The 'Seven Dials Mystery' Is Not The Breezy Murder Mystery Adaptation, Let's Look At Why It Failed

Agatha Christie is not an unknown name in the literary world. As a widely popular author, her works have been adapted several times to be made into cinema. Recently, her The Seven Dials Mystery was adapted to be made into a 3-episode mini series and released on Netflix. The viewers and readers were both of the opinion that not everything requires an adaptation, and if it does, it needs to be better than what was given to them.

Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Chris Sweeney the adaptation uses her puzzle to address the politics, war, and empire more than the cottage-mystery angle that she originally intended. As brilliant a writer as Christie is, this mystery novel of hers was also not well received in 1929. When the makers of the series decided to adapt the novel, it was on their shoulders to give the audience what the original work lacked.

What was the basis of the original story?

The creators of the mini-series on Netflix adapted and converted the book into a fast-paced, mystery thriller series with little to no effort put in. It shifted abruptly between mystery, thriller, comedy and a creation that simply did not hold the audience’s attention. When Agatha wrote the novel, she did not mention the First World War or anything about the social class system at the time of the war. 

Her novel was based on the decade after it ended, but Netflix contrasts this in their series by constantly mentioning the world war. She does, however, touch upon the existing rigid social structure at the time. With instances like Bonham Carter’s 'Lady Caterham’ remarks that ‘Lady Coote’ should not thank servants, ‘Sir Oswald Coote’ declares that he can buy class. Primarily, why she avoided writing the story during the war era was because she herself was working as a voluntary aid detachment of the British Red Cross in Torquay, dispensing medicines.

What is the series about?

Set in 1925, the story follows ‘Lady Eileen Bundle Brent’, a sharp and curious young woman living with her mother, ‘Lady Caterham’, in a grand country house that has been rented out following financial troubles. The early part of the story is a lighthearted drama and some mischief. ‘Bundle’s' circle of friends play a prank involving alarm clocks, setting a playful tone that mirrors Christie’s opening chapters.

However, the mood shifts suddenly when one of the guests is found dead, with seven alarm clocks arranged in his room. This moment marks the real beginning of the mystery and pulls ‘Bundle’ into a dangerous investigation.

Why did it fail as a cinematic experience?

The story written by Agatha was a sharp turn from what she usually writes, and instead of becoming an intriguing murder, it became something that deals with extracting information alone. On the Netflix side of it, the story has no intrigue, no thrill, nothing to keep the audience on the edge of their seat, and is confusing.

Having given a large number of suspects, multiple theories to work with and multiple murder angles to explore, Chibnall and Sweeney kept the cast small, all the while rooting for an international level of mystery and intensity. Visually, the show lacks effectiveness; the pretty clothes, the grand manors, and the divine accents are all good, but it’s the cinematography that lacks its magic. The sunny, yellow colour palette would be more suited for Britbox’s Less Than Zero than The Seven Dials Mystery. 

Watch the miniseries on Netflix now.

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