Jump to content

A Haunting in Venice

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 174.160.169.68 (talk) at 21:25, 19 September 2023 (Made plot summary more smooth by adding context & transitions). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A Haunting in Venice
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKenneth Branagh
Screenplay byMichael Green
Based onHallowe'en Party
by Agatha Christie
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHaris Zambarloukos
Edited byLucy Donaldson
Music byHildur Guðnadóttir
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Studios
Release dates
Running time
103 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million[2]
Box office$38 million[3][4]

A Haunting in Venice is a 2023 American supernatural mystery film produced and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who reprises his role from the previous films, from a screenplay by Michael Green, loosely based on the 1969 novel Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. It serves as a sequel to Death on the Nile (2022) and is the third film in which Branagh portrays the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.[5] The ensemble cast includes Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Michelle Yeoh.

A Haunting in Venice was released in the United States on September 15, 2023 by 20th Century Studios. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $38 million worldwide.

Plot

Having lost faith in God and humanity, Detective Hercule Poirot lives in retirement in post-war Venice, employing ex-police officer Vitale Portfoglio as a bodyguard. On Halloween, novelist Ariadne Oliver convinces Poirot to attend a séance at the palazzo of opera singer Rowena Drake and help expose medium Joyce Reynolds as a fraud.

Rowena has hired Reynolds to help her commune with her daughter Alicia, who committed suicide after her fiancé, chef Maxime Gerard, broke off their engagement. Among those in attendance are Maxime, Rowena's housekeeper Olga Seminoff, Drake family doctor Leslie Ferrier and his son Leopold, and Reynolds' assistant Desdemona Holland.

During the séance, Poirot deduces Reynolds has not one assistant but two, revealing Desdemona's half-brother Nicholas hiding in the chimney of Alicia's bedroom. Reynolds then speaks to Rowena in Alicia's voice, reveals Alicia was murdered, and states the killer is one of the guests. Poirot attempts to confront Reynolds, who gives him her mask and cloak, telling him to lighten up. Taking this advice and while attempting to bob for apples, Poirot is nearly drowned by an unknown assailant. Reynolds is then found impaled on a statue in the courtyard.

With a storm cutting off the palazzo, Poirot begins interviewing the guests, during which he hallucinates seeing Alicia's ghost. The investigation yields perplexing results:

  • Leslie, who is severely traumatized from his experiences at the liberation of Bergen-Belsen, is in love with Rowena.
  • Leopold claims to hear voices from the spirits of children who were left to die back when the palazzo was a plague hospital.
  • Maxime, who was not initially invited to the séance, broke off his engagement because he felt Rowena did not approve of him and that Alicia was obsessed with keeping her happy.
  • Nicholas and Desdemona, both Romani refugees, have been stealing from Reynolds and intend to use the money to travel to St. Louis, Missouri, which they fell in love with after seeing half of the film Meet Me in St. Louis at a displaced persons camp.

When the guests come across an underground chamber containing the skeletal remains of the dead children, Leslie suffers a panic attack and nearly kills Maxime. He is locked inside the music room to recover, Rowena giving Poirot the only key.

After examining Maxime's invitation, Poirot deduces Oliver sent it and that she and Vitale conspired to bring him to the palazzo. Vitale explains he investigated Alicia's death while Oliver admits she hoped to use Poirot's incapability of explaining the séance as a plot for her next book. Leslie is then found stabbed to death.

Gathering the other guests together, Poirot exposes Rowena as the murderer. She was obsessed with keeping Alicia to herself and, after learning she planned to reconcile with Maxime, used honey extracted from the rhododendrons in her rooftop garden to weaken her. When Olga unknowingly gave Alicia tea containing a fatal dose, Rowena staged Alicia's suicide to prevent exposure.

When she began receiving blackmail threats, Rowena suspected either Reynolds or Leslie. She pushed Reynolds to her death after mistakenly attempting to drown Poirot and forced Leslie into stabbing himself via the palazzo's internal phone line, threatening to kill Leopold if he refused.

Rowena flees to the roof in an attempt to escape. Alicia's ghost seemingly appears and pulls Rowena down, causing her to fall to her death.

At dawn, Poirot ends his friendship with Oliver, elects not to unmask Vitale's involvement in the séance, and privately exposes Leopold as the blackmailer. Leopold explains that he understood the poisoning signs his father missed and made the connection after realizing Rowena's first starring role was in an opera whose lead character was known as the "king of poisons." Poirot, his faith somewhat restored, suggests Leopold and Olga clear their consciences by using the money to help the Hollands start a new life in America before returning home to accept a new case.

Cast

  • Kyle Allen as Maxime Gerard, Alicia Drake's ex-fiancé
  • Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, a world-renowned Belgian detective
  • Camille Cottin as Olga Seminoff, Rowena's housekeeper
  • Jamie Dornan as Dr. Leslie Ferrier, a doctor suffering from psychological trauma
  • Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver, Poirot's friend and a crime novelist
  • Jude Hill as Leopold Ferrier, Dr. Ferrier's precocious son
  • Ali Khan as Nicholas Holland, Reynolds' assistant and Desdemona's half-brother
  • Emma Laird as Desdemona Holland, Reynolds' assistant and Nicholas' half-sister
  • Kelly Reilly as Rowena Drake, a retired opera singer and Alicia's mother
  • Riccardo Scamarcio as Vitale Portfoglio, Poirot's bodyguard and a former police officer
  • Michelle Yeoh as Joyce Reynolds, a supposed psychic medium
  • Rowan Robinson as Alicia Drake, Rowena's deceased daughter
  • Amir El-Masry as Alessandro Longo, a young man seeking Poirot's help

Production

Development

20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell revealed in March 2022 that a script for a third Hercule Poirot film had been written by Michael Green, with Kenneth Branagh set to return as director and star. The film will see a lesser-known Poirot story be the basis for the plot.[6][7] The film was confirmed in October 2022, with Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly and Michelle Yeoh among the cast.[8] Branagh described the film as a "supernatural thriller" rather than a full-fledged horror film.[9]

Filming

Filming began on October 31, 2022,[8] with production occurring between Pinewood Studios and Venice.[10]

Music

Hildur Guðnadóttir composed the score for the film in April 2023, marking the first in the series not to be composed by Branagh's frequent collaborator Patrick Doyle.[11] The film's soundtrack album was released by Hollywood Records on September 15, 2023.[12]

Release

A Haunting in Venice was released in the United States on September 15, 2023, by 20th Century Studios.[13] The film had its red carpet premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square at the West End London on September 11.[14]

Reception

Box office

As of September 17, 2023, A Haunting in Venice has grossed $14.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $22.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $38 million.[4][3]

In the United States and Canada, A Haunting in Venice was projected to gross around $12 million from 3,305 theaters in its opening weekend.[2] The film made $5.5 million on its first day, including $1.2 million from Thursday night previews (up from Nile's $1.1 million). It went on to debut to $14.2 million, an improvement from Nile's $12.9 million opening, and finished second behind holdover The Nun II.[15]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 222 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "A darker and spookier spin on Branagh's Poirot, A Haunting in Venice is a decent Halloween snack whose undemanding mystery gets a lift from nifty visuals and an all-star cast."[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[17] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, same as the first two installments, while those polled at PostTrak gave it a 73% overall positive score, with 48% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[15]

Jason Zinoman, writing for the The New York Times, called the film a "whodunit with a splash of horror" and wrote: "In straddling genres, Haunting can get stuck in the middle. But there's fun to be had there. What's consistent is the elegant visuals — striking cinematography by Haris Zambarloukos — which mark this movie's real genre as lavish old-fashioned Hollywood entertainment."[18] Justin Chang of The Los Angeles Times said: "What lingers from this movie isn’t the usual assemblage of clues and red herrings [..] but a free-floating air of grief, much of it rooted in the characters’ turbulent memories of the war just a few years earlier".[19] Similar sentiment was echoed by Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post who described the film as "moody", they both praised the cast's performances.[20][19]

Matt Zoller Seitz acclaimed the screenplay, direction and production values and said: "Movies are rarely directed in this style anymore".[21] He added that it was an "empathetic portrayal of the death-haunted mentality of people from Branagh's parents' generation". Seitz and critic Michael Phillips (The Chicago Tribune) named the film best of Branagh's Agatha Christie adaptations.[22] The latter found the cast's acting "pretty crafty". About the performances Mark Kermode said: " [...] everyone is given a 110 percent but not in a completely scenery chewing fashion, in a way that mixes old-fashioned and newfangled".[23]

Some critics pointed out that the film struggled in its character development. Kristen Lopez, writing for TheWrap, felt that almost all the characters were underdeveloped due to the attention given to the production values, but praised the performances, singling out Reilly, Dornan and Yeoh.[24] The Guardian's chief film critic Peter Bradshaw also thought the film wasted its cast. He awarded it 2/5 stars.[25]

In a negative review, critic Caryn James found the film "uninvolving" and said: "The new film is much pokier in its pacing, with duller characters".[26] She commended Branagh and Cottin's performances, while stating that so many actors in the cast were "sleepwalking". In an equally negative review, David Fear of Rolling Stone called the film "anemic and sluggish" and said audiences would be "bored to death."[27]

References

  1. ^ "A Haunting in Venice (12A)". BBFC. August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 13, 2023). "A Haunting In Venice Hopes To Scare Nun 2 From Top Spot At Box Office – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "A Haunting in Venice — Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "A Haunting in Venice (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 18, 2023.Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ Vlessing, Etan (July 19, 2023). "Kenneth Branagh Battles Supernatural Forces in 'Haunting in Venice' Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Kit, Borys (March 3, 2022). "10-Plus Movies a Year for Hulu, 'Avatar' (For Real!), More 'Free Guy': 20th Century Studios President on Company's Future". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  7. ^ Massoto, Erick (March 3, 2022). "A Third Hercule Poirot Film Has Been Written, Says 20th Century Studios President". Collider. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Kit, Borys (October 10, 2022). "Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Jude Hill Join Kenneth Branagh in Agatha Christie Mystery A Haunting in Venice". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  9. ^ Davids, Brian (April 26, 2023). "Kenneth Branagh Talks 'A Haunting in Venice' and How His Murder Mystery Franchise Overcame; Death on the Nile' Misfortune". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  10. ^ Panaligan, EJ (October 10, 2022). "Kenneth Branagh's Third Hercule Poirot Film A Haunting in Venice Casts Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh and More". Variety. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  11. ^ "Hildur Guđnadóttir to Score Kenneth Branagh's 'A Haunting in Venice'". Film Music Reporter. April 26, 2023. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  12. ^ DeVore, Britta (September 13, 2023). "A Haunting in Venice Unveils a Three-Song Sample of Hildur Guðnadóttir's Score [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  13. ^ Grobar, Matt (October 11, 2022). "Marvel Shifts Release Dates For 'Blade', 'Fantastic Four', 'Avengers: Secret Wars', Next 'Deadpool' Among Disney Moves".
  14. ^ ""A Haunting In Venice" - Special Screening - VIP Arrivals". GettyImages. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  15. ^ a b "'Nun 2' Scares Off Poirot To Become Mother Superior Of Box Office With $14.7M Second Weekend". Deadline. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  16. ^ "A Haunting in Venice". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 17, 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  17. ^ "A Haunting in Venice". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  18. ^ Zinoman, Jason (September 13, 2023). "'A Haunting in Venice' Review: A Whodunit With a Splash of Horror". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Chang, Justin (September 14, 2023). "Review: With 'A Haunting in Venice,' Kenneth Branagh's Agatha Christie series hits its stride". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  20. ^ Hornaday, Ann (September 8, 2023). "Review | 'A Haunting in Venice': Branagh's Poirot returns in moody mystery". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  21. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller. "A Haunting in Venice movie review (2023". Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  22. ^ Phillips, Michael (September 14, 2023). ""A Haunting in Venice" is best of Kenneth Branagh's mysteries so far". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  23. ^ Mark Kermode reviews A Haunting in Venice - Kermode and Mayo's Take, retrieved September 16, 2023
  24. ^ Lopez, Kristen (September 9, 2023). "'A Haunting in Venice' Review: Poirot's Best Adventure Yet". TheWrap. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  25. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (September 9, 2023). "A Haunting in Venice review – Branagh's Agatha Christie whodunnit given horror makeover". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  26. ^ James, Caryn (September 9, 2023). "'A Haunting in Venice' Review: Michelle Yeoh and Tina Fey Join Kenneth Branagh in His Snoozy Agatha Christie Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  27. ^ Fear, David (September 16, 2023). "'A Haunting in Venice' Will Bore You to Death". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=A_Haunting_in_Venice&oldid=1176159487"