Product Description

In a classic 1930s country house francesca annis & james warwick portray another delightful crime solving couple created by agatha christie. Amateur sleuths bobby jones & lady frankie derwent his aristocratic childhood friend solve a tale of murder suspense & fake identities. Studio: Acorn Media Release Date: 04/08/2003 Starring: Francesca Annis Sir John Gielgud Run time: 188 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23313 in DVD
• Brand: Acorn
• Released on: 2003-04-08
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 180 minutes

Amazon.com
Brew some tea and curl up by the fire for murder, intrigue, and madcap upper-class high jinks in Agatha Christie's Why Didn't They Ask Evans? James Warwick and Francesca Annis play plucky amateur sleuths Bobby Jones and Lady Frankie Derwent (and yes, you've also seen them paired as plucky amateur Christie sleuths Tommy & Tuppence). In the very opening scene, Bobby happens upon a dying man who whispers the mysterious title question and we're off. Why Didn't They Ask Evans? has everything one looks for in an old-fashioned bloodcurdler: murder, false identities, a mysterious institution, and even morphine addiction. Warwick and Annis have the light touch of seasoned pros and slide with ease into the period setting. The rest of the cast dives into the fun and includes such noble veterans as Sir John Gielgud and Joan Hickson, herself one of the more memorable incarnations of Christie's Miss Marple. --Ali Davis

From the Back Cover
During a round of golf on a cliff-top course in Wales, Bobby Jones discovers a man lying gravely injured on the rocks below. "Why didn't they ask Evans?" croaks the dying man. What follows is a tale of murder, suspense, intrigue and false identities as amateur sleuths Bobby and Lady Frankie Derwent set about unlocking the mystery behind those enigmatic last words. Starring TV's Tommy & Tuppence, James Warwick and Francesca Annis, playing another witty crime-solving pair created by Agatha Christie. Also featuring John Gielgud and Eric Porter. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE cast filmographies and Agatha Christie materials.

Customer Reviews

Three hours of twists and turns in a Christie whodunnit
In 1981 London Weekend Television presented a three hour adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? (starring two actors who would go on to play Tommy and Tuppence in another series of Christie mysteries) James Warwick and Francesca (DUNE) Annis. In this adventure the two play amateur sleuths Bobby Jones and Lady Frankie Derwent in a 1920s murder investigation caper.
The story opens with Jones tackling a game of golf on the Welsh coast. Playing his ball onto the edge of a cliff he comes across the body of a man lying on the rocks below and his companion (the local doctor) goes to fetch help (seems a little backwards, but no matter). Regaining consciousness briefly the man utters the cryptic words `Why didn't the ask Evans?' and then passes away. Jones finds a copy of a ladies picture in the man's pocket - a woman he feels an obvious attraction towards.
Passing on the role of watcher over the dead body to a passing man so he can keep an appointment, Jones takes of without thinking anything of it but that it was a tragic accident.
However his suspicions are raised when the man's body is identified by means of the police tracing the girl depicted on the photograph they find on his body. However, this girls photograph is of a different person than that which he discovered.
What follows is an intriguing and well acted made-for-television feature. I did not notice any particular problems with the picture as was noted in other reviews, but the sound level did fade in and out and was at times distracting. This is not the best DVD transfer I have seen, but it also is far from the worst either.
Overall this comes recommended for Christie fans, not the best of her stories, but certainly one with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end.

Top notch Agatha Christie mystery thriller.
Why Didn't They Ask Evan's? is a terrific Agatha Christie mystery story (based on Christie's novel The Boomerang Clue) made into a terrific mystery movie. The plot, though a bit convoluted, is well developed and the excellent cast carries it out superbly. Although this is not one of Agatha Christie's biggest hits, it definitely is one of her best stories and as fine a Christie-based movie as I've ever seen. Now that it's available on DVD I hope it will achieve the recognition it amply deserves. Highly recommended.

Is there really an Evans?
Bobby Jones (James Warwick) is pitifully attempting to play golf on ground above the cliff to the sea. He would most assuredly hit someone if the ball just gets that far. He hears a cry but just plays on. That is until the search for the ball takes him to the edge of the cliff where it appears that a hiker fell on the rocks below. Bobby rushes to the aid of the fallen man. The fallen man come conscious just long enough to say "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" then expires.

From here characters pour in from all sides and you need to keep a score card and there are several doctors and mysteriously guilty looking people. You may guess some of the story but not all as they hold back most of clues until the last moment.

Once again Britton has excelled in bringing a great Agatha Christie story to life. They did not try to overstate or rush through the story. Also true to Christies writing they left in the characters instead of trying to homogenize them into fewer numbers for TV's sake.

We recognize the actors for other such stories:

James Warwick who trained at the Central School in London also played Tommy in Agatha Christie's "Partners in Crime" series.
Francesca Annis was Tuppence in the "Partners in Crime" series. But where I remember her most as Lady Jessica in "Dune" (1984).
Sir John Gielgud, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic arts in London played Hamlet on the stage.
The big surprise is the late Joan Hickson who made her stage debut in prudential theater in 1927 and played the best Miss Marple in the Agatha Christie series of movies. You may not recognize her but she was also the landlady in "The Man Who Never Was" (1956)