jack cardiff be the director of photography and anthony powell and the costume designer and nino rota compose the score and anthony shaffer sign the screenplay and the list go on and on and i haven not even mention the cast yet . agatha christie novel have a structure that be a sort of cardinal rule . murder and a set of suspect and all of them with a motive for the killing and then the unmasking of the killer or killer . anthony shaffer and the author of sleuth milk it for all it worth . snippet of wit try not to obstruct the implausible plot . tough gig . dress in a fantastic nino rota score and jack cardiff do his marvelous thing and anthony powell envelop the star in costume that be not only stun but character revealing in the most entertaining way . peter ustinov poirot be great fun and the cast move through the carefully plotted story with disarm precision . mia farrow be the only one who play it for real . her jealousy be so believable that in a way be guide by her pain and dismiss the obvious . bette davis do a bette davis impersonation for our benefit and i guess and and she get away with it . maggie smith and davis long suffer lady in wait and be always fun to watch and i imagine she have a lot of fun herself push around bette davis . my favorite be angela lansbury salome ottobourne . her alcoholic pulp fiction writer be a complex and compassionate and realistic caricature . david niven and jack warden and jon finch and olivia houssey and lois chile and jane birkin etc complete the who who of this whodunit . i haven not mention the director represent john guillermin and from the tower inferno fame .