Alibi (1931 film)
Encyclopedia
- For the 1929 US film, see Alibi (1929 film).
Alibi (1931) is a British mystery
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
detective film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott
Leslie S. Hiscott
Leslie S. Hiscott was a British film director and screenwriter who made over sixty films between 1925 and 1956. He was born in London in 1894. In 1931 he directed Alibi, the first ever depiction of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's famous detective, with Austin Trevor in the lead role...
and starring Austin Trevor
Austin Trevor
Austin Trevor was a Belfast born actor who had a long career in British films and television.He was the first actor to play Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot on screen in three British films during the early 1930s: Alibi , Black Coffee and Lord Edgware Dies...
, Franklin Dyall
Franklin Dyall
Franklin Dyall was an English actor.He appeared in 26 films between 1916 and 1948...
, and Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth Allen
Elizabeth Allen, Eliza Allen, Liz Allen or Beth Allen may refer to:*Eliza Allen Houston , first wife of Tennessee governor Sam Houston*Eliza Allen Starr , American artist known for her Catholic art...
.
The film was adapted from the 1928 play Alibi
Alibi (play)
Alibi is a 1928 play by Michael Morton based on The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a novel by British crime writer Agatha Christie.It opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London's West End on May 15, 1928, starring Charles Laughton as Hercule Poirot. It was deemed a success and ran for 250...
by Michael Morton
Michael Morton
Michael Morton is the son of Zorine and Arnold Arnie Morton, the restaurateur and founder of Morton's Steakhouse Chain. He is the brother of Peter Morton, founder and former owner of Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe and the uncle of Harry Morton, President and CEO of...
which was in turn based on the Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in June 1926 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company on the 19th of the same month. It features Hercule Poirot as the lead detective...
featuring her famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
.
Austin Trevor once claimed he was cast as Poirot because he could speak with a French accent. It was the first of three Poirot adaptations made by Twickenham Film Studios
Twickenham Film Studios
Twickenham Film Studios is a film studio located in St Margarets, London, England used by many motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Dr. Ralph Jupp on the site of a former ice-rink. At the time of its original construction, it was the largest film studio in the...
in the 1930s, followed by Black Coffee
Black Coffee (1931 film)
Black Coffee is a 1931 British detective film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott, and based on the play Black Coffee by Agatha Christie featuring her famous private detective Hercule Poirot...
the same year, and Lord Edgware Dies
Lord Edgware Dies (1934 film)
Lord Edgware Dies is a 1934 British mystery film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Austin Trevor, Jane Carr, and Richard Cooper. The film was based on the Agatha Christie novel Lord Edgware Dies. Trevor reprised his role as Hercule Poirot for a third time, having previously played him in...
in 1934, all starring Trevor as Poirot. He later starred in The Alphabet Murders
The Alphabet Murders
The Alphabet Murders is a 1965 British detective film based on the novel The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie, starring Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot. The part of Poirot had originally been intended for Zero Mostel but the film was delayed because Agatha Christie objected to the script. The...
, a 1965 Christie film, playing a minor role.