The Adventure of the Western Star is the ninth episode of series 2 of the ITV British television drama series Agatha Christie's Poirot featuring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, first broadcast on 4 March 1990 in the UK. The episode is an adaptation of the Agatha Christie's short story of the same name and was directed by Richard Spence with dramatisation by Clive Exton.
Synopsis[]
The famous Belgian film star Marie Marvelle consults Poirot (who is a great admirer of hers) about a series of letters threatening that her celebrated diamond 'The Western Star' will soon be stolen.
The adaptation is fairly close to the original story though many details that were retold by Poirot in his usual grand reveal or things that happened off-screen were shown in present time or embellished.
Comparison with Original Story[]
(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)
The original story characterized Mary Marvell as a well-known American film star who was mobbed by fans as she went to his office while the adaptation changed her to Marie Marvelle, a Belgian film star that Poirot idolizes but no one else seems to have heard of. He meets her at her hotel in the adaptation and learned about the threatening letters to rob her of her "Western Star" diamond. In the original, that information was given at his office.
Much of the same mid-story beats continue regarding the alleged threatening letters coming from a "Chinaman" who is targeting 2 diamonds belonging to 2 women. Hastings confidently interviews the owner of the "Eastern Star" diamond, Lady Yardly, while Poirot is away, and the 2 men visit the Yardly home to get more details about the supposed threatening letters (she claimed she had destroyed them). The Eastern Star is stolen and then within a day the Western Star is stolen as well.
To stretch the story, a side plot was given where Inspector Japp tries to catch a shady jewel handler and potential thief, Henrik Van Braks, red-handed but he keeps getting away since there's nothing incriminating on him. Van Braks pops up as a prospective buyer for Lady Yardly's diamond, showing up after it's been stolen, meaning he could not have done it, much to Japp's frustration.
A divergence from the original story comes when Lady Yardly goes to Poirot's office for the second time. She confesses her affair with Marie Marvelle's movie star husband, Gregorie Rolf, how he blackmailed her into giving him her diamond, and his attempt to help her was to make it seem like there were 2 diamonds, send threatening letters planning to steal them, and collect on the insurance plus keep the diamond. She had initially sought out Poirot to ask for help regarding Rolf's scheme but when Hastings assumed she was getting the same letters as Ms. Marvelle, Lady Yardly agreed with him out of nerves.
In the original, Poirot manages to get the original diamond by threatening Rolf off-screen and he returns it to Lord Yardly. In the adaptation, his threats towards Rolf don't work so he half convinces, half threatens the jeweler, Hoffberg, who created the fake for Rolf, to return the real diamond and give the fake one back to Rolf. Poirot returns the real diamond to it's rightful owner, Lady Yardly.
Additional scenes are added in the adaptation where Rolf and van Braks travel to meet at the airport, they get caught by Inspector Japp but may not face any jail time since there was no exchange of stolen property, and Poirot breaks the news to a heartbroken Ms. Marvelle about her losing her diamond and her husband (dialogue was in French):
Poirot: Miss, I have some bad news for you.
[scene cuts to Rolf at airport, then back to Poirot and Marie]
Marie: What an idiot. Poor imbecile. He never thought he had any talent. He always felt the need to show what he was capable of. By giving me diamonds.
Poirot: He's gone now. The chapter is over.
Marie: Yes. It's over.
The final scene in the adaptation is much more upbeat than the original short story. Poirot in the original did not offer much comfort to either of the 2 women and jokingly mocked Hastings for his initial interview with Lady Yardly, leaving Hastings feeling upset, self-conscious, and foolish. The final scene of the adaptation shows the 2 men eating dinner that Poirot painstakingly prepared for them and Hastings still a bit confused about what happened to the other diamond. After clarification from a mildly exasperated Poirot (there was only ever 1 diamond!), the 2 men offer cheers with their glasses and enjoy their dinner.
Cast[]
- David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
- Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings
- Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp
- Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon
- Barry Woolgar as Inspector Dougall
- Struan Rodger as Henrik van Braks (as Straun Rodger)
- Rosalind Bennett as Marie Marvelle
- Oliver Cotton as Gregorie Rolf
- Alister Cameron as Lord Yardly
- Caroline Goodall as Lady Yardly
- Stephen Hancock as Mullings
- Ian Collier as Sergeant
- Bruce Montague as Hoffberg
- Julian Gartside as Hotel Receptionist
- Bill Thomas as Steward
- Jill Goldston as Street Seller (uncredited)
- Uncredited actor as Mr Bennett (Poirot's barber)
Tropes and Themes[]
- The Art Deco 1930s
- Shoreham airport (Brighton City Airport) terminal. Used to represent Croydon. Why not Croydon itself? Was it because Shoreham is an Art Deco design while Croydon is neo-classical?
- Lavish scenery
- Dorney Court - used as Yardly Chase
- The chase scene - Japp and his men chase Gregory Rolf to Croydon and then through the airport terminal onto the tarmac.
- Poirot's quirks
- He is with his barber, Mr Bennett. He complains that after his last cut his, the left sideburn was 3 mm longer than the right.
- His cooking. Here he cooks a dish of veal marinated in white wine, brandy and seasoned with fennel.
Filming Locations[]
- Shoreham Airport (Brighton City Airport) terminal[1]
- Dorney Court, Buckinghamshire.
- Freemasons' Hall, 60 Great Queen St, London - Van Braks's hotel exterior
- Wild Street - after Van Bral's leaves his hotel.
- Sandy's Row, Artillery Passage, Widegate Street (Spitalfields) - At the beginning, Japp is walking down Sandy's Row, heading south. Hoffberg's shop is at the corner of Sandy's Row and Artillery Passage. Japp and another detective turn left into Artillery Passage and arrest Van Braks. The phone box is at the corner of Sandy's Row and Artillery Passage just outside Hoffberg's shop. Towards the end of the show, when Van Braks visits Hoffberg, Hastings is mounting surveillance from just outside Honest Burger and King's Stores opposite, on Widegate Street.
Research notes[]
- There is a close up of Poirot's name card in this episode.
- His address is 56B Whitehaven Mansions, Sandhurst Square, London W1
- His telephone number is TRA 8137