Agatha (Matinee)

Harrogate Film Society and Harrogate Civic Society invite you to join us as we commemorate 100 years of England's greatest literary mystery with a cinematic evening that celebrates the legacy of Agatha Christie's infamous real-life disappearance, and her hiding place, right here, in Harrogate in December 1926.

The Mystery That Captivated the World

In December 1926, the Queen of Crime sparked the ultimate real-world whodunit when her abandoned car was found on a chalk slope in Surrey, triggering a massive nationwide manhunt. Eleven days later, the mystery reached its dramatic climax when she was discovered living under an assumed alias at Harrogate's very own Old Swan Hotel (then the Swan Hydro Hotel). Christie claimed amnesia and never publicly spoke of those eleven days again! 

Agatha | 1979 | PG | Dir. Michael Apted | UK | 105 minutes

The 1979 film directed by Michael Apted (7Up from 1970-2019) steps elegantly into that historical void. It offers a stylish, speculative solution to what happened during her lost days in our famous spa town.

• The Plot: Facing the painful breakdown of her marriage, a deeply unhappy Agatha Christie (Vanessa Redgrave) flees to Harrogate under a pseudonym. As she spins a meticulous, vengeful plot of her own, a relentless American journalist (Dustin Hoffman) hot on her trail arrives in town to unravel her secrets.

• Local Connection: Keep a close eye on the screen! While the production team famously transformed nearby York Station to look like 1920s Harrogate, the film beautifully captures the essence of our historic spa heritage. 

The Queen of Crime's Top 10 Masterpieces. How many have you read? 

With over 2 billion copies sold worldwide, Agatha Christie remains the best-selling novelist in history, surpassed only by the Bible and Shakespeare.

According to global readers, literary charts, and the Agatha Christie Estate, here are her 10 most successful and enduring books:

1. And Then There Were None (1939) – Her absolute bestseller and the world's best-selling mystery novel of all time, with over 100 million copies sold.

2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) – Published the exact year of her disappearance, this Hercule Poirot mystery is legendary for its brilliant, genre-shaping twist ending.

3. Murder on the Orient Express (1934) – Perhaps her most famous pop-culture classic, featuring Poirot solving a snowbound train carriage murder.

4. Death on the Nile (1937) – A gripping tale of jealousy and betrayal aboard a glamorous Egyptian cruise ship.

5. The ABC Murders (1936) – A fast-paced, high-stakes hunt for an alphabetical serial killer.

6. Five Little Pigs (1942) – A beautifully crafted, psychologically deep cold-case mystery.

7. A Murder is Announced (1950) – Widely considered by critics to be the finest and most clever Miss Marple novel ever written.

8. The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) – The historic debut novel that introduced the world to Hercule Poirot.

9. Crooked House (1949) – One of Christie’s personal favourites, featuring a dark family dynamic and a shocking conclusion.

10. Endless Night (1967) – A chilling, brilliant standalone psychological thriller that steps away from her usual detective format. 

Not forgetting The Mouse Trap which opened on November 25, 1952, has run for over 73 years (with a temporary shutdown from March 2020 to May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and reached a milestone 30,000th performance on March 19, 2025. The Mouse Trap now holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running initial theatrical run in history.

• Seating limited to 70 so we recommend you book in advance.

• Ticket price includes a glass of wine or soft drink.

• Screen 3.

• One wheelchair space - get in touch to reserve this - at contact.harrogatefilmsociety@gmail.com

• Doors open at 2.15pm and the film will start after a brief introduction @ 2.30pm.  

• All seating is unreserved.

• Free parking in Odeon car park but you must display a parking voucher available from Odeon staff.