Lyon’s Quais du Polar festival is celebrating its 20th edition from 5 to 7 April. It has grown and grown and this year will welcome 135 authors from 15 countries. As far as the Anglophone contingent is concerned, you will no doubt recognise some stars like John Grisham and his legal mysteries; Donna Leon, specialised … Continue reading “Quais du Polar Lyon is 20”
If you’re working on detective stories, or scary stories, these two trailers for the new Agatha Christie film A Haunting in Venice would work well in class depending on context. The first one immediately identifies Poirot and that there is a mystery. If you have already worked on detective stories, pupils could be asked to … Continue reading “Teaching with Trailers: Hercule Poirot A Haunting in Venice”
After Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie’s detective Hercule Poirot, in the shape of Kenneth Branagh, continues to travel across the world solving crimes. A Haunting in Venice is based on Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, and is suitably spooky to work on at this time of year. Poirot, officially retired, is … Continue reading “Hercule Poirot in Venice”
On 1952 London’s West End, Agatha Christie’s play, The Mousetrap, is a hit. Hollywood comes knocking at the stage door. But plans for a movie version of this smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after the film’s Hollywood director is murdered. Reality The Mousetrap occupies a special place in the work of Agatha Christie. … Continue reading “See How They Run: A Whodunit Within a Whodunit”
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (94) is delighted to once again welcome dozens of authors from around the world to its festival St Maur en Poche from 24 to 26 June. There will be lots of Anglophone authors present, including the inimitable Maggie O’Farrell, winner of the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction for Hamnet, her imagining of the life … Continue reading “Paperback Festival in St Maur”
Kenneth Branagh fait suite à son succès comme réalisateur et vedette d’une première adaptation d’un roman d’Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express, avec Death on the Nile, où on retrouve Branagh incarnant le détective belge Hercule Poirot. Cette fois un meurtre a été commis non pas dans un train mais sur un bateau naviguant … Continue reading “Death on the Nile”
A quick roundup of the latest collège lessons in English on France 4. Follow the link below for the subjects of the previous programmes. There are now so many we decided to start a new list. You can find the detailed schedule here. 18 May 4e School in the U.K. … Continue reading “The Latest Classes on TV for Your Collège Students”
If you are using our Murder on the Orient Express Resource with your students, this introductory scene from the film is a great way to introduce the characters. It’s 9 minutes long but with limited dialogue and pupils should be reassured that they are not expected to understand every word. They should have a grid … Continue reading “Teaching With Film: Murder on the Orient Express”
Murder on the Orient Express is one of the most popular detective novels by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie. A new film version with an all-star cast will allow your pupils to discover the story and explore the iconic detective Hercule Poirot with an article and worksheet at A2-A2+ level. They will practise expressing … Continue reading “Murder on the Orient Express”