And Then There Were None (1945)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

René Clair

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Dudley Nichols (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 October 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Agatha Christie tale of 10 people invited to an isolated place only to find that an unseen person is killing them one by one. One of them?

Plot Keywords:

Island | Record | Guest | Agatha Christie | Dinner

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Barry Fitzgerald	...	Judge Francis J. Quinncannon
Walter Huston	...	Dr. Edward G. Armstrong
Louis Hayward	...	Philip Lombard
Roland Young	...	Detective William Henry Blore
June Duprez	...	Vera Claythorne
Mischa Auer	...	Prince Nikita 'Nikki' Starloff
C. Aubrey Smith	...	General Sir John Mandrake (as Sir C. Aubrey Smith)
Judith Anderson	...	Emily Brent
Richard Haydn	...	Thomas Rogers
Queenie Leonard	...	Ethel Rogers
Harry Thurston	...	Fred Narracott

Also Known As:

Rene Clair's 'And Then There Were None' (USA) (complete title)
Ten Little Niggers (UK)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording) | Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:(Banned) (1946) | USA:Approved | Sweden:15 | UK:U (2002)

Company:

Rene Clair Productions

Trivia:

This movie, as all existent versions of "Ten Little Indians," is based not on the novel by Agatha Christie but on her very similar play. While the identity of the murderer is the same in both versions, the outcome of who survives the murderer's plot is very different.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Vera starts playing a piano piece (Schubert's Scherzo No. 1 in B flat major), Philip says "E flat, Miss Claythorne." There is in fact no E flat in the piece until two measures later.

Quotes:

Judge Francis J. Quincannon: So you see, the whole thing has been as inevitable as in a nursery rhyme. When the boat arrives from the mainland, there will be ten dead bodies, and a riddle no one can solve on Indian Island.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Friday the 13th (1980)

Soundtrack:

Ten Little Indians

The masterpiece of murder mysteries

Rene Clair's masterful direction takes Christie's classic novel up to a new dimension more suitable for cinema. Every character is perfectly realized by magnificent acting. My favorite is C. Aubrey Smith who portrays General Mandrake with a British subtlety that cannot be understood fully by today's American viewers. But why quibble?

Every cast member is perfect. Roland Young may actually be the most instrumental as Blore in keeping the films wit intact and never allowing it to get too serious. Barry Fitzgerald is terrific as the Judge, and Huston perfection itself as the charming, albeit alcoholic, doctor. Dame Judith Anderson, perhaps the best supporting actress of all time, dominates every seen she is in as a sinister spinster.

But, of course, there is a lead, and in the hands of a lesser actor, he could have wound up being a feckless straight man to all the great character actors around him. With Louis Hayward as Mr. Lombard, the character more than holds his own with all challengers, and has an especially nice chemistry with Young. And although June Duprez is slightly out of her league as a thespian, she is plucky and capable enough, with Hayward's help, to pull off her role just fine.

The atmosphere, photography, and soundtrack are all artistic perfection. This movie is a true treat for all the senses.