Evil Under the Sun
by Guy Hamilton
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Colin Blakely, James Mason, Jane Birkin, Nicholas Clay, Peter UstinovDirector: Guy Hamilton
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-02-27
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Movie Reviews of Evil Under the Sun
Movie Review: Everyone has an alibi...yet we still have a body
Summary: 5 Stars
Hercule Poirot ponders a troubling predicament in EVIL UNDER THE SUN. There is a murderer among them, they have a dead body that proves that, yet everyone who could have committed the murder has an alibi. How Poirot overcomes this obstacle and presents the details of the crime is a large part of the fun in this second of the Peter Ustinov star studded Poirot movies after the entertaining and successful DEATH ON THE NILE.
A big fan of the gorgeous Diana Rigg, I was excited to see her listed as one of the stars in this adaptation of the Agatha Christie book.
In fact it appears that my favorite actresses invariably end up being the corpse in these Ustinov Poirot movies. In DEATH ON THE NILE I was attracted to the title because Lois (MOONRAKER) Chiles played the key part of the murdered heiress.
Here, another former Bond girl Rigg plays a famous stage star who ends up as the victim of a plot that is so ingenious and amazing in both its complex nature and absolute simplicity.
The Christie novel was set on the Engliush coast but here the producers have wisely switched the setting to an island resort hotel in the Adriatic which is run by a former chorus girl Daphne Castle (played with some nice humor by Maggie Smith).
Arriving as a guest at the hotel is a former rival of Castle's Arlena Marshall (played by Rigg). As is the case with most Christie novels (and especially DEATH ON THE NILE and 1974's MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS), the victim Marshall is surrounded by enemies at the resort. Apart from Smith's Castle they include Roddy McDowell as Rex Brewster who is devastated to learn that Marshall will not allow his biography of her to be published. Also guests at the hotel are theatrical producers Odell and Myrna Gardner (played by James Mason and Sylvia Miles) who hold a grudge against Marshall for walking out on a stage production they had produced. Colin Blakely plays Sir Horace Blatt who made Marshall the offer of a diamond before being jilted by her. Also included in the cast is Nicholas Clay (as Marshall's lover Patrick Redfern) and Jane Birkin as his wife Christine Redfern. Also included is Denis Quilley (as Marshall's husband) and Emily Hone as her stepdaughter. The cast all play their parts perfectly, with equal dashes of humor and drama.
Found dead sunbathing on the beach is legendary actress Arlena Marshall, yet nobody seems to have had the opportunity to kill her. Belgian detective Hercule Poirot must unravel the truth and expose the red herrings to identify the murderer. Ustinov (as always) delivers a tour de force performance and Poirot and is (to my mind) the most consistently entertaining of all the actors to have played the part.
Another alumni of the James Bond series is Director Guy (GOLDFINGER) Hamilton who guides the movie through to its thrilling climax.
Included on the DVD is a vintage documentary on the `Making of EVIL UNDER THE SUN as well as theatrical trailers. The picture quality is good (nicely presented in widescreen) as is the Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio track.
Overall this movie is a lot of fun, and the mystery is involving and surprising - factors that make this movie especially entertaining towards the final scenes.
This movie is also available as part of a three-pack along with DEATH ON THE NILE and THE MIRROR CRACK'D or individually. Whichever option you choose this is a fine addition to anyones collection which I have no hesitation in recommending.
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