And Then There Were None
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Movie Reviews of And Then There Were None
Movie Review: A worthy film, but I'm still waiting for a superlative adaptation of Christie's novel
Summary: 3 Stars
I found this to be a fairly involving, fairly well done adaptation of Agatha Christie's often-filmed novel, but like 1965's "Ten Little Indians", this version also suffers from needless humor and a softening of the original story's bleak conclusion. At least the humor here works a little better than the '65 version.
I'm told that this version, as well as the '65 version, heavily rely on the stage adaptation of the Christie novel, the origin of the more upbeat conclusion. Apparently, the thinking was that- unlike the book- one or two characters had to remain alive at the end to explain things to the audience. I don't know... I think I could figure out several ways to dramatize the original novel without softening the proceedings. But maybe I'm just a morbid person and grumble at happy endings.
Storywise, this '45 film and the '65 film not only rely on the same ending, but- for the most part- they feature the same exact story beats, making one wonder why the '65 version was even made. It certainly didn't attempt anything new (besides casting hip actors and employing an out-of-place "mod" jazz score). Though, admittedly, Shirley Eaton was more fetching than any of the actresses on display here.
Anyway, enough with my meandering thoughts about this or that adaptation. With its nice sets, solid direction, and bevy of old English acting pros, this particular movie is certainly worth a look, and so is the '65 version (though marginally less so). But by all means don't let these films take the place of the original work, which remains a great old tale, masterful in the way it successfully combines the usually opposing forces of bleakness and strong entertainment value.
Movie Review: Ten Little Indians Went Out To Dine...
Summary: 3 Stars
I really enjoy Agatha Christie, and I usually love old movies, but this first film version of her mystery novel AND THEN THERE WERE NONE is extremely disappointing. Directed by Rene Clair and containing an all-star cast, this film should be a truly excellent thriller; unfortunately, this screen play is a terrible adaptation of Ms. Christie's stellar novel. The dialogue is awkward and stilted, the suspense never really builds, and the ending is utterly predictable.
As the story goes, eight people, a butler, and a housekeeper are invited by a Mr. U. N. Owen to spend a weekend at a mansion on a barren island somewhere off the English coast. Each person has in some way been responsible for a death, and these sins have gone unpunished...until now. One by one, the 10 individuals are each killed in a manner consistent with the nursery rhyme, Ten Little Indians. This excellent cast of well-known character actors and actresses is lead by Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Judith Anderson, and C. Aubrey Smith. As the characters in this film attempt to identify their murderer, they eventually come to the conclusion that it must be one of them, since they are the only people on the otherwise deserted island. The mistrust and suspicion then kick into full swing. At the unsatisfactory end of the film, the identity of the murder and his reasons for killing are a real let down.
This film starts with all of the ingredients to be a winner: a known director, well loved actors, not to mention a brilliant story. Unfortunately, once the dreadful screen play is mixed in, the ingredients all curdle, and the over all result is extremely unpalatable.
Movie Review: Not nearly as good as the book
Summary: 3 Stars
WE got this DVD to go with a book club selection of the book as we thought it would be interesting to see how it matched the mystery of the novel. We had seen the later version with Fabian which was set in the Alps instead of on an island. We had hoped this would follow the book better. The director took a lot of unnecessary liberties with characters' names, backgrounds, and above all the ending.
We would suggest reading the book as a lot of the characters internal thinking was important to the development of the mystery as well as for giving clues to the mysterious U. N. Owen. None of this is in the movie.
For those not familiar with story, ten people who have been involved in "crimes" difficult to prosecute have been brought to an isolated island, where they are systematically killed persuant to the poem "Ten Little Indians."
Movie Review: 5 star movie. 1 star quality
Summary: 3 Stars
A classic movie indeed. If you love a good mystery you can't go wrong here. This is one of the best. The plot is so original and fresh it has stood the test of time.
If you want a watcha great movie, buy this.
BUT BE WARNED - the quality of the film is sub par. The sound and the visual did not match - slightly off. If you are stickler for a quality print, be ready to be disappointed. It bothered me at first but this is such a good movie - I was willing to tolerate it.
Movie Review: Old Movie
Summary: 3 Stars
The reason why I bought And Then There Were None is because it is my school reading assignment. The movie helped me a lot while by understanding the charcters and setting of the story. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that since the movie was so old the lips of the people speaking did not match the voices. I think Hollywood should remake this movie to fit the younger generation. The movie is a great mystery and would remcommend it to mystery lovers.