The Chocolate Box is the sixth episode of series 5 of the ITV British television drama series Agatha Christie's Poirot featuring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, first broadcast on 7 February 1993 in the UK and was directed by Ken Grieve with dramatisation by Douglas Watkinson. The episode is an adaptation of Agatha Christie's short story of the same name.
Synopsis[]
While in Belgium, Poirot recounts to Chief Inspector Japp a case from twenty years prior. During his early days in the Belgian police, he looked into the suspicious death of the young politician Paul Deroulard, at the request of the charming Virginie Mesnard.
Comparison with Original Story[]
(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)
- Compared with the original, this adaptation is considerably embellished for dramatic purposes although the main premise of the story is retained.
- Rather than simply narrate the events to Hastings, Poirot actually goes to Brussels with Japp in the 1930s. There Poirot meets Saint Alard and so recalls the events of the Chocolate Box which happened around 1898--the time when Dutch was recognized as an official language along with French. Hastings does not occur in the adaptation. Japp does but he did not in the original. There are additional non-canonical supporting characters such as Jean-Louis Ferraud, Chantalier and Boucher.
- The character of John Wilson is replaced by a Deroulard neighbour Gaston Beaujeu who has roughly the same plot role in that he uses trinitrin.
- The death of Marianne is dramatised in flashback.
- The political disagreement between Deroulard and St Alard are faithful to the original but in this case, Deroulard is Belgian and not French and he is already in the governnent. Here the disagreement is about Deroulard wanting to integrate Belgium by making ther Flemish language on par with French.
- The additional character Jean-Louis Ferraud fills the role of an unnamed pharmacist in the original. He tells Poirot about the effects of atropine and trinitrin. He also analyses some bits of chocolate and confirms the presence of trinitrin.
- The matching chocolate box does not have to be retrieved from a dustbin. Here it had been given to the butler Francois.
- Unlike the original where Virginie tries to call off the investigation when Poirot begins to home in on St Alard (probably because both are devout Catholics), here she detests St Alard and she supports the investigation all the way:
- She decoys St Alard by making him take her to the opera so that Poirot can break in and search his residence. In the original, Poirot gains entry without Virginie's help, by posing as a plumber.
- She also helps Poirot set up a situation for St Alard to coax him into a confession. Here St Alard goes as far as to say that it is almost as if he had caused Deroulard's death--he is referring to the fierce argument they had, which might have caused Deroulard's heart trouble. This is all unique to this adaptation.
- The breakthrough comes in this adaptation when Poirot comes to speak to Madame Deroulard. She mentions "green lid on a pink box" when it should be "pink lid on a green box". He realises that she can hardly see the correct colours and he should have realised this earlier. This leads her to confess to killing her son, much as in the original.
- In this adaptation, Virginie does not enter a convent. Poirot develops a romantic interest in her, and she gives him a lapel pin which Poirot would wear in almost every episode of the series. Virginie however ends up marrying Jean-Louis Ferraud.
- In the original, Deroulard is described as having a weakness for women. Here he is only addicted to his political career and chocolates.
Cast[]
- David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
- Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp
- Rosalie Crutchley as Madame Déroulard
- Anna Chancellor as Virginie Mesnard
- David de Keyser as Gaston Beaujeu
- Jonathan Hackett as Claude Chantalier
- Geoffrey Whitehead as Xavier, Comte de St. Alard
- Mark Eden as Superintendent Boucher
- Jonathan Barlow as Jean-Louis Ferraud
- James Coombes as Paul Déroulard
- Preston Lockwood as Francois
- Linda Broughton as Denise
- Kirsten Clark as Jeannette
- Michael Beint as Coroner
- Lucy Cohu as Marianne Deroulard
- Richard Derrington as Henri
- Jill Goldston as Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
- Reg Thomason as Wine Drinker (uncredited)
Filming Locations[]
- Cogels-Osylei 41, Antwerp - The 'Deroulard's' residence.
- Antwerpen Centraal Station, 2060 Antwerp - Brussels Station, Poirot & Japp arrive in Belgium.
- Hotel Metropole Brussels, Pl. De Brouckère 31, 1000 Bruxelles - Poirot and Japp's hotel.
- Law Courts of Brussels, Palais de Justice, Pl. Poelaert 1, 1000 Bruxelles - Poirot and Chantalier tell Boucher they would be happy to investigate the case.
- Triumphal Arch, Monument du Cinquantenaire, Tun. Cinquantenaire 27, 1040 Bruxelles - Japp asks Poirot to take a photograph
- Grand-Place de Bruxelles, 1000 Bruxelles - Poirot plays chess with Francois.
- Hotel de ville de Bruxelles, Grand-Place de Bruxelles, 1000 Bruxelles - Japp's ceremony
- Museum of Urban Transport Brussels, Av. de Tervueren 364, 1150 Woluwe-Saint-Pierre - Chantalier tells Poirot that Boucher wants to see him. Later, Poirot discusses case with Virginie.
- Pharmacie Botanique (Apotheek Botaniek), Bd du Jardin Botanique 36, 1000 Bruxelles - Jean-Louis's pharmacy.
- Mokafe, Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert, Galerie du Roi 5, 1000 Brussel - Poirot meets Virginie. Chantalier asks her to make Poirot see sense.
- Rue des Minimes, 1000 Brussels - Poirot's apartment.
- Groot-Bijgaarden Castle, Isidoor van Beverenstraat 5, 1702 Dilbeek - St. Alard's residence.
- Royal Museum of the Armed Forces & Military History, Parc du Cinquantenaire, 1000 Bruxelles - Poirot shows Virginie the result of his "theft" of St. Alard's place.