Review of And Then There Were None (1945) by James S — 14 Jun 2009
Decent adaptation of one of Agatha Christie's better known non - Miss Marple works.
10 strangers are gathered on a one mansion island by the mysterious Mr Owen only to find out they've all been accused of ghastly goings on and are subsequently offed one by one in keeping with a nursery rhyme by the name of Ten Little Indians.
The film does a good job of setting up the character types before a word has even been uttered and the ensemble cast are all very good in their roles. The characters remain as dumb-founded to their situation as the viewer is and the mystery is played out well for all together.
This was made long before the age of gore and flashy lighting effects therefore the murders are simple and eloquent and it's amazing the effect that candle light in black and white can have on a murder mystery.
The twist is suitably unguessable as it usually is in Agatha Christie's work but it does not disappoint. It's a shame then that the movie goes for a happy ending rather than the ambiguous darker ending of the play and novel.
That aside though this is an admirable movie that at the end of the day is just a great murder mystery story told in a good old fashioned way which will always be a recipe for success.
This review of And Then There Were None (1945) was written by James S on 14 Jun 2009.
And Then There Were None has generally received positive reviews.
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