All language subtitles for Agatha.Christies.Poirot.S07E01.1080p.BluRay.x264-YELLOWBiRD - eng

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