Product Description

The world’s most famous mystery writer is somewhat of a mystery herself. This innovative BBC drama uses documented accounts and Christie’s own words to probe the shadowy areas of her early life in a style as gripping and suspenseful as any Christie story. By exploring what really happened during her mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926, it traces the events that shaped her career as the undisputed "Queen of Crime." Starring Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense) as the young Christie with Anna Massey (Possession) as Christie in her later years. Also featuring Raymond Coulthard (Emma) and Anthony O’Donnell (Vera Drake).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #82369 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-08-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.com
Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures is a more satisfying, and apparently more factually based, version of the events that transpired in Michael Apted's 1979 feature Agatha. In 1926, the renowned mystery author Agatha Christie, creator of fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, disappeared for 11 days, prompting a nationwide hunt. When she was discovered, it was clear she had no memory of who or where she was, or what specifically happened to precipitate her crisis. The ingenious A Life in Pictures approaches these extraordinary events from two angles: first, as seen by the then-contemporary Christie (Olivia Williams), undergoing psychiatric care and confronting old fears and memories, and much later, in 1962, as an old woman (Anna Massey) interviewed on the 10th anniversary of Christie's hit play, The Mousetrap. This taut drama has an unnerving and spooky quality underscoring Christie's psychological distress. But what's most interesting is the story's growing portrait of a woman living two lives, one for the public and another for herself. There's some fun in here, too: a sequence in which Christie explains how she invented Poirot (inspired by Belgian refugees she knew during World War I) is charming and playful. --Tom Keogh

The Guardian
Handsome, faithful, spooky.

Telegraph (UK)
Beautifully crafter, engaging and emotionally penetrating.

Customer Reviews

"A Woman Behaving Strangely" ~ Anxieties, Delusions And A Mysterious Disappearance
The '04 documentary style film `Agatha Christie - A Life in Pictures' provides a marginally interesting biography/psychological study of the famous English mystery novelist Agatha Christie. The film bounces back and forth through time to tell its story, featuring Oliva Williams and Anna Massey in the role of Agatha at different stages of life. The primary focus of the plot deals with Agatha's infamous eleven missing days of that baffled England and the apparent and convenient amnesia following her return.

In an attempt to add to the documentary feel of the feature the film switches to black and white during the recreated sequences involving the investigation and search for the missing literary icon as well as some of the scenes of her life discussed with a psychologist during treatment after her return to her family.

There are some intriquing aspects worthy for investigation into the author's life such as the reoccurring apparition of what she referred to as "the Gunman", but overall her life unfolds as a rather dull and gloomy existence. This isn't a bad film by any means, it's just something geared to a very select audience. Agatha Christie fans will no doubt love it.

My Rating: -3 ½ Stars.

Great real-life mystery of Agatha Christie
I've always wondered about the 11-day disappearance of mystery writer icon Agatha Christie, and this dramatic rendition depicting that time was done extremely well. It's true to the facts, seriously creepy and quite sad. But of course, as with all her novels, ends the way it should. I loved it.

Agatha Christie-A Life in Pictures
This movie is very interesting for any Agatha Christie fan but would be enjoyable even for a person who knows nothing of Agatha C. or her work. The story is set in the years around WWI and is a glimpse of England in those years.