And Then There Were None

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.

Outstanding director + outstanding cast = ensemble performance to keep you guessing: who is the killer?

For movie buffs: the cinematography is in keeping with a stage play rather than a movie, adding an element of claustrophobia. Roland Young delivers a performance the diametric opposite of his role as "Topper", while Richard Haydn (Sound of Music) as the drunk butler is priceless. But all of them may surprise...

For Christi buffs: the movie follows the book closely - up to the end, which was a little too depressing for moviegoers of the era. Nonetheless you will be mystified right up to the end.

I am satisfied with the VCI edition of And Then There Were None at the price, and have seen it 3 times since it arrived.

I have to say "And Then There Were None" with this great cast and Rene Clair just doesn't measure up. The script is decent with a name change of one character - from movie star to Prince - and it does have a happy ending that the book doesn't have. Louis Hayward is a good actor, but does very little with his role as Lombard. Walter Huston does not make a believable Dr. Armstrong. And as good as Judy Deprez is in the "Four Feathers" and "The Thief of Bagdad", she is also not as believable here as Vera Claythorne either. Same for C. Aubrey Smith and Judith Anderson. Richard Haydn are better actors, but there really don't get to do much here.There is a lot going on inside these charcters, but the looks between them, the fear, the angers, the suspision just doesn't register. It's more a by the numbers plot. This has been redone many times in other films and TV shows. The One from The Avengers in "The Superlative Seven" is great fun.

But mostly the direction of Rene Clair is not up to one of my all time favorite films by Rene Clair:"I Married a Witch" - superb, by the by. This is a puzzle and a mystery with a serious situation and real murder. The First murder was a Hollywood death with all the trimmings. For the most part other murders happen off the screen, so it does not set up very well.

I have never liked other film versions, but I had very fond memories of this one. I am deeply diappointed.

Now one more thing. I have a very inexpensive Phillips DVD Player. When I owned a Expensive DVD Player, not every DVD worked - and I had lots of headaches with DVDs I produced for business. Then I bought this one for $60 - the low end Phillips and it's played everything I put in it. When I heard there was some fuzzy images at the beginning and unstable playing, I figured for $5.99, I could live with that. So It comes as a total surprise - and I shouldn't be, but I am - that this DVD was sharp and steady from the opening FBI until the very last frame. What anyone who orders this DVD should remember is that the best quality DVD may look better in a cheaper more up to date DVD Player and work better than the older, more expensive DVD Player with all the bells and whistles,

For those who can play code-2-DVDs, there is a fourth version on the market. The French Canal+ (see Am.fr) has edited in 2007 a restored version that is the best so far (I already own the "best" code-1-version by Image disc). The language is English, of course - just ignore the French subtitles, they do not hurt. There are no blemishes as flickers, specks and faded pictures, the b/w-contrast is very good, the sound of course very mono, the background music rather too loud, and the wide-angle takes could be sharper. Well, the movie was produced in 1945 - maybe Criterion or mk2 (its French equivalent) could do better? I doubt it. As for commenting on the transfer: that is the most essential information for me. Whoever goes for such a classic does usually know what he wants: a good transfer. So please stop enthusing and go on informing. Thanks!

I read the novel and it was brilliant. What about the movie? It is right if someone said that you can't compare a book and a film. They stand in diffrent medium. It's like you compare a fried chicken and an orange juice. The movie's just like the novel. But,you know,old movies usually had short duration. So, you wont find any detail emotion of each characters and it had no time to built a mystery as thrilling as the book. And some jokes were included. It was OK. The screenwriter could write all the important parts of the novel into a 1,5 hour film. But the screenwrite made an alternative ending that made the story had a happy ending. I just dont like this ending. The novel already had the better ending. There's no need to make a twist by changing it.

The DVD is okay. And it's cheap. What do you expect?