Death on the Nile (1978)

In his first outing as the Belgian detective, Peter Ustinov’s Poirot witnesses an obsessive Mia Farrow hounding her ex-fiancé Simon MacCorkindale and his new wife/her former best friend Lois Chiles while the couple honeymoons on the Nile River. It is of course difficult to not compare this to Branagh’s recent take on the story. Ustinov is not a bad representation of Poirot, but I prefer Kenneth’s. Here Poirot is less a leader in the investigation and more a co-investigator with David Niven’s Colonel Race. While I liked the beginning setup in the newer version, I think overall this has the superior telling of the story. Filming on location seems to be an important detail to give the right feel for the story. The cast here is far better as well with stellar veterans such as Bette Davis, Maggie Smith and Angela Lansbury all providing support.  

Oscar Win: Best Costume Design