Evil Under the Sun (1982)

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writer:

Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 March 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Evil is Everywhere. Even in Paradise.

Plot:

Trying to find how a millionaire wound up with a phony diamond brings Hercule Poirot to an exclusive island resort frequented by the rich and famous. When a murder is committed, everyone has an alibi.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Hercule Poirot | Murder | Hotel | Whodunit

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Peter Ustinov	...	Hercule Poirot
Jane Birkin	...	Christine Redfern
Colin Blakely	...	Sir Horace Blatt
Nicholas Clay	...	Patrick Redfern
James Mason	...	Odell Gardener
Roddy McDowall	...	Rex Brewster
Sylvia Miles	...	Myra Gardener
Denis Quilley	...	Captain Kenneth Marshall
Diana Rigg	...	Arlena Stuart Marshall
Maggie Smith	...	Daphne Castle
Emily Hone	...	Linda Marshall
John Alderson	...	Police Sergeant
Paul Antrim	...	Police Inspector
Cyril Conway	...	Police Surgeon
Barbara Hicks	...	Mr. Flewitt's Secretary

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Ireland:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 (1982) | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

Last cinema film of Colin Blakely.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The first corpse (found in the moor at the beginning of the film) can clearly be seen breathing.

Quotes:

Daphne Castle: Arlena and I were in the chorus of a show together, not that I could ever compete. Even in those days, she could always throw her legs up in the air higher than any of us... and wider.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of Agatha Christie's 'Evil Under the Sun' (1982) (TV)

Soundtrack:

You're the Top

Peter Ustinov, Mediterranean sunshine, a dead body -- all this and Cole Porter too!

Peter Ustinov recreates the role of Poirot, following the wonderful Death On The Nile. This is not the story as Agatha Christie wrote it, but here we have a rare example of the movie being better than the book. In fact it would be more accurate to say that here we have a murder mystery based on an idea by Miss Christie. We are presented with is a cast of characters, a murder victim, and just about everyone has a motive. Poirot of course, deduces who did it. The sun in question, under which this evil takes place, shines down on a privately owned island in the Mediterranean, giving us a warm and exotic location.

There isn't one bad performance among the cast, several of whom have appeared before in at least one other Poirot story. Maggie Smith and Jane Birkin in Evil Under The Sun; Dennis Quilley and Colin Blakely in Murder On The Orient Express. Diana Rigg and Maggie Smith almost steal the show as two women who smile sweetly at each other as they spit venom! But every bit as good are Blakely, Quilley, Mason, McDowall and the rest. And while all this is going on, the soundtrack is solid gold Cole Porter, which has been orchestrated perfectly to fit the story.

This movie is pure fun. Make yourself comfortable, suspend disbelief and allow yourself to be transported to another era and location for a couple of hours of enjoyment.