"Rather more amusing": "Evil Under the Sun" 1982 Quiz

Answer: Guineas

The guinea was originally a gold coin minted weighing 1/4 of an ounce (approximately 7 grams) in the UK from 1663 to 1814. The coin was originally worth one pound (twenty shillings), but the variations in the price of gold led to its value increasing, eventually becoming worth almost thirty shillings. As a result, in 1717 the value of a guinea was set at twenty-one shillings. Although the guinea itself was withdrawn from circulation in 1814, the term remained in use in certain areas of the economy, such as the charges of the medical or legal professions, or the purchase of land or art, which were priced in guineas until after decimalisation. The guinea remains in use as a unit of payment in the purchase of racehorses.

In the film, Mr Flewitt asks Poirot to investigate why Sir Horace Blatt, the millionaire industrialist, has attempted to insure an obviously fake jewel for £50,000 with Trojan Insurance. When offered 200 pounds to undertake the task, Poirot instead charges 200 guineas (equivalent to 210 pounds), as it will "make my forthcoming holidays even more attractive".

Answer: Tiffany & Co

Tiffany & Co was originally founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young, who, thanks to a loan of $1,000 from Tiffany's father, opened a "stationary and fancy goods emporium" in Brooklyn, Connecticut. Operated as "Tiffany, Young and Ellis", by 1838, the store had moved to a location in Lower Manhattan, and was run by the original partners until Charles Tiffany bought them out in 1853, after which the company was named as Tiffany & Co, with its focus moved primarily to jewellery.

In the film, Poirot travels to the South of France to visit Sir Horace on his yacht, where the industrialist tells him the story of how he bought the jewel as a present for the woman he planned to marry, only for her to leave him upon their return to England for someone else. Asking for the jewel, which had cost $100,000, back, Sir Horace attempts to have it insured, and discovers it has been copied. This leads Poirot to find out about 'Daphne's Place', the exclusive hotel to which the lady in question will be traveling.

Answer: Bosnian

The use of the name Bosnia, in the context of a nation state or political entity, first came about in the middle of the 10th century. The Bosnian region swung between a number of ruling groups over the course of several decades, with the Serbs, Croatians, Byzantines and Hungarians all asserting power over Bosnia until, in 1154, the Banate of Bosnia was founded. Although claimed by the kings of Hungary as part of their nation's own crown lands, during this period Bosnia was a de facto independent country, with the Bosnian leader referred to as the Ban.

In the film, the noon-day gun is first heard as Poirot accompanies Kenneth Marshall, his wife Arlena and daughter Linda on the ferry to Daphne Castle's island. Marshall explains that it is fired to commemorate the victory of the Tyrenean cavalry of Kosotho Melhojiva over 50,000 barbarous Bosnian fanatics in 1193.

Answer: The New Yorker

"The New Yorker" was founded by Harold Ross and Jane Grant in 1925 as an attempt to create what Ross described as a "sophisticated humor magazine". While the publication retained touches of humour, it quickly established for itself a reputation for serious fiction, investigative reporting and essay writing. The magazine is well-known for its illustrated covers, which often have a topical cartoon, writing on political and social issues, which go hand-in-hand with rigorous fact checking, and its commentaries on popular culture and the eccentricities of America.

In the film, Rex Brewster offers to write a review of Daphne Castle's hotel in "The New Yorker" as an alternative to payment for his stay at her establishment. Although flattered at the idea, Daphne turns him down as she is more in need to cash than publicity.

Answer: Crème de cassis

Crème de cassis is a liqueur made primarily from blackcurrants, which are crushed and soaked in alcohol, with sugar then subsequently added. The liqueur first appeared in its modern form in 1841, prior to which a ratifia de cassis had been popular. Crème de cassis is a speciality of the Burgundy region of France, with protected status awarded in 2015 to Burgundian crème de cassis under the name "Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne", which guarantees both the origin and quality of the berries used in its production.

In the film, Daphne Castle offers Poirot a number of cocktail options, including a White Lady, Sidecar, Mainbrace or Between the Sheets. As Poirot is not a cocktail drinker, he instead opts for a fruit liqueur.

Answer: Tooting Bec

Tooting Bec is an area of Wandsworth in South London. The area is named after Bec Abbey in Normandy, which was awarded the land following the Norman Conquest. In the Domesday Book, the area was named as Totinges, which is where the over all area of Tooting, of which Tooting Bec is part, gets its name. Within the boundary of Tooting Bec lies both of Tooting's commons, Tooting Bec Common and Tooting Graveney Common, as well as Tooting Bec Lido, which is one of Britain's oldest open-air swimming pools, as well as the largest freshwater pool by area in the country.

In the film, Rex Brewster is trying to persuade Arlena to sign a release so that his tell-all biography of her can be published. Among the things it reveals is that Arlena was born in Tooting Bec at the turn of the twentieth century, details that Arlena is anxious not to have made available to the wider public.

Answer: Mauretania

RMS "Mauretania" was one of two express ocean liners ordered by the Cunard Line in 1904. Together with her sister ship, "Lusitania", the ship was one of Cunard's flagships on the prestige North Atlantic route between Liverpool and New York, holding the Blue Riband as the fastest ship on the run for twenty years from 1909. "Mauretania" was retained in service for more than 25 years, until 1934, when, following the merger between Cunard and its rival, White Star, she was retired alongside a number of other passenger liners. "Mauretania" was eventually sold for scrap in 1935, work that was completed by 1937.

In the film, Arlena Marshall is attempting to launch her pedalo, as she plans to go to a quiet part of the island by herself, but is having difficulty when she encounters Poirot. Together they are able to get the boat into the water, at which Arlena comments that it is "like trying to launch the "Mauretania"". "But without the champagne!" replies Poirot.

Answer: Pétanque

Pétanque is a game that comes under the category of 'boules' sports, which are games that involve throwing or rolling heavy balls as close as possible to a smaller target ball, known as the jack. In the 19th century, a form of boules called 'jeu provençal' was played in the south of France, in which players would run three steps before throwing their boule. In 1910, a cafe owner named Ernest Pitiot developed a variation of jeu provençal for his friend, a former player called Jules Lenoir, who had become affected severely by rheumatism. Pitiot amended the game by shortening the length of the field of play by half, and having the boule pitched from a stationary position. This variant was initially called 'pieds tanqués' ('feet planted'), which eventually evolved into the name 'pétanque'.

In the film, Odell Gardner is playing pétanque while recounting his movements during the time of the murder to Poirot. During the interrogation, Gardner reveals that he was unobserved during the entire period, a fact of which he seems quite proud. Poirot points out that, pleasantries aside, no alibi is still no alibi, at the same time as pitching a boule to knock one of Gardner's boules away from the jack.

Answer: Rigoletto

In 1850, Giuseppe Verdi was commissioned by La Fenice, the opera house in Venice, to write a new opera for them. By this point in his career, he was popular and well known enough to be able to choose the text that he would set to music himself, without it being specified by whoever had commissioned him. Collaborating with librettist Francesco Maria Piave, Verdi initially looked at "Kean" by Alexandre Dumas as a potential text, but instead decided to adapt Victor Hugo's play "Le roi s'amuse". This was a controversial choice, as the play had been banned in France for its portrayal of King Francis I as a cynical womaniser. In order to get the work past the Austrian censors (Austria at that time controlled much of northern Italy, including Venice), the opera had characters renamed and the action moved to a new location that would be less scandalous. Finally, the work was named for the character of the hunchbacked jester, taking the title of "Rigoletto". the opera eventually premiered at La Fenice on 11 March 1851.

In the film, Poirot has been timing his walk across the island as part of his investigation. Upon returning to the hotel, he comes across the staff, while taking a break before preparing dinner, dancing while one of their number sings the canzone "La donna è mobile" from "Rigoletto". While crossing the lobby, he meets Patrick Redfern, who also hears the singing, and points out that, had he been English, Verdi's name would have been 'Joe Green', a joke that he often told schoolboys while he was teaching Latin.

Answer: Cole Porter

Cole Porter is regarded as one of the most influential songwriters of the twentieth century, with many of his most well-known compositions becoming staples of what came to be known as 'The Great American Songbook'. Having his first major musical success, "Paris", produced on Broadway in 1928, Porter became a name in the production of major musicals both on stage and in film, first as adaptions of his stage productions (starting with 1933's "The Gay Divorcee"), before writing songs directly for film musicals. When "Evil Under the Sun" was produced, it was decided to base the soundtrack around Cole Porter's work, with new arrangements of several of his most famous compositions, including "Begin the Beguine", "Night and Day", "You're the Top" and "I Get A Kick Out of You", included.

When he examines the hotel register, looking for the handwriting of a particular guest associated with a previous investigation, Poirot sees the names of a number of previous guests of Daphne Castle's hotel; these include not only Cole Porter, but also the British actor and composer Ivor Novello, the musical stars Fred and Adele Astaire, and the actors Charlie Chaplin, Maurice Chevalier and Marlene Dietrich.