And Then There Were None

Plot

Based on the classic novel by mystery author Agatha Christie that was later adapted as the Broadway hit Ten Little Indians , And Then There Were None begins with ten characters, each with a skeleton in his or her closet, on a remote island off the English coast. They soon realize that they have been brought there by an insane judge, who has tried each of them for criminal behavior in the past, and who now feels it is his duty to render proper justice for each. The struggle to stay alive begins as each "guest" is eliminated in a fashion that corresponds to the titular nursery rhyme. Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, and C. Aubrey Smith are among those marked for death. The film's ending differs from that of the novel, and later remakes in 1966, 1975, and 1989 (all using the title Ten Little Indians), alternated between Christie's original finale and this film's climax. Depending on one's taste, the film's pacing is either excruciatingly slow or suspenseful, but the storyline has become a cinematic staple in everything from horror (Theatre Of Blood) to satire (Murder By Death). ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Review

One of the quintessential "whodunit" mysteries, And Then There Were None is a stylish masterpiece of suspense elegantly staged by director René Clair. Based on the Agatha Christie novel Ten Little Indians, the film closely follows the tone and plot of the book, albeit with an altered ending. The cast is appropriately comprised of fine character actors such as Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Mischa Auer, and C. Aubrey Smith. Clair has cast each performer in a role well-suited to his or her strengths, and the result is a smooth, seamless progression from set-up to central mystery to dénouement. And Then is among the most influential of mystery tales, as its process-of-elimination resolution has been copied numerous times in a variety of formats. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi

Cast

• Barry Fitzgerald - Judge Quincannon
• Walter Huston - Dr. Armstrong
• Louis Hayward - Phillip Lombard
• Roland Young - Detective Blore
• June Duprez - Vera Claythorne

C. Aubrey Smith - Gen. Sir John Mandrake; Judith Anderson - Emily Brent; Mischa Auer - Prince Nikki Starloff; Richard Haydn - Rogers, the butler; Queenie Leonard - Mrs. Rogers; Harry Thurston - Fisherman

Credit

Ernst Fegte - Art Director, Rene Hubert - Costume Designer, René Clair - Director, Harvey Manger - Editor, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Composer (Music Score), Lucien Andriot - Cinematographer, René Clair - Producer, Harry M. Popkin - Producer, René Clair - Screenwriter, Dudley Nichols - Screenwriter, Agatha Christie - Play Author

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