(Well, if H. R. F. Keating can get away with Zen There Was Murder…)
News just in from the Agatha Christie Newsletter of another new adaptation of Christie’s classic – this time from Japan.
The adaptation is set in the modern day, and in accordance, some of the crimes committed by the ten people summoned to Soldier Island have been contemporised.
Mr. Igarashi explains that it was important for him that the storyline of their adaptation remained loyal to the original novel, paying particular attention to the portrayals of the 10 characters, and the order and method of the murders.
Past Offences: Classic crime, thrillers and mystery book reviews 
Oh, this is interesting, Rich! Thanks for sharing.
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Hmm… one woman too many by my count. Who is she? I’m looking at the one wearing the obnoxious fur coat next to the butler. The others look like Vera and Emily Brent. Did the woman in furs replace Anthony Marston, the first victim? Instead of a devil may care playboy, a vapid fashion conscious model or something similar? I see only one young man at the table and I’m guessing he must be Philip Lombard. The other men are all well past middle age and must be the general, doctor, judge, and the private investigator. That’s why I think the mystery woman is a revamping of Marston.
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All the characters in this two-part special are all original creations, though they are accused of the same crimes as the book (in a form that fits the new contemporary setting). The woman in the fur coat is the counterpart to Emily Brent and a former actress. The person with Dr. Armstrong’s crime is now a woman.
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Thanks for clearing that up. Interesting idea.
On YouTube I stumbled across a clip of the Japanese Orient Express movie and it definitely looked very tongue-in-cheek. A narrative told from the murderers’ point of view would be fascinating. I wonder if the upcoming Branagh directed version of MOTOE will play with viewpoint.
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Thanks Ho-Ling
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I had forgotten this was in the making. The Japanese Murder On The Orient Adaptation a couple of years back was, despite some flaws, fairly entertaining actually (consisting of two episodes; the “normal” story and a story told from the POV of the murderer(s)), with the typical comical tone of director/playwright Koki Mitani. This ATTWN production seems to be a bit more ‘standard’ in terms of execution, but I’m certainly interested.
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