Ordeal by Innocence (film)

Ordeal by Innocence is a 1984 mystery film directed by Desmond Davis. It stars Donald Sutherland, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Plummer and Sarah Miles. It is based on the 1958 Agatha Christie novel Ordeal by Innocence.

Plot
Paleontologist Dr. Arthur Calgary visits the Argyle family to give them an address book that belongs to Jack Argyle. He is told that Jack was executed for the murder of his adoptive mother two years previously. Dr. Calgary can prove that Jack was innocent and restarts the investigation, with lethal consequences.

Cast

 * Donald Sutherland – Dr. Arthur Calgary
 * Faye Dunaway – Rachel Argyle
 * Christopher Plummer – Leo Argyle
 * Sarah Miles – Mary Durant
 * Ian McShane – Philip Durant
 * Diana Quick – Gwenda Vaughan
 * Annette Crosbie – Kirsten Lindstrom
 * Michael Elphick – Inspector Huish
 * George Innes – Archie Leach
 * Valerie Whittington – Hester Argyle
 * Phoebe Nicholls – Tina Argyle
 * Michael Maloney – Micky Argyle
 * Cassie Stuart – Maureen Clegg
 * Anita Carey – Martha Jessup
 * Billy McColl – Jacko Argyle
 * Ron Pember – Ferryman
 * Kevin Stoney – Solicitor
 * Brian Glover - Executioner

Release
The film was shown at Italy's Mystfest on 22 June 1984.

Sound design and music
The film's musical score by Dave Brubeck was criticized as inappropriate for its style depicting the mystery film genre. Brubeck, an American jazz legend, was not-well-known for his work as a film composer and had taken over from Pino Donaggio, who had already composed many pieces for the project. Donaggio was too busy in order to work on finalizing the film score when various film edits needed re-scoring, and so the project was handed over to Brubeck, who was given two weeks to complete the task. Donaggio's original score had swirling strings, lush melodies, and tension-filled passages, whereas Brubeck's score relied on re-recordings of his previous compositions, criticized for not resembling movie music and was assessed to be mostly at odds with the visuals and mood of the film.

Reviews
A timeout.com review stated "the film succeeds admirably in catching a feeling of repression and social conformity, and the idea of murder as a means of maintaining respectability rather than for gain or passion" and "a genuine '50s black thriller". In February 2021, film critic Eddie Harrison of film-authority.com gave the 1984 film 3 out of 5 stars mentioning that "if you can get past the jazz, and it’s no easy task, Ordeal by Innocence is rather better than its last-turkey-in-the-shop reputation suggests. Sure, this may be a little staid, but I’d rather see this kind of steely interrogation than Branagh’s Poirot leaping around the underside of railway bridges like Super Mario in the most recent Orient Express adaptation".