Original subtitles

SUBTITLI NG MADE POSSI BLE BY RLJ ENTERTAI NM ENT

POIROT: A man may labor and toil to attain

a certain kind of leisure in retirement,

and then find that, after all, he yearns

for the old busy days,

and the old occupations

he had thought himself so glad to Ieave.

I had already begun to miss the daily toil

of my previous employment, when, tout a cout,

I was flung back into the midst

of the most perversely fascinating work

that there is in the world -- the study of human nature.

A journal came into my possession

in which a murderer had taken the trouble

to record for posterity the thoughts

that had accompanied a crime most dastardly.

Rarely have l come across such bitterness, such envy

and contempt of others, such haughtiness misplaced.

"Our village, Kings Abbott, is, I imagine, very much like

any other English Village.

A chilly medieval church stands at the top

of a single street of stone-built cottages.

At the bottom of the street, a bridge crosses a stream

where the snotty-nosed offspring of the poor

perfect the most adVanced skill they will ever possess.

Although to the casual observer

Kings Abbott is a friendly place,

eVerything is not as it seems.

Just scratch the surface,

and you will find more jealousies and rivalries

than Ancient Rome."

Parker.

L!m calli ng next door at M r. Poi rot's...

POIROT: "My little book

is about the murder of Roger Ackroyd,

the eVents leading up to it,

the subsequent numbskull investigation,

and the final reVelation to you alone, dear reader,

of the guilty party."

Hello?

[Clocks stri ke hour]

POI ROT Now I give up on you.

You shall torment me no Ionger.

I wi ll ki ll you!

Sacré!

My dear doctor!

I beg of you 1 ,000 pardons!

But these vegetable marrows, they have driven me

to the edges of barbarity!

Please to forgive me.

I am ashamed. I prostrate myself.

What's the trouble, Poi rot?

Oh, you know, Doctor,

it is my desi re to grow a vegetable marrow,

the proportions gigantesque.

And you have seen how I nurse her.

Each day I give to her water,

each day l weed around her with my very best tweezers.

And when those little flowers of hers, they show themselves,

I remove them, all but one,

so that her strength, it may be conserved.

Does she appreciate this cosseti ng?

No.

She grows to the size that is merely conventional,

then rests upon her Iaurels.

You mustn't upset yourself, Poi rot.

No. No, you are correct.

But you can figure it for yourself, James.

When one reti res, one hurls oneself i nto new pursuits.

Oh.

Pardon, Monsieur Parker.

What can I do for you?

L've come to take you to the factory, si r.

But it is j ust struck 1 0:00.

My appoi ntment was not unti I 11 00.

Yes, but M r. Ackroyd hoped you wouldn't mi nd it bei ng earlier.

He!s got a bit of a busy day.

POIROT: "Our only captain of industry is the Vulgarian

Mr. Roger Ackroyd.

The factory from which Ackroyd's

ill-gotten wealth emanates

encapsulates the life we lead here -- ferment and turmoil."

Have you got a penny, Poi rot?

Oui.

Thank you.

Show Monsieur Poi rot what your acid can do, Ted.

POIROT: "lt is here

that he lines his pockets by combining unlikely chemicals

to make unnecessary products,

while befouling the Very air we breathe.

He Iikes to think of himself

as a scientist."

I!m afraid the noise

was a bit too much for you, Poi rot.

Not at all.

I envy you, mon ami.

Who would have thoug ht those experi ments

at the back of your little shop would Ied to this, huh?

Your country house but a mi le or two away, and yet here,

we have the challenges and tri umphs of great i ndustry.

L!m eternally grateful to you for that fi rst Ioan, Poi rot.

And you can't say you're not without your own tri umphs.

And now you've got your reward --

the peace and quiet of the country, your garden.

Hmm.

You don't regret reti ri ng down here, then?

POl ROT Oh, no, no. Not at all.

For 30 years, I was exposed to the dark side of Iife, huh?

It takes its toll, you know?

I!m sure it does.

PO I ROT: And now, as you say,

I have my reward.

[Knock on door]

Excuse me, Mr. Ackroyd.

ACKROYD What is it, Raymond?

-M r. Paton is here, si r. -M r. Paton?

Your stepson, si r.

I know who Mr. Paton is, thank you, Mr. Raymond.

Let hi m i n!

Why is it l can't stand that fellow?

Eh bien.

Now, I must return to Ki ngs Abbott.

Thank you very much, my friend, for showi ng to me

your factory magnifique.

I can't understand why you haven't been here before.

You've been here nearly a year now.

But all i n all, this has been a good week for me.

Oh?

Read your newspaper on Saturday morni ng, Poi rot,

under "Forthcomi ng Marriages. "

You mean your stepson and Mademoiselle FIora?

Please to accept my congratulations.

[Knock on door]

ACKROYD: Ah, Ralph, my dear boy.

You remember Monsieur Poi rot?

Yes, of course. How are you, Mr. Poi rot?

I am well, thank you.

I reg ret l am on the poi nt of departure.

L'll get Parker to run you home.

See to it, Raymond, wi II you?

Merci. A u revoir.

Goodbye.

What are you doi ng here?

POIRO T: "With his ill-gotten gains,

Ackroyd has built himself a truly ostentatious house,

spending a fortune on architects'

and surveyors' fees, no doubt.

He lives there with the former wife

of his deceased brother, Mrs. Vera Ackroyd,

and her daughter, Flora --

vultures, eagerly awaiting his demise."

Shall I pour, Mrs. Ackroyd?

Yes.

Oh, tea. Wonderful.

Hello, Ursula.

Shall l pour for you, too, M iss Flora?

Yes, thank you.

-Isn't this exciti ng? -Tea?

No, you goose.

The forthcomi ng announcement.

And not before its ti me, either.

URSULA: Oh!

I'm sorry. I'll -- um, I'II get a cloth.

I really don't know where our Roger fi nds these g i rls.

Have you spoken to Ralph?

No, Mummy. He's i n London.

You'd thi nk he might telephone

on the occasion of his engagement.

I , uh, came down last nig ht.

I'm stayi ng at the White Hart.

Look, uh, Father --

What's wrong with Fernly Park all of a sudden?

Well, there's nothi ng wrong with Fernly Park.

Look, I heard you were goi ng to announce the engagement.

Flora's all for it.

Well, yes. Perhaps she is.

ACKROYD: You!ve been putti ng it off and putti ng it off

for three months now, nearly.

Well, I've been tryi ng to fi nd a job, Father.

I always told your late mother that I would Iook after you

as if you were my own son, Ralph.

I know, but -- [Knock on door]

No buts. We...

Didn't I say I did not want to be disturbed?!

M rs. Ferrars is on the telephone, si r.

Oh.

Hello?

MRS. FERRARS: Roger? lt's Dotty.

[Cryi ng] I've got to see you.

There's somethi ng I've got to tell you.

ACKROYD: Ralph!

L!ll try to come round Iate this afternoon.

All right, all rig ht!

L!ll defi nitely come round late this afternoon.

I!ll be there.

POIROT: "The highly strung

and unpredictable Dorothy Ferrars

is something of an enigma to the villagers.

She liVes alone, in considerable comfort,

thanks to the wealth she inherited

from her late husband --

a sot who died in suspicious circumstances last year."

[Gaspi ng]

[Telephone ri ngi ng]

Dr. Sheppard.

Oh!

I n 1 0 mi nutes.

Who was that?

I nspector Davis.

Now, tell me, Mary, my g i rl,

why did you come to wake her so early?

Friday was her morni ng to go ridi ng.

She li ked to be out the house before 600.

[Cryi ng]

All right, Mary. Thank you.

Go and get yourself a cup of tea, eh?

SHEPPARD: Veronal.

You thi nk it's suicide?

Ask me after the i nquest.

It!s almost a year si nce her husband died, isn't it?

Almost exactly.

Did you fi nd a note?

Not yet.

Sheppard. I want to talk to you.

You!ve heard about M rs. Ferrars.

SHEPPARD Yes. I only saw her yesterday afternoon.

Come to Fernly Park tonig ht. 730.

I've been thi nki ng about Dotty Ferrars.

Oh, yes?

She must have taken the Veronal on purpose.

Remorse.

Remorse?

CAROLI NE You never would Iisten to me

last year when I told you

how she'd poisoned that awful husband of hers.

This proves it.

[Doorbell ri ngs]

Oh.

Oh, hello. Please to come i n.

POI ROT: Thank you.

We have a visitor, James.

Oh, pardon, doctor. You are at your Iuncheon.

Oh, no, no, no. We!ve j ust fi nished.

Hercule's come round with a Iittle job for you.

Oui. Ma pendule de voyage.

Pendule?

Ah!

A carriage clock.

POl ROT How say you, James?

Perhaps I have overwound her?

No. It looks as if she j ust needs a good clean.

Ah.

I!ll do what I can with it.

It is good, l thi nk, to have the hobby, no?

[Laughs] You!ve got your garden, Poi rot.

Yes.

-Good morni ng. -Morni ng.

PATON J ust a little more ti me. You've got to be patient.

WOMAN: Oh, for heaven's sake!

My dear g i rl, it!s q uite on the cards

the old fellow wi ll cut me off with a shi IIi ng.

WOMAN Of course, he won't!

PATON He's been pretty fed up with me the Iast few years.

A little more would do it. And we need the di bs.

I'll be a very rich man when the old fellow pops off.

So, we don't want hi m to alter his wi II.

WOMAN Then why stay here, not at Fernly Park?

PATON Look, Ieave this to me.

Don't worry.

WOMAN: Worry! It's all very well for you.

You'll feel more comfortable i n a day or two, I'm sure.

Thank you, Doctor.

James, I -- Oh.

Oh, I am sorry.

Goodbye.

He wasn't on your panel.

No, my dear sister. Cash.

I saw somethi ng q uite peculiar j ust now.

SHEPPARD: Really?

Fi rst of all, Ralph Paton is here,

and stayi ng at the White Hart.

-Stayi ng there? -Stayi ng there.

And he was talki ng to a g i rl.

I couldn't quite see who she was.

Presumably it was Flora.

But that doesn!t make any sense.

M i nd you, it makes even less sense if it wasn't.

ACKROYD There is evi l i n this vi IIage, Poi rot.

Downright evi l!

POI ROT Well, tell me what has happened, mon ami.

You didn't know Ashley Ferrars, did you?

No.

I believe that he died before I arrived here.

Yes, I thought so.

After he died, there were all sorts of rumors flyi ng about.

Well, this someti mes happens i n a small town.

Anyway, the coroner said gastritis,

exacerbated by acute alcoholism,

then peritonitis, and that was that.

Unti l yesterday.

Yesterday I found out he was poisoned.

Poisoned?

Look, I might as well tell you this, Poi rot.

I've been well, i n love

with Dorothy Ferrars for years.

She telephoned me yesterday.

Very upset.

Wanted to see me.

She broke down completely.

She told me everythi ng.

Her hatred of that brute of a husband,

her growi ng feeli ngs for me,

and the dreadful means she'd taken to --

Poison!

M urder!

Cold-blooded murder!

I see.

ACKROYD The terri ble thi ng is,

she must have seen the shock i n my face.

I mean, I couldn't disguise it.

I d rove her to suicide.

But it was reported that her death was accidental.

You must not blame yourself, mon ami.

I know, but she also told me somethi ng else.

It seemed that there was one person

who!d known about the murder all along,

and was blackmai li ng her for huge sums.

And do you know who was this person?

She would n!t tell me his name.

As a matter of fact, she d id n!t even say it was a man, but...

Well, they're not goi ng to get away with it!

You i ntend to hunt down this blackmai ler?

If only Dotty had left a note.

She mig ht have g iven a name.

Roger...

you must be careful.

SHEPPARD Thank you, Ursula.

Ah, Sheppard. Good eveni ng.

Good eveni ng. Eveni ng, Poi rot.

Good eveni ng, James.

L'm j ust seei ng Monsieur Poi rot out.

Go on i nto the sitti ng room, wi II you?

Thank you.

Thank you, Monsieur Parker.

[Jazz music plays]

SHEPPARD: Ah.

Hello, Dr. Sheppard.

I d idn't know you were comi ng this eveni ng.

You know, you've got to congratulate me.

-I ndeed? -Look.

I'm goi ng to marry Ralph.

I know you'll both be very happy, FIora.

Oh, we've been engaged for three months now,

but it!s goi ng to be announced officially tomorrow.

[Door opens] Ah.

Why, Dr. Sheppard!

Good eveni ng, Mrs. Ackroyd.

M RS. ACKROYD: [Sig hs]

I s it true about poor M rs. Ferrars?

She died last nig ht. Yes.

M RS. ACKROYD: Did she --

Was it suicide?

We don't know yet.

Poor woman.

Oh, well.

Life must go on, I suppose.

[M usic turns offj

l wish you'd tell me about these antique thi ngs,

Dr. Sheppard.

L!m sure you know what they all are.

Just because I'm an antique myself...

Ah, Sheppard. There you are.

Look, youtre stayi ng to di nner, aren't you?

We can talk Iater.

[Ri ngs]

Fernly Park.

POIROT: ls Monsieur Roger Ackroyd available?

No. He's at di nner at the moment, Mr. Poi rot.

-At di nner? -Yes.

Could I leave a message for hi m to call me back?

I'm at my cottage.

I'll ask hi m to call you.

And, Monsieur Parker,

wi ll you be sure to give hi m the message now?

Certai nly, si r.

So, l said, just because you're breaki ng eggs,

it doesn't mean that you!re maki ng an omelette.

[Laughter]

My late husband detested omelettes.

M r. Poi rot telephoned, si r.

I told hi m you were at d i nner.

Thank you, Parker.

I'll phone hi m later.

I n fact, my late husband disli ked anythi ng

even remotely to do with chickens.

[Doorbell buzzes]

Last post. Feels Ii ke it, too.

Thanks, Barney.

The eveni ng post, si r.

Put the other letters on the table, Parker, thank you.

Yes, si r.

"My dear,

my very dear Roger. . . "

POIRO T: "There is one thing a murderer

may rely on for protection --

that the account of every witness

will be radically different

from the account of every other,

eVen though all were present on the same occasion."

I trust you enjoyed your di nner, Dr. Sheppard.

I ndeed, l d id. Thank you, Parker.

Oh, I'll j ust go and say good night to the Iad ies.

Yes, si r.

Good night, Iadies.

Oh. Do you have to go, Doctor?

Oh, unfortunately, I do.

Good night.

And once agai n, congratulations, FIora.

Oh, thank you, Dr. Sheppard. Good night.

ACKROYD However, I regret to say that the calls on my purse

have been so frequent of late that it is i mpossi ble for me

to accede to your request.

As you wi ll appreciate...

Parker.

M r. Ackroyd says he doesn!t want to be d isturbed tonig ht.

Oh.

Very well, Miss Flora.

Well, it doesn't sound li ke a very i nteresti ng eveni ng,

I must say.

Did n't you hear anythi ng about Ralph, even?

Well, yes.

I heard he got officially engaged to FIora at Iast.

Then what was that I heard hi m sayi ng to her

this afternoon at the White Hart?

Who can say, my dear?

[Telephone ri ngs]

Oh, no, why do people always choose bedti me to get i ll?

Dr. Sheppard.

What?!

What?

Yes, I'll come at once.

CAROLI NE: What is it?

What is it, James?

It's Parker. From Fernly.

They've j ust found Roger Ackroyd murdered.

-Yes, si r? -Where is he?

Beg your pardon, si r?

Have you called the police?

The police, si r?

What's the matter with you, Parker?

If your master has been found murdered...

M urdered, si r?

Did n't you telephone me

five mi nutes ago and tell me

M r. Ackroyd had been found murdered?

No, i ndeed, si r. I wouldn't dream --

Do you mean to say it's all a hoax?

Oh, thank God!

Though I should li ke to strang le whoever the joker is.

I can j ust check if you'd Ii ke, si r.

See if everythi ng's all rig ht.

No, no, there's no poi nt i n that.

Let me j ust go and see, si r.

SHEPPARD Where's everybody else?

The ladies have gone to bed, si r.

I believe Mr. Raymond is sti II up.

It seems to be Iocked.

Perhaps he's gone up to bed.

L!ve never known hi m to lock this door before.

The key's i n the Iock on the other side.

Ackroyd?!

Ackroyd!

He may have fallen asleep.

Sorry, Parker.

-Dr. Sheppard, si r! -Out of the way!

No.

The fewer people disturb this room, the better.

Ri ng the police station, Parker.

[Ri ngi ng doorbell]

Yes. Right away.

M r. Ackroyd's been murdered.

What did you say?

It's M r. Ackroyd, si r.

He's dead.

I n the study.

[Doorbell buzzes]

RAYMOND: Oh, my God!

[Doorbell buzzi ng]

What are you doi ng here?

Oh, l'm sorry, Mr. Poi rot. You'd better come i n.

Thank you.

I was j ust telephoni ng the police.

What has happened, Monsieur Parker?

M r. Ackroyd's been ki IIed, si r.

M urdered.

Who would do such a terri ble thi ng?

Oh, Poi rot. Thank God!

Nobody's been i n here.

What do you thi nk, Poi rot?

I have fai led, my friend.

POIROT: "Our local police

are a constant source of harmless amusement.

A year ago, they could not

eVen see that the death of Ashley Ferrars was murder.

This time, they will probably claim

that Ackroyd committed suicide."

Ackroyd was i n such a strange mood all day.

Mrs. Ferrars' dyi ng hit hi m bad ly.

Eveni ng, gentlemen.

Has this been moved at all?

I ascertai ned that life was exti nct,

nothi ng more.

Who found the body?

The butler Parker and myself.

L!d been here to di nner, but I was back at home

when I got a telephone call from Parker

telli ng me Mr. Ackroyd had been murdered.

So Parker had already found the body?

No, si r, l didn't make any phone call, si r.

Wait a mi nute. Wait a mi nute.

Dr. Sheppard says --

PARKER l didn't phone, si r. I swear I didn't!

Did it sound li ke Parker's voice on the telephone?

SHEPPARD I can't say I noticed.

I took it for granted, you see.

How odd.

Anyway, you came i n here --

Broke the door down. It was Iocked from the i nside.

Has anyone checked the wi ndow?

Well, this is the way the murderer

came i n, all rig ht, and went out.

Look. A footpri nt.

CONSTABLE Made by a boot with a rubber sole, si r.

DAVIS When was Mr. Ackroyd Iast seen alive?

I left at 9:00.

He was certai nly alive then.

He was alive at 9:30.

I heard hi m talki ng i n the study.

Who was he talki ng to?

RAYMOND: I don't know.

At the ti me, I assumed it was Dr. Sheppard.

But, in fact, you'd already Ieft.

Did you overhear any of the conversation?

J ust a frag ment.

M r. Ackroyd said somethi ng li ke,

'!The calls on my purse have been so frequent of late

that it is i mpossi ble for me to accede to your request. "

I d idn't hear any more.

But a demand for money.

It may be i mportant.

If you'll excuse me, I nspector Davis.

M iss Flora saw hi m after half past 900.

I saw her leave the study

at 1 0 past 1 000.

Send someone to get her, wi II you?

Yes, si r.

DAVIS I don't know you, si r. What's your name?

SHEPPARD This is Hercule Poi rot, I nspector.

The famous detective?

Oh, yes?

What are you doi ng here?

Monsieur Ackroyd was a friend of mi ne, I nspector.

I was with hi m earlier this eveni ng.

When was the last ti me you saw M r. Ackroyd alive?

We said goodbye at 7:36.

I then went home.

What are you doi ng here now?

Monsieur Ackroyd was i n a mood of great upset.

I was worried about hi m, and I made my return.

DAVIS Thank you, si r.

RAYMOND I have to say this.

M r. Ralph Paton is down here from London.

He came to the factory to see Mr. Ackroyd.

They had words.

[Clears throat] What about?

I don't really know.

Somethi ng to do with M r. Ackroyd's wi II, I thi nk.

[Knock on door]

Oh, this is awful.

It can't be true.

DAVIS M iss Ackroyd, I'm afraid

l!m goi ng to have ask you a few questions.

Parker says he saw you comi ng

out of your uncle's study at 1 0 past 1 000.

Is that right?

Do you thi nk I am a murderer?!

PO l ROT Mademoiselle if you please, j ust sit.

PIease.

[Sighs]

DAVIS Wetre j ust tryi ng to place everyone i n the house,

fi nd out what they've seen or heard.

All right.

Yes, I -- l did go i n to say good night to Uncle Roger.

At 1 0 past 1 000.

I don't know.

Yes.

About then.

DAVIS: Was he alone?

Alone. Yes.

Did you notice if the wi ndow was open or shut?

I don't know!

I didn't Iook.

Well, the curtai ns were drawn, anyway.

Oh, God!

Can I drive you home, Poi rot?

No, merci.

I prefer to walk.

POIROT: "From now on, the deception began in earnest.

You could scarcely moVe for people protesting

how innocent they were or pointing the finger of guilt

at someone else.

There was so much smoke,

you could hardly see across the High Street.

Such larks! "

[Bicycle bell ri ngs]

Oh! Hello, FIora.

I came to see M r. Poi rot.

Is he i n?

Well, he's terri bly upset, actually.

My brother's with hi m now.

We both came round.

Who would do a thi ng li ke that to such a man, James?

Well, it's difficult to say.

The question was a rhetorical one, mon ami.

It's FIora.

M r. Poi rot, I'm sorry to burst in on you.

Mademoiselle.

But the police thi nk that Ralph murdered my uncle.

He didn't do it, Mr. Poi rot.

He really d id n't.

I cannot help you, mademoiselle.

But you're a detective.

SHEPPARD: Your uncle

was Monsieur Poi rot!s friend, FIora.

I n any case, mademoiselle, I am now reti red.

I work no longer.

I'll -- I'll pay you.

I'll fi nd the money somehow.

It's not a question of money.

Come on, old g i rl.

What am I goi ng to do?

What am I goi ng to do?

Where's Ralph now?

FLORA: I don't know.

Not exactly.

Uncle Roger told me yesterday

he was stayi ng at the White Hart.

But he's not there now.

They told me he left i n the middle of the nig ht.

But he's left all his thi ngs behi nd.

I see.

No, you don't see!

Ralph may have done some foolish thi ngs i n the past,

but he would n't murder anyone.

Mademoiselle, l cannot help you as you wish.

But I --

But l wi ll go to I nspector Davis and speak on your behalf.

That may do some good.

Between ourselves, Chief I nspector,

my money's on Ralph Paton, the stepson, he's --

[Knock on door]

That, uh, foreign gentleman to see you, I nspector.

I don!t want to be d isturbed!

I wi ll take only five mi nutes of your ti me, I nspector.

I know that voice!

Chief I nspector Japp!

I knew the name Ki ngs what-do-you-call-it

sounded fami Iiar.

Oh, my dear friend!

JAPP: Poi rot.

[Laug hs]

There was l , thi nki ng you!d reti red, and I come down here,

I fi nd you mixed up i n murders and all sorts.

No, no, no, Chief I nspector.

I am not, as you say, all mixed up.

No, Monsieur Roger Ackroyd was my very old friend,

and that is all.

Yeah, but you're goi ng to help us out, thoug h, aren't you?

Help me talk to all these cabbage-bashers.

No.

No. Chief l nspector, l have been idle for too Iong.

Come on, Poi rot. It'll be Ii ke old ti mes.

[Laug hs]

Very well.

But, uh, only on the outski rts.

I nspector Davis,

Mademoiselle Ackroyd tells me you suspect

most strongly Ralph Paton.

It was either hi m or the butler.

JAPP What have we got agai nst Paton?

Fi rst, he left the White Hart Iast night,

and hasn't been seen si nce.

Secondly, itts said he's i n serious fi nancial difficulties

and wi ll probably profit from the wi II.

And thi rdly, said he had a row with the victi m.

Sounds pretty fruity.

Perhaps a little too fruity, mon ami.

We'II see about that.

I've got here a pai r of shoes

which we got from the White Hart.

I'll compare them to the foot marks

on the wi ndow si ll.

JAPP Has anyone seen

any suspicious strangers hangi ng around here?

Any strangers calli ng on M r. Ackroyd

at all over the Iast week or so?

Yes, there was.

That young man, called hi mself a salesman.

On Wednesday.

He was i n with Mr. Ackroyd a good hour.

No, no, no.

That was a perfectly i nnocent salesman.

He came to the factory tryi ng to sell Dictaphones,

and M r. Ackroyd had hi m come here to demonstrate.

M r. Tuffnell, his name was.

JAPP Yes, all rig ht.

Now, let's get back to the events of Iast nig ht.

PARKER There was somethi ng, though, Iast night,

Chief I nspector.

Yeah?

I was on the terrace outside the sitti ng room

smoki ng at about 930.

And I saw...

well, I thought I saw a woman

d isappeari ng i nto the bushes near the summer house.

J ust a gleam of white, you know?

No idea who it was?

I!m not even sure.

It could have been j ust a trick of the moonlight, you know?

Yes, all rig ht. Thank you.

Now,

when you, Dr. Sheppard, and you, Parker, break the door down,

you are confronted by the sight

of M r. Ackroyd dead i n this chai r.

Quite.

POl ROT If I may, Chief I nspector?

Of course.

Thank you.

Is this room exactly as it was then?

The curtai ns were d rawn, si r.

And the electric light was on.

Bon. Anythi ng else?

Yes. That chai r was d rawn out a Iittle more.

Bon.

Show me.

Voilå ce qui est curieux.

How say you, Chief I nspector?

No one would sit i n a chai r i n such a position, I fancy.

Well, it's an odd place for it to be, all right.

But I can't see that it's very i mportant.

Right. It is completely uni mportant.

That is why it is so i nteresti ng.

These shoes match the marks on the wi ndow si II precisely.

PO l ROT Of course they do, I nspector.

Of course they do.

POIRO T: "For the moment,

Ralph Paton is the chief suspect.

If muddy shoes could conVict,

they'd have him swinging from the gallows by the morning.

There is only one problem.

The spineless Lothario is nowhere to be found."

PARKER: I helped M r. Ackroyd

bui ld this house, you know, design it and everythi ng.

These modern houses, you see, generally, they don't have

the faci lities for staff li ke proper houses.

M r. Ackroyd, he wanted it j ust so.

He was a good employer, no?

He could be short with you, could Mr. Ackroyd,

but he was always fai r.

We shan't see his li ke agai n.

No, i ndeed.

Tell me,

Monsieur Parker, what is your opi nion

of the secretary, Monsieur Raymond?

He!s a bit of a stick, to tell you the truth, M r. Poi rot,

but he's all rig ht.

It's j ust that he told to I nspector Davis Iast nig ht

that he overheard Monsieur Ackroyd

talki ng i n his study at half past 900.

I am not d isposed to believe hi m.

I don't know about that, si r.

I don't thi nk M r. Raymond is the type to tell an untruth.

Ah.

PARKER: But there is somethi ng.

I mean. . . I haven!t mentioned it before,

but it's been naggi ng away at the back of my mi nd, li ke.

RAYMOND: It was usually kept

i n the display case i n the sitti ng room.

L!m sure it was there before di nner Iast nig ht.

Excuse me, Chief I nspector.

Monsieur Parker would li ke to show to us somethi ng.

Monsieur Parker?

It!s these.

They came i n the eveni ng post Iast night.

So what?

Well, there were five

when I brought them i n.

And now there are four.

I noticed particularly because

these are all busi ness sort of Ietters.

And there was one more personal one,

handwritten.

Dark blue envelope.

Quite disti nctive.

Perhaps Mr. Ackroyd put it i n his pocket.

Was any such letter discovered on the body, I nspector?

No.

So, this wi ll be the French wi ndows i nto the sitti ng room.

Yes, Chief I nspector.

I nside of which was the case

that contai ned the murderous weapon,

conveniently withi n reach.

Hmm.

And along here, no other...

no other wi ndow overlooks the terrace

!ti l we come to the study of Monsieur Ackroyd.

[Knock on wi ndo

Chief I nspector?

L!ve j ust had a call from the GPO.

They've traced that telephone call that Dr. Sheppard got.

It was logged at 1 0: 1 5 Iast night

from a public telephone box

at Ki ngs Abbott rai lway station.

And at 1 023 the night mai l leaves for Liverpool.

Why should the murderer telephone at all?

There seems no rhyme nor reason to it.

Oh, there was a reason, Chief I nspector.

Of that you can be sure.

And when we know it, we wi ll know everythi ng.

Everyone tells me it's been fi ne and dry here for a fortnight.

So, how d id those muddy footpri nts

get on the wi ndow si ll?

PO l ROT: That is easy, Chief I nspector.

See you there?

The gardener has Ieft dri ppi ng the tap.

JAPP: Oh, yeah.

Ah, there's the same footpri nt agai n.

You see also there

the footpri nt of the Iady?

Well, there's plenty of women i n the house.

Come, Chief I nspector.

Let us i nvestigate together the summer house.

My Emi ly wanted one of these.

But it didn't seem quite rig ht i n Isleworth.

What have you got, Poi rot?

It's a bit of cloth from a handkerchief or somethi ng.

Perhaps.

Remember this, Chief I nspector.

The good laund ry,

it does not starch the handkerchief.

PO l ROT The organization, it is i n disorder today?

Because of Mr. Ackroyd!s absence? Hardly.

Why? His guidi ng hand, it is not missed?

M r. Ackroyd's guidi ng hand

was more li kely to hold thi ngs up than...

l!m sorry, I should n!t have said that.

But the truth is, I hand led

all the day-to-day runni ng of the busi ness.

Not that I got any thanks for it.

HAM MOND: Sundry creditors,

403 pounds, 7 shi lli ngs and 4 pence.

[Knock on door]

RAYMOND M r. Hammond is Mr. Ackroyd's

personal lawyer, as well as acti ng for the company.

L!m Detective Chief l nspector Japp of Scotland Yard.

And this is Hercule Poi rot.

Private detective.

We need to know what!s i n Mr. Ackroyd's wi II.

HAM MOND: I see.

But, uh, l shall be comi ng down to the house

later on anyway, for the readi ng.

So much to do.

Oh, so much to do!

Yes. What's i n the wi ll?

Well, the wi II consists of a series

of legacies and bequests --

JAPP: Such as?

Well, there's...

£500 to his secretary, M r. Geoffrey Raymond.

Then, M rs. Vera Ackroyd

receives the i ncome from £1 0,000 worth of shares,

d uri ng her lifeti me,

whi le her daughter, FIora Ackroyd,

i nherits £20,000 outrig ht.

And the majority of the estate?

The, uh, residue, i ncludi ng Fernly Park,

and the shares i n Ackroyd Chemicals,

to his adopted son, Mr. Ralph Paton.

Tell me.

The estate of Monsieur Roger Ackroyd,

it was very Iarge?

HAM MOND: Oh, yes, i ndeed.

Mr. Paton wi ll be a very wealthy young man.

Merci.

Tell me, Chief I nspector,

the stationmaster at Ki ngs Abbott,

was he of any help?

JAPP Not a Iot, I'm afraid.

Nobody remembers anybody usi ng the phone box.

But about that ti me, you!ve got the London trai n

comi ng i n on one platform

and the Liverpool trai n on the other, so...

Was anyone seen to board these trai ns?

Well, a porter remembers a young man

getti ng on the trai n to Liverpool, he thi nks.

M i nd you...

Voilå.

JAPP She Iooks pretty browned off.

Let us go and cheer her up, Chief I nspector.

Bonjour, Mademoiselle Ackroyd.

Oh, you startled me.

There's somethi ng I've been meani ng to ask you,

M iss Ackroyd.

Did you go anywhere near the summer house

on the night of the murder?

Summer house? No.

Only someone, a Iady,

was seen i n its vici nity.

Well, it wasn't me.

This would have been about half past 900.

Thank you, mademoiselle.

You have been most helpful.

L!ve got to get back to the house, anyway.

I was j ust getti ng started with her.

Very li kely.

Is she out of sig ht, Chief I nspector?

Yeah. What are you doi ng, Poi rot?

Poi rot?

Always one must keep the eyes on the alert, mon ami.

[Grunts]

One little gli nt i n the sunlight...

Voilå!

It's a weddi ng ri ng.

Yes, i ndeed. Oh!

A woman's, probably, by the size of it.

Very li kely. Do you thi nk this wi II stai n?

Funny place to fi nd a wedd i ng ri ng.

Oh. Hang on.

There's an i nscri ption.

"From R.

March 1 3th. "

Do we know who R mig ht be?

No.

Ah, M r. Raymond.

Not now, Chief I nspector.

What's goi ng on, Parker?

I don't rightly know, si r.

Somethi ng's gone missi ng.

[M rs. Ackroyd yelli ng]

I have never thought the staff

at Fernly Park were quite trustworthy.

What happens, madame?

SHEPPARD Some money is missi ng.

Stolen.

SHEPPARD We don't know that.

£40, Monsieur Poi rot.

From poor Roger's bed room.

SHEPPARD M r. Hammond is down from London to read the wi ll.

He asked Raymond if there was cash i n the house.

It has to be i ncluded i n the estate, of course.

When Raymond went to get it from M r. Ackroyd's bedroom,

it was gone.

I have never thought the staff here were trustworthy.

Oh, come, Mrs. Ackroyd.

Right. Who!s the current suspect?

M RS. ACKROYD The parlor maid, Ursula.

She was given her notice yesterday.

Doubtless she thoug ht she'd Ieave

with a Iittle unearned bonus.

You are Ursula Bourne?

Yes, si r.

I understand you're Ieavi ng.

URSULA: Yes.

DAVIS Why is that?

I d isarranged some papers on Mr. Ackroyd's desk.

He was very angry about it and said I had better Ieave.

DAVIS Let me tell you, my g i rl, a considerable amount of money,

£40, is missi ng from this drawer.

Well, if you thi nk I took it and that is why Mr. Ackroyd

dismissed me, well, then, you're wrong.

Well, it seems --

POI ROT If you please, I nspector?

Mademoiselle Ursula, it was yesterday afternoon

that Monsieur Roger Ackroyd dismissed you,

was it not?

How long did it Iast, this i nterview?

I nterview?

I nterview between you and Monsieur Ackroyd i n the study.

1 0 mi nutes? 20 mi nutes? Half an hour?

Somethi ng li ke that.

Half an hour?

Well, not longer, certai nly.

POIROT: Merci, mademoiselle.

PARKER Not one fli ppi ng penny!

Six years, I worked for that bastard!

Not one fli ppi ng penny.

Well, that's what they're Ii ke, isn!t it?

Well, who do you thi nk!s got the Iast Iaugh?

Who knows all the little fami Iy secrets, eh?

MAN Last orders, gentlemen, now, please!

PARKER: Come on!

Plenty of room!

Come on!

Come on, you bastard!

Plenty of room!

POIROT:"First, Roger Ackroyd, brutally stabbed in his study.

Now his manservant Parker,

deliberately run down by a motorcar.

Has the killer no mercy?

No conception of the difficulty

of finding good servants?

Our dud detectiVes continue to run around in circles."

Why would anyone want to ki II the butler?

Perhaps he was goi ng to reveal to us somethi ng.

But tell me, Chief I nspector, what did you thi nk

of the story told to us by the parlor maid?

-What story? -The story of her dismissal.

To d ismiss a servant, does it take half an hour?

Well, that was i n the afternoon, wasn't it?

It can't have anythi ng to do with the murder.

I am not sure.

Perhaps, i n ti me, the scrap of cambric that I found

wi II tell us.

You're doi ng what you always do, Poi rot.

What is that, Chief I nspector?

-Confusi ng me. -Ah.

J ust when l thi nk I'm getti ng a gri p on a case.

Then I ...

POl ROT Tell to me, Chief I nspector...

what is your gri p?

Well, you've got to be log ical, you see, Poi rot.

Oui, bien sur.

JAPP: All right.

Now, what have we got?

The last person to see Roger Ackroyd alive

was Dr. Sheppard, who Ieft hi m at 900.

No. You forget Mademoiselle Flora Ackroyd,

who went i n to say good night to hi m

at 1 0 mi nutes after 1 0:00.

Oh.

POI ROT Do not disquiet yourself, Chief I nspector.

I do not believe her. Please, do conti nue.

Oh. But why would she. . .?

Anyway, then Raymond heard Ackroyd

talki ng to somebody at half past 900.

Ralph Paton disappeared from his Iodgi ngs

on the night of the murder, and nobody's seen hi m si nce.

The person Ackroyd was talki ng to was aski ng for money.

Ralph Paton was always i n fi nancial trouble,

and he's the chief beneficiary of the victi m's wi II.

Ralph Paton had a row with the victi m,

Ralph Paton!s footpri nts are all over the wi ndow si ll.

So, who is the murderer, do you thi nk, Chief I nspector?

Very amusi ng, Poi rot.

Look, if Paton were i nnocent, he'd come forward, wouldn't he?

Mais oui. That is a theory, that.

Certai nly you have the little gray cells, of a ki nd.

But it Ieaves unaccounted a great deal.

What, for i nstance?

The chai r that was moved.

Oh, not the chai r agai n.

It was pulled out, it was pushed back.

Perhaps the murderer was afraid that one day Monsieur Parker

would realize of the sig nificance.

L!m tryi ng to deal i n facts here, Poi rot.

But the chai r is a fact, mon ami!

As are the telephone call, the weddi ng ri ng discarded,

the £40 missi ng, and the murder of Monsieur Parker.

Why, Hercule!

Madame Sheppard.

Isn't it terri ble about poor Parker?

Won't you i ntroduce me to your friend?

POI ROT Yes, of course, madame.

The sister of Dr. Sheppard -- Chief I nspector Japp

of Scotland Yard.

I thought it must be. How exciti ng.

How do you do?

M i nd you, I don't thi nk that Roger Ackroyd

ever knew about Parker's dri nki ng.

Somethi ng for you two sleuths to thi nk about, eh?

Excuse me.

-Madame. -Bye!

Bli mey!

Decidedly, it is ti me for Poi rot to act.

Merci.

Mademoiselle Ursula, rest here, if you please.

Doctor, asseyez-vous Ia.

Thank you.

To begi n with, I make

a special plea to you, mademoiselle.

To me?

Oui.

If you know the whereabouts of Monsieur Ralph Paton,

l beg of you most earnestly to persuade hi m to come forward.

Monsieur Poi rot, I swear solemnly to you,

I have no idea where Ralph is.

I have neither seen hi m nor heard of hi m

on the day of the murder or si nce.

Bien!

That is that!

Now, you others, all of you were friends and i nti mates

of Monsieur Ralph Paton.

If you know where the missi ng man, he is hiding, speak out!

I beg of you, speak out.

Messieurs et mesdames, I mean to arrive at the truth.

I mean to know, and I shall know,

i n spite of you all.

Thank you.

[Door opens]

M ister. . .?

POI ROT Poi rot, Madame Folliott.

Hercule Poi rot.

FOLLIOTT: Ah.

A thousand apologies, madame, for calli ng on you Ii ke this.

Not at all.

I have seen the references that you were good enough to provide

for a former parlor maid of yours,

a Mademoiselle Ursula Bourne.

Yes?

And it was j ust over a year ago

si nce she left you, I understand.

Yes.

Yes, it was.

That's quite rig ht.

Hmm.

I was wonderi ng if there was anythi ng more

you can tell me about her.

For example, she comes from where?

-Her fami ly -- -I don't know at all.

I see.

Then who was her employer before she came to you?

I really dontt remember.

I s it necessary to ask all these q uestions?

Oh, no, no.

No, not at all, madame. Pardon.

I d id not thi nk you would object to answeri ng.

Taxi !

The News Chronicle i n Fleet Street, sfjil vous plait.

Yes, si r.

All right, all right, you can put your watch away.

You know how the lateness, it distresses me.

M r. Hammond.

Good day to you, Chief I nspector.

This is i ndeed a treat. So much choice.

I'm staggered.

What did you discover at the apartment

of Monsieur Paton?

Absolutely nothi ng.

A bed, a table, a chai r.

Nobody's been there for a week.

Did you get for me the list of nursi ng homes?

Merci.

JAPP There's nothi ng I can eat here, Poi rot.

It!s all macaroni this, ravioli that.

Haven't they got any meat?

Spaghetti Bolognese has meat.

JAPP I don't Ii ke spaghetti .

Now then, Mr. Hammond.

We're goi ng to need your help.

As well as acti ng for M r. Roger Ackroyd,

you were also M rs. Dorothy Ferrars' solicitor,

we understand?

That is correct.

All her affai rs passed through our hands.

POI ROT: You see, Monsieur Hammond,

Monsieur Ackroyd believed that Madame Ferrars,

she was bei ng blackmai led.

And it is possi ble that this blackmai l

and the murder of Roger Ackroyd, they might be connected.

Blackmai l, eh?

-You are surprised? -No.

No, it explai ns a great many thi ngs.

Duri ng the past year,

Mrs. Ferrars sold certai n securities.

But the money was paid i nto her account,

and not rei nvested.

I've always i magi ned that the money was bei ng paid

to some woman who had a clai m on the Iate Mr. Ferrars.

And what was the amount of this selli ng?

I n all, I should say

the sums i nvolved totaled at Ieast £20,000.

£20,000?

I could reti re tomorrow and go and Iive i n the south of France.

No.

You would not approve of the food, Chief I nspector.

Well, none of our merry band of suspects

shows any sign of havi ng come i nto that ki nd of money.

Look, Poi rot. There's your old flat.

Who Iives there now?

No person. It is sti II mi ne.

-No! -Oui.

I d idn't know that.

Well, let's go and have a Iook round.

No. I n any case, I do not have my keys.

Yes, you do.

I wondered why you wanted to walk this way.

Come on.

Home, sweet home, eh, Poi rot?

POIRO T: Oui.

But it is full of ghosts.

Lively ones, too, some of !em.

You know, Chief I nspector, this visit to London?

It disturbs me.

And this...

[Laug hs]

Even worse.

You were never meant to be a country bumpki n, Poi rot.

No, Chief I nspector, you must not say such thi ngs!

The life i n the country, it is good for me.

I have the fresh ai r, I have my garden...

the quiet.

You should never have reti red.

I said so at the ti me, if you remember.

PO l ROT: One cannot postpone the i nevitable forever,

Chief I nspector.

And this case, it is full of postponements.

JAPP: Is it?

Oh, oui, bien sur.

Monsieur Roger Ackroyd and Madame Ferrars,

they postponed the announcement of thei r betrothal,

Monsieur Ralph Paton and Mademoiselle FIora, the same.

I don't see where that gets us.

Non. Moi aussi.

But one must permit

oneself to muse.

"From R, March 1 3th. "

Perhaps Monsieur Roger Ackroyd and Madame Ferrars,

they married i n secret.

Why would they do that?

Or Ralph Paton and Mademoiselle FIora,

the same.

JAPP Well, that's more li kely.

But why keep it secret?

Who else do we know with the i nitial R?

What about Mr. Raymond?

Monsieur Raymond? No.

I do not thi nk that Monsieur Raymond

is the marryi ng ki nd, Chief I nspector.

JAPP: No.

You see, we do keep comi ng back to Ralph Paton.

Of course, the ri ng might have nothi ng to do with the case.

But l can't understand why he doesn't come forward.

Has it not occurred to you, Chief I nspector,

that Monsieur Ralph Paton, he could be dead?

Dead? No.

I hope not, for Flora Ackroyd!s sake, if nothi ng else.

What did you mean

the other day when you said you didn't believe

she'd seen her uncle at 1 0 past 1 000?

AIIons-y, Chief I nspector.

We must catch the trai n.

I have also the need to escape from these ghosts.

POIROT: "By now the cracks were beginning to appear.

There are, l am ashamed to say,

"certain darknesses of the heart

of which eVen l was not aware.

Who would haVe thought Miss Goody-Two-Shoes FIora Ackroyd

capable of such naughtiness?"

JAPP Now, Monsieur Poi rot has made

a certai n suggestion to me, Miss Ackroyd.

He suggests that you weren!t i n the study at alI

last Friday night, and that

you didn't see Mr. Ackroyd to say good night to.

Parker saw me there.

No, mademoiselle.

Monsieur Parker said that he saw you comi ng out.

You have no idea what my life

has been li ke si nce we came here.

Wanti ng thi ngs, schemi ng for them, Iyi ng and cheati ng.

Runni ng up bi lls and promisi ng to pay --

I hate myself when I thi nk of it all.

That!s what broug ht us together, Ralph and I .

I understood hi m because I'm the same underneath.

We!re not strong enoug h to stand alone, either of us.

All right.

I wasn't comi ng out of the study.

I was i n my uncle's room.

I knew he always kept some cash i n that drawer.

I was on the stai rs comi ng down from Uncle Roger!s bedroom

when I heard Parker crossi ng the hall.

So, I pretended that I was Ieavi ng the study.

Parker.

M r. Ackroyd says he doesn!t want to be disturbed.

Oh.

Very well, Miss Flora.

PO I ROT: Mademoiselle --

I took it, all right?!

£40!

I'm a common, vulgar Iittle thief!

Now you know!

POIROT: "Rule number one in Kings Abbott --

neVer believe what anyone tells you.

So what could the sleuths do but start again?

Back they went to Dorothy Ferrars' house

for another rummage through her sad exisfence.

She really was the cause of all this fuss."

Madame Ferrars had been your patient for many years, James.

Had she seemed to you recently distressed?

SHEPPARD She was a very sensitive person, you know.

Not many people understood her.

But, uh, you d id.

She confided i n me to a Ii mited extent.

Excuse me.

Madame Ferrars, she wrote many Ietters?

No, I dontt thi nk so.

Her only relatives were i n New Zealand.

Oh.

Bonjour, madame.

Have you seen this?

Good morni ng, Chief I nspector.

What?

Oh. Good morni ng.

Listen.

"The police have for some days been anxious

to i nterview M r. Ralph Paton,

the adopted son of M r. Roger Ackroyd,

whose death occurred

i n suspicious ci rcumstances Iast Friday.

M r. Paton has now been arrested i n Liverpool,

where he was on the poi nt of embarki ng for America. "

Bon.

Bon? What do you mean, Bon?

It's all rubbish. I've been onto Liverpool.

They don't know anythi ng about it.

No, they would not, mon ami.

It was me who persuaded the editor

of that esti mable newspaper to i nsert the item.

Well, we'll see if you're right, Poi rot.

See if your newspaper article

has flushed anybody out of the woodwork.

Can woodwork be flushed, Chief I nspector?

You know what I mean.

Well, if they can be flushed,

then this wi ll have flushed them.

[Doorbell buzzes]

I'm sorry. Have you been waiti ng ages?

We!re at sixes and sevens.

What with Parker not here, and Ursula not bei ng well --

She is unwell?

RAYMOND: I say unwell,

but she just won't come out of her room.

You can hear her, cryi ng away.

Merci.

[Ursula cryi ng]

Go away!

Can we have a word, Miss Bourne?

URSULA Go away. I don't want to see you.

M rs. Paton?

It is me, Hercule Poi rot.

There!s no poi nt i n pretend i ng anymore, is there?

The paper says Ralph has been arrested.

PO l ROT The truth is what we need, madame.

Ralph didn't do it.

I n verity, l am i ncli ned to agree with you,

but the affai r marches bad ly.

Only the truth can save Monsieur Paton now.

So, fi rst, tell to us why you make this masquerade

as a parlor maid?

For a livi ng.

My father died two years ago, Ieavi ng nothing but debts.

Debts and five daughters.

My eldest sister was already married

to a Captai n Folliott.

Oui. I met your sister yesterday.

I wasn't goi ng to be a lady parlor maid.

It was the real thi ng or nothi ng.

And my sister would give me a reference.

So, you got a job here.

URSULA: Yes.

Actually, I q uite enjoyed the work.

And I met Ralph.

As soon as we met, we both felt the same.

We wanted to get married.

Oui.

On the 1 3th of March.

My ri ng!

I thought I'd lost it forever.

How? Where did you --

Please to conti nue, madame.

Well, we. . . um,

we got married, and then I came back here,

and Ralph stayed i n London Iooki ng for work.

But then he decided that the only way to clear his debts

was to ask M r. Ackroyd for help.

Sti ll without disclosi ng to hi m your marriage.

Yes.

M r. Ackroyd was furious.

But he said hetd help if Ralph married FIora Ackroyd.

-And he agreed? -Yes.

But he d id make the sti pulation

that it shouldntt be announced for a whi Ie.

He didn't want me to hear about it.

I!ll bet he didn!t.

But then, last Thursday, M r. Ackroyd got i mpatient

and said the engagement had to be announced that weekend.

So, Ralph had to tell me the mess he was i n.

It!s quite on the cards the old man

wi ll cut me off with a shi IIi ng.

URSULA l said I would see M r. Ackroyd,

and tell hi m we were married.

Ralph begged me not to, but what else was I to do?

I was so furious with Ralph that on my way home,

I threw away my wedd i ng ri ng.

I regretted it

almost as soon as I'd done it, but...

l thought Mr. Ackroyd mig ht have been sympathetic,

but he was awful.

He said l'd tried to trap Ralph for his money.

Already married?!

Anyway, I'd agreed to meet Ralph that eveni ng i n the summer house

to tell hi m how it had gone.

I met hi m at 930. . . and that was awful.

-You've rui ned everythi ng! -I have every right.

I'm your wife!

POI ROT You also tore your apron.

URSULA: Oh.

I wondered where I'd done that.

Anyway, I -- I haven't heard or seen Ralph si nce.

And then I heard that M r. Ackroyd had been murdered.

Oui.

Tell us, Madame Paton, what hour was it that you

parted from your husband i n the summer house?

You thi nk I haven't gone over that agai n and agai n?

I was with Ralph for 1 0 mi nutes?

Not longer.

It was j ust quarter to 1 0:00 when I got back to the house.

Ah, there you are, Monsieur Poi rot.

I was j ust tryi ng to fi nd you.

There's a phone call for you.

-For me? -Yes.

Poi rot.

Ah.

M r. Smith.

I thought that I would fi nd you here.

POIRO T: "So now will come the biggest test.

We have all been summoned to a pow-wow.

But l'm sure the police are still in the dark.

If we all hold our nerve,

they won't get any more secrets out of us.

But there is always a weak link, isn't there?"

No, no, no, no, no, no, Caroli ne!

I'm not goi ng to pander to your mere i nquisitiveness.

Oh, come on, James. Don't be a meanie.

No, Caroli ne!

Poi rot said j ust those people he named.

Well, l!ll j ust d rive you up there then, that's all.

Hercule won!t mi nd. I don't have to come i n.

Well!

I don!t see why we have to be at his beck and call.

Ah, Chief I nspector.

You are so ki nd.

Please to place it here.

No, no, no, no.

Voilå.

Observe.

Ah, come i n, come i n, please. AII of you.

It is so good of you to come.

Please, entrez, entrez.

Make yourselves comfortable.

Monsieur Raymond, if you please, do remai n.

-Oh. Me, too? -Oui.

What's the great idea? Some scientific machi ne?

Do we have electrodes on our knees

to register gui lty knocki ng?

No, Monsieur Raymond. I am old-fashioned.

I work only with my Iittle gray cells.

Please to sit.

Ah, my dear, good Dr. James.

Welcome to you. PIease to sit.

You know, of course, Chief I nspector Japp.

Good eveni ng.

Bon.

So. . . now let us beg i n.

But fi rst, l have an announcement to make.

This young lady, Mademoiselle Ursula Bourne,

is i n reality Madame Ralph Paton.

Oh, yes.

She married Ralph Paton Iast March.

M RS. ACKROYD Ralph?

Married? [Laughs]

How could he be?

Oh, shut up, Mother!

You and Ralph kept your secret

very well.

I'm very glad for you.

Well, thatts very ki nd.

Ralph behaved so bad ly, especially to you.

He was in a corner and took the only way out.

I should have probably done the same myself, i n his place.

Each person here had both the motive

and the opportunity to ki ll Monsieur Roger Ackroyd,

and, because he knew too much, Monsieur Parker.

Madame Ralph Paton mig ht well have hoped to clarify

her own situation, if the uncle of Mademoiselle FIora

did not exert pressure on her to marry Ralph Paton.

Monsieur Raymond resented the unwi IIi ngness

of Monsieur Roger Ackroyd

to g rant hi m more authority i n the factory.

And, of course, Madame Ackroyd

and Mademoiselle Flora both hoped to profit

from the wi ll of Monsieur Ackroyd.

I don't Ii ke this.

I'd much prefer to go home.

You cannot, madame, unti I you have heard

what Poi rot has to say.

Please to sit.

Merci, madame.

The problem has always been one of ti me.

We know that Monsieur Roger Ackroyd

was alive at half past 900,

because it was then that

Monsieur Raymond overheard hi m talki ng.

But with whom was he talki ng?

Certai nly, it was not to Monsieur Ralph Paton,

whom we know was at the ti me i n the summer house with his wife.

So, with whom?

From the very begi nni ng of this case,

l have been troubled by one thi ng --

the nature of those words spoken by Monsieur Roger Ackroyd

and overheard by Monsieur Raymond.

"The calls on my purse have been so frequent of Iate

that it is i mpossi ble for me to accede to your request. "

Eh bien.

Does nothi ng odd stri ke you about that?

It sounds more as if he!s dictati ng a Ietter.

Exactement.

A Dictaphone. Is that what you thi nk?

But it doesn't change anythi ng.

M r. Ackroyd was alive at 9:30,

si nce he was speaki ng i nto his Dictaphone.

But always we come back to Monsieur Ralph Paton.

As I have said, we know that

he was i n the summer house with Madame Paton.

But then suddenly, poof! He disappears.

Where?

He has fled the country, perhaps?

Or perhaps he has become the thi rd victi m

of our murderer.

No!

Or perhaps,

someone is helpi ng hi m to conceal hi mself from the police.

But who and where?

A hotel?

No. Far too public.

A boardi ng house?

No, no, no, certainment. The same.

I have it.

The private nursi ng home.

Chief I nspector Japp made i nqui ries

and discovered that there were i n the area

two nursi ng homes.

And at one of them,

there had been ad mitted early on Saturday morni ng a certai n...

M r. Smith.

But Ralph would never run away!

We can ask Mr. Smith hi mself.

RAYMOND: Ralph!

Oh, Ralph!

But I ask myself, I wonder who it is

who gave authority to the nursi ng home

for the admission of Monsieur Ralph Paton?

[Laug hs]

All rig ht, Poi rot.

Mea culpa.

As soon as I heard

that Ralph was back i n Ki ngs Abbott

and stayi ng at the White Hart,

I knew somethi ng must be wrong.

I went to see hi m that afternoon.

Eventually, he told me about his marriage

and the hole he was i n.

There didn't seem to be anythi ng

l could do to help at the ti me,

but that night, when the murder was discovered,

I knew that suspicion

would fall on hi m.

Or, if not on hi m, on the gi rl he Ioved.

And the thoug ht of his possi bly havi ng to give evidence

that might i ncri mi nate his wife...

My dear James, have l not told to you 36 ti mes,

it is i mpossible to conceal anythi ng from Hercule Poi rot?

[Laug hs]

POI ROT I know precisely who murdered Monsieur Roger Ackroyd

and pauVre Monsieur Parker and how it was done.

And this...

tells to me all.

RAYMOND: What is it?

PO I ROT It is a wi reless message

from a steamer on her way to the United States.

And tomorrow, the good Chief I nspector Japp

wi ll make his arrest.

M RS. ACKROYD What a ridiculous exercise!

I have never seen anythi ng

more poi ntless i n my enti re Iife!

That wretched little man! Really!

JAPP Now, look here, Poi rot.

If you really know who committed this murder...

Both of the murders, Chief I nspector.

Yes, I do.

Well, who is it?

Can you tell us?

PO l ROT Poi rot shall not make thi ngs easy for you.

You, Chief I nspector, with your career of detection

both long and disti nguished, you have your theories, I know.

And you, my dear James, you have been i nvolved i n the case

from the begi nni ng, n'est-ce pas?

You know i nti mately all of the people i nvolved,

as only the good country doctor can.

But, before I reveal my secret,

you must both expound your theories to me.

And let us commence with you, James.

SHEPPARD: Me?

[Laughs] Oh, no.

I can't show myself up i n front

of the professionals.

[Door opens]

I got so fed up with waiti ng i n the car.

Are you goi ng to be much Ionger, James?

No, no. Maybe I ought to call it a day.

PO I ROT No, my dear James.

Madame, your brother

was j ust goi ng to tell us his theories about the murderer.

Please to come and sit.

Yes.

Yes, of course.

POI ROT: Merci.

So, James, tell us,

what sort of man or woman

are we looki ng for?

SHEPPARD Woman? [Laughs]

I hardly thi nk it could be a woman.

And this man, was he also, do you thi nk, the blackmai ler?

Oh, I thi nk he probably

had some sort of fi nancial arrangement

with M rs. Ferrars, yes.

Somehow, certai nly, he became aware

of the true cause of Ashley Ferrars' death.

He could even be a detective.

But perhaps, as a doctor, you would have been

also situated most ideally, n'est-ce pas?

[Laughs] Oh, ideally.

But the i mportant moment i n this case is not the murder

of Ashley Ferrars, but the suicide of his widow.

Her motives remai n unclear, but, for whatever reason,

she decided to end her life.

Now, this must have placed our murderer

i n somethi ng of a quandary.

He knew about her rather distasteful affai r

with Roger Ackroyd.

His difficulty was i n knowi ng whether,

before she died, she had confided i n hi m the identity

of the man with whom she had the fi nancial arrangement.

You mean, the blackmai ler.

This was hardly some common blackmai Ier, Chief I nspector.

He probably

saw Roger Ackroyd somewhere about this ti me,

and somethi ng i n Ackroyd!s manner made hi m wonder.

And, i n that moment, he decided

he could not take a chance.

He was certai nly capable of constructi ng

some sort of device

to turn a Dictaphone on and off at any ti me he chose.

I don't i magi ne he'd left the choice of weapon

as much to chance as it would appear.

I believe he had a weapon with hi m already...

when it occurred to hi m that the dagger,

which was actually on display at the scene of the cri me,

would cast the net of suspicion even wider.

He was all ready to perform the ki IIi ng,

when he had confi rmation

of his deepest fear.

PARKER The eveni ng post, si r.

M rs. Ferrars had i ndeed confided i n Ackroyd,

but not i n person --

she had written hi m a Ietter.

And Ackroyd opened that letter i n his presence,

and started to read it.

"My dear,

my very dear Roger, I would not tell you the name

this afternoon but I propose to write it to you now. "

I'm sorry, but I --

I must read this on my own.

At least tell me the name of the man.

No, no. I must read it on my own.

SHEPPARD: Very well.

[Takes out knife]

Ahh!

And i n that letter, Madame Ferrars

had named the blackmai ler, had she not?

L!ve been readi ng this book I found i n the car, James.

It wasn't blackmai l!

Don't say any more, James.

POI ROT Oh, come now, James.

The man had bled Madame Ferrars white!

Dorothy Ferrars was an ad ulterous, murderi ng bitch!

She Iorded it over us.

All the money she had -- she never worked for it,

nor did her drunk of a husband before her.

They were idle, useless parasites.

-Stop it, James. -No!

They didn't know

what it was Iike, scri mpi ng and savi ng, year after year,

never able to afford a holiday,

on call day and nig ht

to every idiot with a bi lious attack for mi Ies around.

You've no right to stand i n j udgment on me.

Blackmai l, you call it? BIackmai I?

The law wouldn't punish her, would they?

So I d id.

Well...

there you are.

I've done your work for you.

Sorry, Caro.

Ki lli ng Ackroyd was easy.

The knife was sharp and l knew j ust where to stri ke.

ACKROYD: [Gaggi ng]

And for the rest, I si mply

had to follow my plan.

The fi rst thi ng to do was make sure everyone remembered me

leavi ng the house.

L!ll j ust go and say good nig ht to the Iadies.

Yes, si r.

I d rove away, but parked the car a Iittle way down the drive.

Then I had to make it look as if Ralph Paton

had entered through the wi ndow.

He was a pathetic,

profligate fellow.

I knew Ackroyd had bought a Dictaphone

and had been usi ng it.

Now I was goi ng to use it,

to arrange for Ackroyd to speak from the g rave.

And then, the busi ness of the chai r,

which so i ntrigued you all.

L!d left Ralph Paton!s muddy shoe outside

when I entered through the wi ndow.

Now, as I made my escape,

l was able to use it to make a footpri nt on the si II.

And then, of course, the Dictaphone did its work.

"L!m greatly i mpressed by your persistence

and determi nation

however, I regret to say that the calls on my purse

have been so frequent of Iate. . . "

PO l ROT Which convi nces us that Monsieur Roger Ackroyd

was alive at half past 9:00, by which ti me

you were safely back at home, awaiti ng...

Hello, Dr. Sheppard.

POl ROT . . .the telephone call

from the patient whom you had persuaded to take part

i n what you had told hi m was a practical joke.

Yes.

You did well there, Poi rot.

I was quite surprised when you showed us your teleg ram

from the ocean Ii ner.

Well done.

Thank you.

SHEPPARD l needed the excuse of his phone call,

you see, to ensure that I was the fi rst on the scene

when the murder was d iscovered.

Police, si r?

What's the matter with you, Parker?

If your master has been murdered...

M urdered, si r?

No. The fewer people d isturb this room, the better.

L!d carefully calculated the position of the chai r

so that the Dictaphone would be hidden

from anyone stand i ng i n the doorway.

Ri ng the police station, Parker.

When I'd sent Parker to telephone for the police,

l had ample ti me to remove my contrivance

and put the chai r back i n its accustomed place.

Fi nally,

l had to tell Ralph Paton of his uncle's murder,

persuade hi m that he was i n danger,

and get hi m to accompany me to the nursing home.

Why did you ki ll Parker?

Parker was too observant.

He remembered

that he!d broug ht i n five letters, not four,

and that one of them was handwritten on dark-blue paper.

He knew he had n!t moved the chai r.

How long would it be

before he realized I had?

No. I couldn't take that chance.

CAROLI NE James, your journal.

JAPP James Sheppard,

I am arresti ng you for the murder

of Roger Ackroyd.

Of course you are, Chief I nspector.

James, no. This is foolish!

Don't move, either of you.

Are you all right, Chief I nspector?

Stop!

Come on, Poi rot!

Japp!

That's three.

Get back, Poi rot!

James, no!

Don't make me, then!

JAPP: Plenty of ti me for heroics when he runs out of ammo.

That's five. One more to go.

No!

CAROLI NE: James!

No!

POIRO T: For the sake of the sister of Dr. Sheppard,

the true stories of these murders most dreadful

must, for the moment, remain a secret.

A last faVor, if you will,

to a man l once looked on as a friend.

I thought l could escape the wickedness of the city

by moVing to the country.

The fields that are green, the singing of the birds,

the faces, smiling and friendly.

Huh!

The fields that are green are the secret burial places

of the victims of murders most hideous.

The birds sing only briefly

before some idiot in tweeds shoots them.

And the faces all smiling and friendly --

what do they conceal?

SUBTITLI NG MADE POSSI BLE BY RLJ ENTERTAI NM ENT