Almost There: Angela Lansbury in "Death on the Nile"

by Cláudio Alves

From Gaslight to Glass Onion, Angela Lansbury had one extraordinary career whose sheer grandeur is hard to overstate. For almost 80 years, she entertained people worldwide, be it on the stages of Broadway or on TV as Jessica Fletcher, from roles of unspeakable villainy to cherished nurturers in children's media. So to read news of her death was shocking, even though Lansbury was almost 97 – she passed less than a week before her birthday. It just seemed like she would live forever, a primordial force eternally present in our lives. Lansbury worked to the end, maintaining a last vestige of Old Hollywood alive with her. How can one come close to articulating what a loss this is for show business? There was simply no one else quite like Angela Lansbury.

To honor the star, let's recall one of her most colorful film creations, a foray into Agatha Christie's world of murder mysteries that almost nabbed Lansbury a fourth Oscar nomination – the 1978 Death on the Nile…

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Anthony Powell (1935-2021)

by Cláudio Alves

Just the other day, I was writing about Peter Ustinov's Poirot movies, praising their sartorial exuberance, their delectable Oscar-winning costumes designed by Anthony Powell. Not long after publishing that, while perusing Twitter, I encountered unexpectedly sad news. According to some of the stars he dressed, like Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley, the great Anthony Powell died at 85 years old. It happened just the other day and, while most movie sites seem to be ignoring the tragedy, here at The Film Experience, we couldn't let the news pass by unnoticed. Powell was one of the most fabulous costume designers in recent Hollywood history and one of the most generously rewarded, with three Oscar victories and three other nominations. Throughout his career, he dressed numerous stars and even more iconic characters…

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Was Peter Ustinov the best Poirot?

by Cláudio Alves

Growing up in a house furnished with the complete written works of Agatha Christie made me a fan of the whodunnit genre from a young age. My mum, an unabashed fan of criminal narratives and detective stories, made sure I was familiar with the figure of Hercule Poirot and, eventually, I too became a fan. While we've long spent joyful evenings sharing our love for the adventures of Belgium's most excellent fictional investigator, we don't always agree about this entertainment.

For instance, our idea of who the perfect on-screen Poirot  differs significantly. Her heart belongs to David Suchet's book-faithful incarnation, while I prefer Peter Ustinov's joyful take on the same character. On the centennial of the the two-time Oscar-winning thespian, I thought I could elaborate on why Ustinov is my perfect Poirot…

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