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And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: In the Sherlock Holmes tradition
Review: Similar to House of Fear in the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes tradition. Good atmosphere, interesting characters. Stays fairly close to the Agatha Christie famous short novel. I like the novel better in that it goes more in depth concerning each character. I like the film better because of the style and nice location for the story.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A big disappoinment.
Review: If your expecting one of those classic black and white movies, with great acting, set in a eerie mansion, with heart stopping suspense and thrills, don't bother with this movie. The acting was not good and there seemed to be more comedy than suspense. This was the first Agatha Christie book I read, many years ago, and the first movie I saw based on one of her books. The movie did not compare to my imagination while reading the book. If other movies based on Christie's books are like this, I would strictly stick to reading, and not watching.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: RUINS EVERYTHING THE BOOK STANDS FOR
Review: First, let me say that the book is wonderful. The movie isn't a bad movie, if you don't consider that it is supposed to be based on this book. Beacuse Hollywood has to have romance and a nice ending, they changed the ending, completely misrepresenting what the book symbolized and the chillingness of the plot. Just beware that this is what can happen when a great novel is "Hollywood-ized" . If you see the movie, at least read the book first, and you'll see what I mean.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A classic shot-for-shot mystery by the Queen of Crime.
Review: This movie was definitely one of my favorites in the Agatha Christie collection. If you read the book, the movie is almsost as good.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This movie is a real suspence thriller.
Review: I LOVE this movie because old movies can never be replaced even when they try and recreat them and they just turn out all the same-boring.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Best Film Adaptation of Agatha Christie
Review: A marvelous cast, script, and direction make this by far the best adaptation of Agatha Christie's work (though the ending and a couple of characters are tampered with). Based upon her devilishly clever mystery, also adapted as a play, "And Then There Were None" finds ten strangely mismatched people headed to a lovely guest house on Indian Island, a small desert island off the coast of Devonshire, England. Once there, the curious guests find that about all they have in common is a vague invitation to spend the weekend on this island by someone--a friend of a friend--named Una Nancy Owen, or Ulick Norman Owen (not to be mysterious, always U. N. Owen), until after their first meal, a gramophone record is played, naming each of them and accusing one and all of a murder that the law couldn't touch. Then one of them dies mysteriously, and...well, that would be telling, wouldn't it? Mystery, suspense, a bit of satire on British society circa 1940s, and a surprise ending the like of which has rarely been equalled, this is a great, fun film for rainy winter evenings with popcorn and hot chocolate (or something stronger), and one you'll want to see more than once.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It Was OK.
Review: This movie was better then the book. It was much easier to understand. I think both were very good though. They were very intresting and they were better than good they were great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The BUTLER did it!! Or did he??
Review: =====>

I watched this black and white 1945 movie (whose New York premiere was on Halloween day at the Roxy Theatre) of almost 100 minutes without first reading the novel that it is based on. I'm glad I did this! Why? Because I was forced to really watch the movie in order to deduce who the murderer was.

According to the opening credits, this movie is "based on the [1939] novel [of the same name] by [Dame] Agatha Christie" (1890 to 1976). However, this is not quite accurate. This movie is really based on the play version of this book that has a slightly different ending than the book. (Note: In America, this novel is known as "Ten Little Indians.")

As a synopsis, ten strangers are invited as weekend guests to the only mansion located on an isolated island. When the host, with the unusual name of "U.N. Owen" and his wife don't show up, the guests start dying, one by one, according to the lines in the children's poem entitled "Ten Little Indians." These guests and the viewer are constantly reminded of the body count as each of the ten figures on a ceramic display are secretly broken, one by one, directly after a murder is committed.

Who exactly are these ten strangers? They are as follows (in the order in which they are killed):

1. Russian Prince Starloff (played by Mischa Auer)
2. Maid Rogers (Queenie Leonard)
3. Retired General Mandrake (Sir C. Aubrey Smith)
4. Butler Rogers (Richard Haydn)
5. Spinster (?) Brent (Dame Judith Anderson)
6. Judge Quinncannon (Barry Fitzgerald)
7. Dr. Armstrong (Walter Huston)
8. Detective Bloor (Roland Young)
9. Explorer Lombard (Louis Hayward)
10. Secretary Claythorne (June Duprez)

The above cast does a stellar job in their roles. They make the movie come across not only as a mystery but also as a black comedy (thanks to a well-crafted script). Personally, I think the actor who portrayed the butler did the best job.

As the murders begin to occur, the guests realize that there is a person acting as "judge, jury, and executioner." And that person, they surmise, is Mr. Owen. Suspense is created when these guests (and the viewer) start asking themselves questions:

(1) Is Owen hiding in the mansion killing them one by one?
(2) Is Owen one of them? That is, is the "loose cannon" one of them?
(3) (Is Owen the boatman that drove them from the mainland to the island?)

The black and white gives the movie a claustrophobic feeling (adding another dimension to this movie). The cinematography is breathtaking. The main background music for this movie is unique, something I did not expect.

I thought this movie was a little rushed at the beginning. However, it slowed down as it progressed.

Finally, the DVD (the one distributed by the studio Image Entertainment) has just one extra. Even though it lasts less than two minutes, it is VERY interesting.

In conclusion, this is a fun movie, even if you have read the book. For those who haven't read the book, I have left clues as to who the murderer may be in the above review. If you think you know who it is, then view the movie to see if you're right!

<=====>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great mystery.
Review: This was the first film based on an Agatha Christie novel that I saw. I thought it was a very clever mystery. It had intersting characters and I think the for the most part the actors did a good job; especially Barry Fitzgerald. The ending is different that the novels. It is closer to the ending of the play version of the novel. It still works though. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who likes a good mystery.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Does The Mystery Go Unsolved?
Review: Eight strangers arrive by boat at an isolated island where they were invited for the weekend to the mansion of Mr. U. N. Owen. They are greeted by the two servants, the butler and his wife, the cook. They are shown their rooms and told that at dinner they will meet their host. So starts a great Forties' movie, And Then There Were None, based on the Agatha Christie mystery, Ten Little Indians.

After dinner when Mr. Owen fails to appear, the butler puts a record on the gramaphone and Mr. Owen speaks. He accuses everyone he invited, including the butler and the cook, of murder. There's the judge who sent an innocent man to be hanged. The doctor who drunkenly and fatally botched an operation. The general who sent his wife's lover to his death in battle. The detective whose perjured testimony sent a man to the gallows. There's consternation and denial. Drinks are served. The first to die is a Russian prince who strangles on cyanide in the middle of a song. And the plaster sculpture of ten little Indians, the centerpiece of the dining room table, has one little Indian smashed. As the hours pass, more die, each in the manner of the nursery rhyme

This is a wonderful movie, and very much a product of it's time. Everything about it speaks of professionalism and craftsmanship. There's not a slow moment. The suspense steadily builds. The mystery gets more and more mysterious. And while there is suspense and dread, there also is much wit and black humor. The mansion's rooms are unsettling even when they're empty. The rocky coast of the island and the grey clouds and smashing surf make great backgrounds. The conclusion of the movie, when all is made clear, is amusing, satisfying and clever.

Two things stand out. First, the mystery is genuinely clever. Not too many people, seeing this for the first time, are going to figure things out. Second, the acting is great and the characters are portrayed by a whole boatload of terrific character actors: Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Roland Young, Mischa Auer, Judith Anderson, C. Aubrey Smith, Richard Hayden (perfect as the adnoidal butler), Queenie Leonard. And there's also June Duprez and Louis Hayward. They work together extremely well. This is ensemble acting before ensemble acting was talked about so much.

The movie is in the public domain, so you have to be careful about the version you might buy. My copy is from VCI Home Entertainment. The picture quality is good and doesn't interfere with enjoying the movie unless you're a pefectionist.


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