48
Price in other shops: