bensonmum2 While recovering from injuries received during the War, Lieutenant Hastings is invited to visit an old friend in his mother's, Mrs. Inglethorp, country estate. The household is in a state because of the mother's recent marriage to a strange man 20 years her junior. One night, Mrs. Inglethorp is taken ill and dies. The cause of death - poisoning. The family suspects the new husband, but he wasn't at home on the night of the murder. Looking for help in solving the mystery, Lieutenant Hastings calls on a war refugee from Belgium living in the village. He's an odd bird, but a great detective named Hercule Poirot.The Mysterious Affair at Styles isn't one of the great Christie works, but it's fun enough with interesting characters and a "nice" murder. I say it's not great because there are two things that really bug me (at least in this presentation of the story). First, the murderer makes the most illogical mistake imaginable. Why did he leave the incriminating piece of evidence where it could be found? Second, Poirot makes an awful lot of suppositions that just happen to be right. He's more clairvoyant here than usual.But none of that matters much when the rest of the episode is so good and fun. It's a real hoot watching Poirot march his fellow Belgian refugees through the streets of a small English village. They look like penguins on parade. It's also a treat to see Hastings and Poirot renew an old friendship. It's a really nice moment. And, it's also a joy to watch Japp and Poirot working together on their first English case. The only thing missing was Miss Lemon. I only wish they would have filmed The Mysterious Affair at Styles first. It would have nicely set-up everything to follow. For someone new to the series, I'd suggest going straight to S3E1 to start. Overall, a 7/10 from me.

blanche-2 "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" marks Poirot's first mystery. Interestingly, Poirot's first and last cases take place at Styles.Here he reconnects with a friend, Captain Hastings, whom he has not seen in some time. Hastings is recovering from an injury he received during World War I. He is staying in a mansion that has been conscripted as a hospital.In the beginning, we see Hastings and other patients watching the newsreels which shows Belgian refugees arriving in England. This is how Poirot first came to England.Hastings has an old friend who invites him to his place, Styles Court. He confides in Hastings that his mother has married a younger man, Alfred Inglethorp. The whole family believes that he is a golddigger.Not long after that, Emily Inglethorp is murdered by strychnine. Hastings appeals to Poirot to investigate. Inglethorp is the obvious suspect, but are things as they seem? This is a beautifully made episode that displays the era with perfection. The story has a couple of holes, but Poirot's deductions are excellent, and even if you know the denouement, you will be intrigued by the way it unfolds.David Suchet is the best Poirot - fastidious, cheerfully egomaniacal, and eccentric. Delightful episode.

Paularoc The story opens with Captain Hastings recovering from a WWI injury in a beautiful mansion converted to a convalescent home for soldiers. A newsreel is being shown, one item of which is "Belgium refugees welcomed to our shores." This, the first Christie novel, provides us with the background on why Poirot came to Britain and how he and Hastings met and became fast friends. An old friend of Hastings visits him and invites him to his home, Styles Court. He tells Hastings that his family is very concerned that his mother, Emily, has married a much younger man, Alfred Inglethorp. The family is convinced that Inglethorp is after Emily's money. Soon after arriving at the village of Styles St. Mary, Emily Inglethorp is brutally murdered by strychnine. Also in the village are Belgian refugees, including Poirot. Hastings had met Poirot in Belgium and they quickly re-establish their friendship. Hastings asks Poirot to investigate the murder. The aloof and generally unlikable Alfred Inglethorp immediately is a suspect and gives an incredibly poor showing at the coroner's hearing. But come to find out, Inglethorp has an iron clad alibi for the time in which the strychnine was purchased. And so the investigation continues. This film is visually stunning with its depiction of the the era - the costumes, the shops, the vehicles, the country lanes, the magnificent Styles Court - all beautifully captured. Although somewhat flawed, the mystery and how Poirot unravels it is a darn good yarn. And the Poirot character, with all his eccentricities (the scene where he tries to get the shopkeeper to rearrange her goods into a more logical way is a hoot) is both memorable and engaging. From this story, it is easy to see why Christie became such a popular and enduring mystery writer. This entry in the Poirot series is a real winner.

jamesraeburn2003 World War One 1917: Lieutenant Hastings (Hugh Fraser) is on sick leave from the army after being wounded in France. His old friend John Cavendish (David Rintoul) invites him to stay at the Cavendish country estate, Styles Court, where there's tension in the family. Cavendish's mother Emily Ingelthorpe (Gillian Barge) has married Albert Ingelthorpe (Michael Cronin) a man twenty years younger than her, and the family believes that he can only be after one thing - her money. That night Emily dies a painful death and the subsequent autopsy reveals that she has been poisoned. In the neighbouring village of Styles St Mary, a number of Belgian refugees have taken up residence including Hastings' old friend Hercule Poirot (David Suchet), the eccentric but clever sleuth who is called in to investigate the murder."The Mysterious Affair At Styles" (1920) was Agatha Christie's first novel and it also introduced her most famous creation to the world, the eccentric little Belgian detective with the egg-shaped head and eccentric mannerisms. This film was made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Christie's birth in 1890 which fell in 1990. The period detail of World War One was superbly depicted in this film (just look at those automobiles!) Ross Devenish directed the film with care and style while David Suchet, Hugh Fraser and Philip Jackson offered their usual excellent performances. Great care was taken with the supporting cast in which Michael Cronin stands out as the somewhat shifty looking Albert Ingelthorpe."The Mysterious Affair At Styles" has recently been reissued on video and DVD, catch it while you can!