One of her guests is murdered, and Daphne practically begs Poirot not to call the police because her sole concern is that scandal will ruin the reputation of her establishment. WHAT LOW BASE SELFISH ATTITUDE IS THAT???!!! As an honest law-abiding citizen she should call the police as soon as possible!!!
shareWhat's the problem with you? Hercule Poirot, most famous detective in the world was on the island too: there wasn't any need in calling the police or alerting the press all around the world. She only wanted to take time and avoid a deep scandal but I don't think you should call her a selfish one.
shareSo you are not bothered by the fact that Daphne reacts to a murder--A MURDER!!!--as if it were a social embarrassment comparable to Britney Spears being photographed without panties?
shareI simply think Daphne Castle doesn't trust in local police or doctors, as she states to Monsieur Poirot. As a matter of fact, she tries to help the investigation and to protect Kenneth Marshall all over the movie, showing interest and anguish for the solution of the case. Why should she have been affected by Arlena and all the mess she brought on the island? Arlena was only a selfish, easy lady who meant troubles, wherever she would have gone; and she became a VIP victim, not a common one. Mr Castle only tries to postpone a useless, harmful gossip confiding in Monsieur Poirot's ability, and to show the terrible news after the murderer had been caught. That's all.
shareIf she doesn't trust local police or doctors, why is she still in Tyrannia? She should do Tyrannians--particularly her hotel staff--the favor of leaving. In a post to DEATH ON THE NILE, I commented on the American and British characters' contempt for the locals; I'm pretty sure that contempt is reciprocated a thousand times over by the locals.
shareAs you're stating, both of the movies show a veil of hypocrisy and contempt the superior classes used to have towards humble workers and common populace, at the beginning of the last Century. You can get this mood all over the films which were inspired to Agatha Christie's novels. I suppose Daphne isn't the exception and you can't stand her. But what if you'll ever watch to the similar "Gosford Park", starring Maggie Smith as the snobbish Lady Trentham? What kind of opinion could you get about her, then?
I read the original story back in 2001. If I remember it correctly, HP is asked to investigate, not because of a selfish desire by DC to insulate herself from any scandal, but rather simply because it is so obviously convenient to have a famous detective around to lend the police a hand. Why did Shaffer change Christie's original text in this manner?
shareI suppose Shaffer did it to make some novel adaptations. There're a lot of dissimilarities between the original text and the movie: in this one there aren't some of the Christie's carachters like the Major Mr Barry, the fashion stylist Mrs Rosamund Darnley and the priest Mr Stephen Lane; the carachter of Emily Brewster became Rex Brewster's one, in the movie.
The book shows two detectives coming from a nearby island and helping Mr Poirot, during the investigation. Shaffer also created the Gardners' carachters which weren't in the novel. So let me presume he was pleased to make Daphne Castle's carachter a little bit more nasty than that which was in the novel.