Death on the Nile
|
Our Price: $20.81 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $4.44 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Death on the Nile
Movie Review: Riddle of the Sphynx
Summary: 4 Stars
Wow! What better backdrop for a story than the pyramids and ancient ruins of Egypt. Set mainly along the Nile, I sometimes found the story second to the scenery! Not that the story didn't fully engage - it did! The varied characters in Death on the Nile, are quite a bunch - there is an element of humor underneath all the intrigue. We know someone is going to get it as the movie unwinds, but who? and by whom? Many seem to have their reasons...
I loved the first half of this movie. It starts off with the craziest scenario. Niece wants fiance to get a managerial position at her very rich auntie's estate. She asks auntie and auntie says, well, let's meet him. Did I mention that besides being filthy rich, auntie is also quite young and attractive? When auntie meets fiance, sparks suddenly fly and then -
Cut to Egypt. Suddenly riding horses amongst the pyramids - rich auntie, and niece's fiance - they're married! And trailing around in their dust is the poor niece, bent on making a nuissance of herself during the honeymoon that should have been hers! There's a certain humour. And the scenery of the Nile, the ancient ruins, the Sphynx - it's stunning, and yet very much a part of the story.
For the second half of the movie though, I started to find myself less engaged. It became more of what I think of when I think of a cliche mystery. Less shots of Egypt. Less humorous situations. More tedious regurgitation of the murder as the Ustinov tries to solve the case.
The second half I give 3 stars as a noticeable lull seems to set in with the latter part of the cruise. It becomes more "in the head", and I wasn't terribly convinced when the murder was finally solved. A bit far-fetched.. While I don't mind far-fetched if it entertains simultaneously, I was becoming less and less entertained as the movie wound it's way toward the conclusion. Not terrible. Just not what the first half of the movie was - gorgeous, clever, witty and interesting. One reason for this may have been that for the second half of the movie less attention is paid to the myriad of interesting characters interacting with each other, and all things focus on Ustinov, who's rather stuffy and dry most of the time, although he's not awful. Just not as interesting as other characters which get more attention in the better half of this movie - the first. Fortunately, the story ends on a powerful note.
This movie is worth seeing. There are some jaw-droppingly beautiful scenes, which, at the same time, tie in so perfectly with the story. The tying together of such a dramatic backdrop (Egypt) with the riviting story this begins as, and the satisfactory final scenes, make this movie more than well-worth seeing.
Movie Review: This one was not as good but more fun than Oreint Express
Summary: 4 Stars
This second outing by John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin is no where near their first, Murder on the Orient Express. But it is still a great mystery. The style of the movie is identical to the first, prelude followed by gathering of the cast, then a murder or two and finally a gathering of suspects and unmasking of the killer(s). The only difference is Albert Finney did not want to reprise his fabulous interpretation of Hercule Poirot, instead they have Peter Ustinov. Ustinov makes a very good Poirot and needs little change physically. Ustinov would recreate this role in two more feature films and four more television adaptions.
As the film starts we meet heiress Lynette Ridgeway (Lois Chiles). Her best friend Jackie De Bellefort (Mia Farrow) is engaged to Simon Doyle (Simon MacCorkindale). Lynette gives Simon a job at her estate and ends up marrying him! They decide to honeymoon in Egypt and a steamer up the Nile.
Now we assemble the suspects. We meet Andrew Pennington, Lynette's trustee (George Kennedy), who has embezzled from her and needs to cover it up. This is followed by Mrs. Van Schuyler (Bette Davis) and her paid companion Bowers (Maggie Smith) whose father was ruined by Lynette's family. Mrs. Van Schuyler has a fascination of Lynette's pearls. And of course the perfect honeymoon guest, the jilted lover, Jackie. Of course, Poirot needs an assistant Colonel Race (David Niven). Also on board is Lynette's maid Louise (Jane Birkin), anarchist Mr. Ferguson (Jon Finch), Dr. Ludwig Besser (Jack Warden) whose clinic Lynette is trying to shut down, novelist Salome Otterbourne (Angela Lansbury) who was being sued by Lynette and her daughter Rosalie (Olivia Hussey).
The plot is fairly typical Christie, murder attempt, red herrings, murder, additional murders and the solving of the murder.
As usual, the plot is overly complex but all the clues are right there in front of you. This is deliciously fun. The stand outs are Angela Lansbury and Maggie Smith. Lansbury is over the top as the over the top potboiler writer. This lead to her much more subdued turn as Christie's other main stream sleuth, Miss Marple. Which lead to the role that made her a household name, Murder, She Wrote's Jessica Fletcher.
Maggie Smith is perfect as Bette Davis' bitchy paid companion. It is not often that Bette Davis got upstaged in films. In this one, Smith just runs over her with her perfectly time quips. Smith won the Oscar that year for California Suite but I think this was much better.
Orient Express was the perfect murder mystery move. Death on the Nile is a deliciously fun mystery.
Movie Review: Death on the Nile
Summary: 4 Stars
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS must have impressed me, because I bought this the next day and watched it that evening. It's great. Agatha Christie wrote novels with the intention of writing novels, but as luck would have it they translate into films quite well. Exotic scenery. A peek at how rich folks live. An all-star cast in fun roles that are meant to be a bit over the top, so that we think everybody is the killer. And everybody has the means, motive and opportunity to be the killer. But who is it?
In this particular film, I solved it somewhere between the time that Poirot solved it and the time that he explained it, which is about a ten-minute window. Agatha Christie wrote some damn tough puzzles with a very sneaky wit because she was having fun, same as her readers, or in the case of this film the actors and audience.
This is Peter Ustinov's first outing as Hercule Poirot, and he was an excellent choice. In the previous movie, Albert Finney was perfect because it was essential that we underestimate the Belgian sleuth. In this movie, it was essential that we did not.
Oh, and for no particular reason, I'll mention that I've always liked David Niven as a distinguished elder gentleman. When he was a young pretty boy Pink Panther with disco hair, I wasn't impressed. British gentleman Niven is in this film, as a fellow detective and a friend to Hercule Poirot. I like it.
Movie Review: Pretty good
Summary: 4 Stars
Like many other reviewers, I have a deep affection for the character of hercule poirot and am quick to point out any inconsistencies between the actor portraying him and my own vision of him. Death on the Nile is the first movie in which I saw peter ustinov in the role (other christie productions with him as poirot pale incredibly in comparison to this one). At first I thought he was terribly miscast, mainly because he didn't look the part and his "belgian" accent was so phony. However, after seeing this movie a few times, his performance has grown on me; he adds much needed playful humor to the movie which I think is present in much of Christie's books, but many times lost in the movie/tv versions, especially those with David Suchet (who is much too serious for my taste). I think ustinov plays well the whole "papa poirot" side of the character. Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith and the other big names did a pretty good job, but I think the Egyptian landscape was the real star of this production, and, of course, the incredibly clever twisting plot. I'm giving four stars because this is one of the more well made christie productions; my favorite is murder on the orient express with albert finney, who, down to the limp (a war injury mentioned in the mysterious affair at styles), was, in my mind, a nearly perfect poirot.Movie Review: USTINOV SHINES IN GREAT LOOKING MURDER MYSTERY
Summary: 4 Stars
"DEATH ON THE NILE" Yet another story of a murdered millionaire heiress, but this time, the movie has a much bigger budget (than "Endless Night"), a screenplay by Anthony Schaeffer, exotic Egyptian locations and a star-studded cast that includes Bette Davis, David Niven, Angelea Lansbury, Mia Farrow, Olivia Hussey and Lois Chiles.
Peter Ustinov is droll, meticulous, Belgian master sleuth Hercule Poirot taking a cruise down the Nile on the S.S. Karnak. And, as is often the case when he goes on holiday, someone dies. Soon, all the rich passengers are suspects in the murder of Linnet Ridgeway. Can he find the culprit before the boat docks? Of course. But you will be surprised at his revelation -- and the number of bodies that fall along the way!
Director John Guillerman works hard to balance the Christie formula of character over plot. The movie works and is a delight.
A highlight is Nino Rota's memorable score that cleverly riffs the chugging of the steam powered boat heading up river. Jack Cardiff's cinematography perfectly evokes 1932. (UK, Color, Widescreen, 140 Minutes, Rated PG, 1978)