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Black Coffee (book)
Encyclopedia
Black Coffee is a novelisation by the Australian-born writer and opera
expert Charles Osborne
of the 1930 play of the same name
by crime fiction
author Agatha Christie
.
The novelisation was first published in the United Kingdom by HarperCollins
on 2 November 1998 and in the United States by St. Martin's Press
on 31 December 1998. It features Christie's famous literary creation Hercule Poirot
, a London-based Belgian private detective.
Until the 1998 publication of the novel, the play on which it was based was one of the least known pieces in the Christie canon. The publication proved successful enough to warrant adaptations by Osborne of two other Agatha Christie plays, namely The Unexpected Guest in 1999 and Spider's Web in 2000.
are called upon to visit the home of the famous physicist Sir Claud Amory, who has devised the formula for a new type of explosive; but they learn that he has been murdered, the night of their arrival. Poirot is now confronted with the challenge of figuring out which of the array of other people gathered at the Amory residence is the murderer. He questions every single person that was present at the night of the murder. he then concludes his investigations by the help of a long friend from the Scotland yard.
in 1931, less than a year after its premiere staging in London. It was released on 19 August 1931 by Twickenham Film Studios
and has a running time of just under 80 minutes. Julius S. Hagan produced it and Austin Trevor
played the role of Poirot. Trevor had also appeared as Poirot in the 1931 film Alibi
, which was made by the same studio a few months before Black Coffee. (Alibi was the first screen version of Christie's famous story The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
.)
The Black Coffee play was filmed for a second time, this time in France, by Les Établissements Jacques Haïk. It was released as Le Coffret de laque on 15 July 1932, and internationally as The Lacquered Box.
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
expert Charles Osborne
Charles Osborne (music writer)
Charles Thomas Osborne, born 24 November 1927 in Brisbane, Australia, is a journalist, critic, poet and novelist, and a recognised authority on opera. He was assistant editor of The London Magazine from 1958 until 1966, literature director of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1971 until 1986,...
of the 1930 play of the same name
Black Coffee (play)
Black Coffee is a play by the British crime-fiction author Agatha Christie which was produced initially in 1930. The first piece that Christie wrote for the stage, it launched a successful second career for her as a playwright....
by crime fiction
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
author 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...
.
The novelisation was first published in the United Kingdom by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
on 2 November 1998 and in the United States by St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
on 31 December 1998. It features Christie's famous literary creation 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...
, a London-based Belgian private detective.
Until the 1998 publication of the novel, the play on which it was based was one of the least known pieces in the Christie canon. The publication proved successful enough to warrant adaptations by Osborne of two other Agatha Christie plays, namely The Unexpected Guest in 1999 and Spider's Web in 2000.
Plot
Hercule Poirot and his friend HastingsArthur Hastings
Captain Arthur Hastings, OBE, is a fictional character, the amateur sleuthing partner and best friend of Agatha Christie's Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot...
are called upon to visit the home of the famous physicist Sir Claud Amory, who has devised the formula for a new type of explosive; but they learn that he has been murdered, the night of their arrival. Poirot is now confronted with the challenge of figuring out which of the array of other people gathered at the Amory residence is the murderer. He questions every single person that was present at the night of the murder. he then concludes his investigations by the help of a long friend from the Scotland yard.
Film versions
The play on which Osborne's novelisation is based was filmed in England as Black CoffeeBlack 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...
in 1931, less than a year after its premiere staging in London. It was released on 19 August 1931 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...
and has a running time of just under 80 minutes. Julius S. Hagan produced it and 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...
played the role of Poirot. Trevor had also appeared as Poirot in the 1931 film Alibi
Alibi (1931 film)
Alibi is a British mystery detective film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Austin Trevor, Franklin Dyall, and Elizabeth Allen....
, which was made by the same studio a few months before Black Coffee. (Alibi was the first screen version of Christie's famous story 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...
.)
The Black Coffee play was filmed for a second time, this time in France, by Les Établissements Jacques Haïk. It was released as Le Coffret de laque on 15 July 1932, and internationally as The Lacquered Box.