movie review and then there were none

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, black writers week, rene clair's "and then there were none".

The Ebert Club is pleased to share the following film by the great French auteur  Rene Clair   and to invite you to join the Club and see what other mysteries lurk in the tree house!

And Then There Were None (1945) Directed by Rene Clair. Written by Dudley Nichols and based on the novel by Agatha Christie. Starring Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston , Louis Hayward , Roland Young, Mischa Auer , June Duprez and Judith Anderson.   Winner! 1946 Locarno International Film Festival: Best Film. Synopsis: Ten strangers are summoned to a small island off the coast of Devon, by a mysterious note. Once there they discover that their unknown host, a certain "Mr. Owen", has not yet arrived. They're told he'll be there by dinner and so they retire to their rooms to prepare for the evening. Come dinner, their host has still not arrived and suddenly a voice on a gramophone record proceeds to accuse all of them of past murders they were never prosecuted for. The guests strongly deny any wrong doing and a decision is made to leave the island immediately!  A servant however, tells them that there's no way to get the boat from the mainland. There's also no phone on the island and the boat only comes twice a week. It won't be back until Monday morning and it's only Friday night....

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Latest blog posts

Kevin Costner: The Last of the Cornball American Directors

Leaving A Mark Behind: Kevin Costner on Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1

The Hard Way, Or My Way? RIP Bill Cobbs (1934-2024)

Catherine Breillat Wants You to Think About (Movie) Sex Differently

Latest reviews.

A Quiet Place: Day One

Brian tallerico.

Green Border

Godfrey cheshire.

Last Summer

Christy lemire.

Sheila O'Malley

Kalki 2898 - AD

Simon abrams.

Matt Zoller Seitz

Advertisement

Supported by

Review: ‘And Then There Were None,’ a Classic Murder Case Revived

• Share full article

By Mike Hale

• March 11, 2016

“And Then There Were None” — the alternate name of the 1939 Agatha Christie novel “Ten Little _____” — stands out among her work for more than its startlingly racist original title. It’s a mystery without a detective, no Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to make sense of things — just 10 people trapped on an island, being murdered one by one per the instructions of a macabre nursery rhyme.

The recent four-hour BBC mini-series adapted from the book (and being shown on Lifetime starting on Sunday night) takes the strangeness of “And Then There Were None” and runs with it. When one of the 10 asks, “Is there something a tad off here?,” fans of Ms. Christie’s cozy mysteries may nod vigorously, wondering why they’re watching an artsy, darkly humorous psychological horror story instead of a comforting whodunit.

Written by Sarah Phelps — whose other mini-series include “The Crimson Field” and the adaptation of “ The Casual Vacancy ” by J. K. Rowling — and directed by Craig Viveiros, “None” overdoes the self-conscious creepiness at first. The close-ups of slabs of meat being hacked apart for dinner and a few forced performances from otherwise reliable actors (especially Anna Maxwell Martin as the servant Ethel Rogers) smack of concept getting in the way of common sense.

Once the gathering of the victims has been completed, however, and the murderer goes to work, the series settles into a satisfyingly eerie groove. It also stays relatively faithful to the events and tone of Ms. Christie’s book, right through to the nihilistic ending. (If anything, it’s more despairing than the novel, because it eliminates the postscript in which the killer’s confession is found.)

The cast includes some familiar faces, like Miranda Richardson, Sam Neill and Toby Stephens, but the standouts are Maeve Dermody as the secretary, Vera Claythorne, and Aidan Turner (“Poldark”) as the soldier of fortune, Philip Lombard, whose relationship is steamier onscreen than on the page. And Charles Dance continues to exercise his monopoly on classy but menacing pillars of the establishment, adding the hanging judge Lawrence Wargrave to a résumé that already includes Tywin Lannister of “Game of Thrones.”

• Best of WNC
• Eats & Drinks
• Field Guide
• Current Issue
• Give Local Guide
• Development Guide
• Member Login
• CLASSIFIEDS
• Performance Art
• Community News
• Local Government
• Politics & Elections
• Environment
• Beer & Cider
• Coffee & Tea
• Wine & Spirits
• Farm & Garden
• Spirituality
• Sustainability
• Submit Letters
• Submit Calendar Events
• Advertising
• Staff Directory
• Join as a Member
• One-time Contribution
• Manage Payment
• Our Members

And Then There Were None

Movie information.

Christie’s novel came out in 1939 — under a very politically incorrect title (even then)—and was an immediate hit, and this despite the fact that it wasn’t exactly original. The 1930 novel  The Invisible Host   by Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning is a virtual template for Christie’s novel, with its story of eight people confined to a booby-trapped penthouse by a murderous madman out for revenge. (This was itself filmed in 1934 as  The Ninth Guest   and incorporated into the Boris Karloff horror picture  The Man They Could Not Hang   in 1939.)  However, Christie’s is more compelling story — not in the least because the characters are much more engaging, something that only the 1945 version gets just right.

Part of the trick, of course, lies in the film’s shrewd casting. Though not household names today, the film’s major stars — Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston — were immensely popular at the time, especially Fitzgerald, hot off his Oscar win for  Going My Way   (1944), and here cast very much against type. But every single actor is brilliantly suited to their role. No one but Mischa Auer, for example, could have pulled off the self-involved professional house guest, Prince Nikita Starloff, for whom having run over a couple of innocent people means nothing except that it resulted in having his driver’s license taken away. Similarly, Roland Young is perfect as the low-rent Cockney private investigator, and no one could better Richard Haydn’s drunken butler. Sir C. Aubrey Smith and Dame Judith Anderson are also fine. It might be argued, on the other hand, that Louis Hayward and June Duprez are a little out of their depth as the romantic leads, but they’re good enough in what are admittedly the least interesting roles.

In the end, however, it’s really a director’s film. There’s no doubt that René Clair was having the time of his life coming up with endlessly creative ways of presenting the material. There aren’t many movies where the best jokes are delivered by camera placement, but  And Then There Were None   is just such a film — even though some of the jokes are of a surprisingly dark nature. It’s all great fun, nicely suspenseful, atmospheric and built around one the best mystery plots ever. Pure entertainment is rarely better than this.

The Asheville Film Society will screen And Then There Were None on Tuesday, June 14, at 7:30 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse and will be hosted by Xpress movie critic Ken Hanke.

About Ken Hanke

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply ×

Enter your WordPress.com blog URL

http:// .wordpress.com Proceed

• Coffee & Tea
• Wine & Spirits
• Farm & Garden
• Movie News & Previews
• Politics & Elections

More Xpress

• Classifieds
• Issue Archive
• Eats & Drinks
• Newsletters

Follow Xpress

• mountain xpress
• Terms & Privacy
• Website Feedback

Mountain Xpress © 1995-2024

And Then There Were None Review

31 Oct 1945

And Then There Were None

If you enjoyed Robert Altman's take on the English country house murder mystery, then you might be inspired to check out René Clair's creaky whodunit, the granddaddy of the genre and an important precursor of the slasher movie.

Ten strangers hiding guilty secrets (among them Walter Huston, Roland Young, Louis Hayward, June Duprez, and Barry Fitzgerald) are invited to an isolated island mansion where they are murdered one after the other.

Based, inevitably, on an Agatha Christie novel, the source is actually a nursery rhyme and the stranded strangers/mysterious murders plot has that compulsive, simplistic quality to it. Sadly, so does the acting, staging and photography. The print quality, meanwhile, hardly seems worth being immortalised on DVD.

Looking at Film from Every Angle

Review: And Then There Were None (1945)

Wesley Lovell

And Then There Were None

Dudley Nichols

Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Roland Young, June Duprez, Mischa Auer, Sir C. Aubrey Smith, Judith Anderson, Richard Haydn, Queenie Leonard, Harry Thurston

MPAA Rating

One of the most celebrated and popular novels of all time, And Then There Were None proves a fitting source for adaptation in this chilling look at ten people brought to a remote island to answer for their crimes.

Agatha Christie wrote And Then There Were None under a more offensive title [1] in 1939 based loosely on a nursery rhyme about ten little figures whose escapades lead to their sequential deaths. For Christie’s novel, seven men and three women are the figures who find themselves trapped on an island with a killer who wants to punish them for “murders” they committed in the years preceding the events of the film.

The victims include a playboy, a pair of servants, a spinster, a private detective, a retired judge, a doctor, a governess, a general, and a soldier of fortune. Each of them were charged in the deaths of others, but were exonerated. Someone didn’t like their very public escape from justice and brought them together to do what the law was unable to do. It’s an age-old concept, vigilante justice, but it’s done in such a clever and fascinating way, it’s no surprise that it’s one of history’s most popular novels, having sold more than 100 million copies since its release.

Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Roland Young, June Duprez, Mischa Auer, C. Aubrey Smith, Judith Anderson, Richard Haydn, and Queenie Leonard play those individuals, three of whom have been given new names from those in the original book. It’s a strong roster of actors and they all deliver solid performances, but this film relies just as much on its atmosphere as it does its cast.

That atmosphere is crafted by director René Clair and cinematographer Lucien N. Andriot based on a screenplay by Dudley Nichols. Nichols’ script is mostly faithful to the novel, though it uses the 1943 stage adaptation’s ending, which blunts some of the impact. That decision doesn’t stop the film from largely succeeding and the black-and-white noir style befits the thrilling and salacious nature of the story and the murders committed.

This was the first of myriad adaptations of the novel, many of them have been in English, but nearly as many have been in languages other than, such as Tamil, Russian, and Spanish. This was the third adaptation I ever saw and, by then, the material was a bit more played out. I admire what they did with the film, but also feel it inferior to the next major adaptation, which went by the problematic title Ten Little Indians [1] . We can talk about that film then. For now, my opinion of And Then There Were None was that it was a solid effort, decently acted, but less atmospheric than its successor.

[1] In the United States, the “N” word has been classified as horrendously racist for more than a century. At the time Christie wrote her novel, that word was still in wide usage in England and hadn’t been deemed offensive as yet. As such, she released the title based on the included nursery rhyme, “Ten Little ‘N’s,” a minstrel rhyme that clearly shows its racist roots.

In subsequent editions, that title (and the poem) was at first changed to (the less offensive at the time) Ten Little Indians , but has in the last two decades been known by And Then There Were None with the entirely inoffensive “Soldiers” as the figures in the rhyme.

Of the other films I will be reviewing in the next few weeks, three are known by the “I” title while two (this and a later version) are known by And Then There Were None . The final two are in Hindi and Russian. That’s just a little history on the title and its subsequent alterations.

Review Written

September 12, 2023

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Search Our Site

Affiliated Sites

Posts by Topic

Infrequent Updates

Site Updates

Username or Email Address

Remember Me

Registration Form

TV Review: ‘And Then There Were None’

By Maureen Ryan

Maureen Ryan

Chief TV Critic

• TV Review: ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 2 on Hulu 6 years ago
• TV Review: ‘Westworld’ Season 2 on HBO 6 years ago
• TV Review: Harlan Coben’s ‘Safe’ on Netflix 6 years ago

If you were to take the charismatic cast of “And Then There Were None” and strand them in a remote country house with cameras but no pre-written lines, the footage that resulted would probably still be worth watching. But what if smart producers took the likes of Charles Dance , Miranda Richardson, Noah Taylor, Anna Maxwell Martin, Aidan Turner, Burn Gorman and Sam Neill, and gave them a streamlined, supple script that ekes every ounce of suspense, commentary and pathos from the classic Agatha Christie novel?

The results are astoundingly and almost absurdly entertaining. This two-night BBC miniseries — snared for the U.S. by co-producer Lifetime — is as addictive as anything likely to air on either side of the Atlantic this year. “And Then There Were None” is wise not to overstay its welcome, but it still ends much too soon.

Related Stories

Car buyers want more screens as in-vehicle entertainment rises, 'flow' review: latvian animator gints zilbalodis follows mesmerizing 'away' with an endearing cat's incredible journey.

There are twists aplenty in this tale, which adds several layers of social and psychological complexity to the time-honored formula of the country-house mystery. But the biggest surprise of all — and it isn’t a spoiler — is that newcomer Maeve Dermody more than holds her own in this stellar assembly of actors. Dermody plays Vera Claythorne, a schoolteacher who, like everyone else arriving on a remote island on a gray, windswept day, conceals more than her fair share of secrets. There is a still, silent resignation to Claythorne that imbues the entire drama with a note of regret, but the watchful character  is more layered  than first meets the eye — as is the case with the rest of the guests.

Popular on Variety

From the first minute, this drama knows exactly what it wants to accomplish and the kind of crisp yet evocative tone it wants to establish; it’s rare to feel so quickly that one is in sure, confident hands. The miniseries resembles FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” in many respects, in that it entertainingly collects and even celebrates every trope of its particular crime subgenre without the slightest tinge of shame. (At one point, on a dark and stormy night, a character holding a candle listens to thunder and watches the lights of the stately mansion flicker on and off — it’s like an entire game of Clue in one scene.) Taylor is melodramatic perfection as a creepy, obsequious butler; every meal is an opportunity to supply a set of juicy insults and delightfully barbed exchanges; and in each hallway and drawing room, there are significant glances between characters who don’t trust each other — or have begun to hate or lust after each other. 

And yet, this isn’t just a diverting excursion for fans of murder mysteries. The mini maintains a crisp pace, but takes the time to make a number of subtle but smart observations about class, gender, condescension and preconception. A puffed-up male doctor accuses a female guest of hysteria as weird events begin to occur, but of course, he’s the one who slowly loses his grip as the house party begins to drift into nightmare territory. The one character who freely admits to the crime he’s accused of comes off as a bit of a brute at first, but over time, he starts to seem like one of the saner members of this self-justifying, craven bunch — but it’s hard to shake the knowledge that his past is full of reprehensible actions as well.

Even so, this adaptation of the novel is remarkably respectful of every character’s emotional state, no matter what each man and woman proves capable of, and it’s that sensitivity that gives the drama a growing emotional undertow as it swiftly progresses from one economical set piece to the next. 

Christie’s whodunit, which concerns desperate strangers stranded with each other on a remote island who are manipulated by an unseen puppetmaster, was released in 1939, just as England was at its most vulnerable and on the cusp of a terrible, bloody reckoning. Past misdeeds and future dangers hang over every scene, and as lies and rationalizations are exposed, the mask of “civilized,” middle-class England starts to slip. Like Jane Austen, Christie was obsessed with social hierarchies — and how little it really takes to destabilize them.

As the ostensibly hospitable weekend devolves into a murderous fever dream, all the actors get a moment or two to shine, and given how perfectly the drama is cast, each character’s showcase is better than the next. Richardson, playing the kind of narrow-minded middle-aged woman Christie wrote about time and again, is sheer perfection as the sneering Mrs. Brent; it’s a delight to watch the way she puts aside a drink handed to her by a character she suspects, given that Richardson can make every gesture vibrate with meaning. Turner does the best work of his career as an Irishman whose cynicism hides a fierce, rational intelligence, and his chemistry with Dermody leaps off the screen. Gorman, Maxwell Martin and Neill, always reliably excellent, dig into their calculating roles not just with gusto but with precision and wonderfully effective craft, and Stephens plays the unraveling doctor with increasingly tremulous but effective intensity. Dance — otherwise known as Tywin Lannister on “Game of Thrones” — owns every scene he’s in; a raised eyebrow is all he needs to grab the audience’s full attention.

Writer Sarah Phelps and director Craig Viveiros understand intuitively that classic mysteries linger in the memory — and in the popular imagination — because they are not just about the who did what to whom, but why. All of these stiff-upper-lip characters conceal something terrible from the rest of the house guests, but they can’t hide their worst truths from themselves, and that knowledge slowly sends them close to the edge — a dangerous thing on an island ringed by cliffs.

How can a story with such clear-eyed bleakness at its heart be so very delicious? That may be the biggest mystery of all, but it’s absolutely one worth experiencing.

There’s a discussion of “And Then There Were None” (as well as “The Carmichael Show,” “Of Kings and Prophets,” “Agent Carter” and “The Americans”) on the latest Talking TV podcast , which is here and on iTunes .

(Miniseries; Lifetime, Sun. March 13, 8 p.m., and Mon. March 14, 9 p.m.) 4 HOURS

• Production: Filmed in the U.K. by BBC One, Lifetime and A+E Studios Intl.
• Crew: Executive producers, Mathew Prichard, Hilary Strong, Karen Thrussell, Damien Timmer, Matthew Read, Sarah Phelps; writer, Phelps; director, Craig Viveiros.
• Cast: Charles Dance, Maeve Dermody, Aidan Turner, Burn Gorman, Toby Stephens, Miranda Richardson, Noah Taylor, Sam Neill, Anna Maxwell Martin, Douglas Booth, Paul Chahidi

More from Variety

Korea box office: ai fantasy ‘wonderland’ takes weekend win as ‘bad boys: ride or die’ stalls on first lap, price chart for leading subscription video streaming services: updated with new max prices, china box office: ‘be my friend’ opens ahead of ‘furiosa’ and ‘civil war’ on dragon boat holiday weekend, china box office: local drama ‘moments we shared’ crushes ‘inside out 2’ and ‘bad boys: ride or die’ debuts, new bundles point to broadband’s growing power in svod packaging, china box office: ‘doraemon the movie: nobita’s earth symphony’ wins opening weekend, ahead of ‘garfield’, more from our brands, will smith delivers uplifting performance of ‘you can make it’ at bet awards, 7 fresh hotel openings and renovations hitting new england this summer, caitlin clark and fever bring road show to sellout crowd in phoenix, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, house of the dragon’s bethany antonia, harry collett weigh in: can baela and jace’s affection survive rhaenyra and daemon’s rift watch, verify it's you, please log in.

"We waste our money so you don't have to."

"We waste our money, so you don't have to."

Movie Review

And then there were none.

US Release Date: 10-31-1945

Directed by: Rene Clair

Starring ▸ ▾

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

Louis Hayward and June Duprez in And Then There Were None

Having never read the Agatha Christie novel or seen the subsequent play which this film is based on, I had no idea what it was about. I am so glad I did not.  And Then There Were None  is an extremely entertaining mystery with a simple, yet very fascinating setup.

As the film starts, eight strangers are in a boat on their way to an island due to an invitation from a mysterious Mr Owen. They debark, and the boat leaves. They enter the island's mansion, whose only other occupants seem to be a butler and his cook/wife. They briefly meet each other but things really get interesting that night when the butler plays a record that announces that each "guest" has committed murder in their past.

They also note that there are ten Indian statues on the dining room table. Within moments, one of the ten people in the house dies and one of the statues is broken. Shortly thereafter another dies and another statue comes up missing. The remaining folks search the house and island to see who else is with them, but they find no one. They arrived on a Friday and the boat is not scheduled to return until Monday.

One person then notes, "Mr. Owen could only come to the island in one way. It's perfectly clear. Mr. Owen is one of us." The rest of the film plays out brilliantly as each person now looks at the others as a threat. No one knows who to trust, if anyone. The list of suspects shortens as they get killed off one by one.

The cast is well played. Everyone has an air of suspicion about them. Louis Hayward really stands out. One minute he seems like the hero and the next you question his motives. He acts far too comfortable to be in the company of his potential murderer.  You are never sure of what he is capable of.

This was Hayward's first film since 1941. His acting career went on hiatus as he served in the United States Marines as a combat photographer during World War II. He was awarded a Bronze Star for courage under fire during the invasion of the Japanese-held island of Tarawa

And Then There Were None is one of the best mysteries that I have seen in a long time. It will keep you guessing, along with the cast, right up to the very end. It also has a little romantic intrigue and several funny moments. As it is best to discover it all on your own, I will not give away further details, but will encourage anyone who likes a who-done-it, to watch and enjoy this great piece of cinematic entertainment.

Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston in And Then There Were None .

Unlike Eric, I have read the Agatha Christie novel and so knew how it ended. I still enjoyed this movie very much. Instead of trying to guess who the murderer was, I spent my time enjoying the performances and watching how they kept the murderer's identity a secret. I was in for a surprise however, as the script altered the ending from the novel. The identity of the killer remains the same, but the ending is changed to a more upbeat one.

The lighter ending is more in line with the often comic tone of the movie. Although the plot remains a tense one, filled with moments of great suspense, it also successfully works in a few genuinely funny scenes. The butler, Mr. Rogers has a very amusing drunk scene, but perhaps the funniest scene is when each of the guests begins to suspect the other and spy on each other in one memorable daisy chain moment.

This is probably Agatha Christie's most popular novel and the one that has been adapted for other media more times than any of her work. There have been several movie adaptations, under this or the book's title, "Ten Little Indians", a stage play, several television versions, a radio adaptation and even a computer game. It has also been spoofed in various media, perhaps most famously in Neil Simon's Murder By Death .

The plot is not without its flaws. The killer's plans depend upon some coincidences and things that they couldn't have predicted with 100% reliability. If all of the houseguests had agreed to remain in one room together for the weekend and never allow more than one person to leave the room at a time, then everyone could have survived. Instead, everyone simply wanders around the island, remaining relatively calm despite the fact that people are dropping like flies around them. You just have to accept that these people behave in ways that aren't entirely logical.

Eric singled out Louis Hayward, and I agree that he is good, but really there isn't a bad performance in the bunch. Along with Hayward, I particularly enjoyed Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston and C. Aubrey Smith. They all manage to balance the mystery and the comedy with equal aplomb.

Although I prefer the original ending from the novel, I still agree with Eric that this is a highly entertaining piece of cinema.

Walter Huston, Barry Fitzgerald, Roland Young, Louis Hayward, and Judith Anderson in And Then There Were None .

Scott, with one hundred million copies sold to date, this is absolutely Agatha Christie's best selling book. It is, in fact, the world's best selling mystery-novel and one of the over-all biggest sellers in history. The setup is so simple yet so classic and the execution of the story, along with the exceptional performances from the cast, makes this a great movie.

One other thing worth mentioning is the fact that, although the ending is very different from the original novel's dour conclusion, Christie herself had written a more upbeat ending for the 1943 stage version. While this movie isn't completely faithful to the revised ending written for the play, it is more similar to that than it is to the one in the book. This more upbeat ending wasn't something just thought up for the film but had sprung from the mind of the author herself.

I have to agree with my brothers that the cast is terrific. Louis Hayward does manage to convey both a sense of devil-may-care heroism and an air of suspicion with just the slightest hint of something sinister about him that really suits the story. I switched back and forth several times in my mind over whether or not he was the killer. In fact every guest on the island conveys this same duplicitous manner. Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston are excellent and I agree with Scott that C. Aubrey Smith shines in his small role as the saddest person on the island. He spends his few scenes talking aloud to his dead wife.

Neither of my brothers mentioned the great Dame Judith Anderson, but she is also very convincing as Emily Brent, the outwardly puritanical spinster with a secret she seems very callous about. She had a stellar stage career and also made her mark in the movies. She was Oscar nominated for her role as the evil Mrs. Danvers in Hitchcock's Rebecca and also gave a memorable turn as Big Momma in the film version of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof . Her final big screen role came in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in 1984.

The script brilliantly balances humor and suspense. Even though murders are happening throughout the story the tone is kept fairly lighthearted. As Scott mentioned, the drunk butler generates several laughs. I chuckled when the other men bring him the key to the dining room where the Indian statues are. He is in the shed and refuses to unlock the door. In reference to the key he tells them, “Shove it (pause) under the door, sir.” I also laughed at the running gag of the incompetent detective played by Roland Young who keeps announcing, “I get it!” every time he is about to make a blunder of some sort or other.

It's not always necessary for a movie to be completely faithful to its original source. Some plot devices play better on the screen than they do on the page (or on the stage for that matter) and vice versa. I'm with Eric on this one. Despite the altered ending And Then There Were None is a four star classic.

Photos © Copyright Rene Clair Productions (1945)

Related Reviews

© 2000 - 2017 Three Movie Buffs. All Rights Reserved.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

And Then There Were None

Seven guests, a newly hired secretary and two staff are gathered at a manor house on an isolated island by an unknown absentee host and are killed off one-by-one. They work together to deter... Read all Seven guests, a newly hired secretary and two staff are gathered at a manor house on an isolated island by an unknown absentee host and are killed off one-by-one. They work together to determine who the killer is before it's too late. Seven guests, a newly hired secretary and two staff are gathered at a manor house on an isolated island by an unknown absentee host and are killed off one-by-one. They work together to determine who the killer is before it's too late.

• Agatha Christie
• Dudley Nichols
• Barry Fitzgerald
• Walter Huston
• Louis Hayward
• 173 User reviews
• 45 Critic reviews

• Judge Francis J. Quincannon

• Dr. Edward G. Armstrong

• Philip Lombard

• Detective William Henry Blore

• Vera Claythorne

• Prince Nikita Starloff

• Gen. Sir John Mandrake
• (as Sir C. Aubrey Smith)

• Emily Brent

• Thomas Rogers

• Ethel Rogers
• Fred Narracott
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia In recent years it has come to light that much of Agatha Christie's plot appears to have been inspired by a little-known 1930 play by Owen Davis titled "The Ninth Guest", which utilized the same framework of people being brought together by an unknown host who proceeds to kill them one by one. Columbia Pictures' atmospheric movie version, "The 9th Guest" (1934), has never been released on home video, but is now in the public domain and can be found on eBay and iOffer.
• Goofs In a flashback, Mr. Owen kills the seventh victim, takes a drink from a flask, and then tosses the flask away, leaving the stopper open. However, when two characters find the flask the next day, the stopper is closed.

Emily Brent : Very stupid to kill the only servant in the house. Now we don't even know where to find the marmalade.

• Crazy credits The first line of the nursery rhyme appears onscreen - "Ten Little Indians Went Out To Dine...." - superimposed over a set of small statues of Native Americans - this is immediately followed by the film's title "And Then There Were None".
• Alternate versions A computer colorized version of this film, made in the late 1980s, also exists.
• Connections Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Stories "The Simpsons" Should Adapt for Treehouse of Horror (2017)
• Soundtracks Ten Little Indians (uncredited) Performed by Mischa Auer Played often throughout the picture

User reviews 173

• Jul 21, 2004
• How long is And Then There Were None? Powered by Alexa
• What is 'And Then There Were None' about?
• Is 'And Then There Were None' based on a book?
• Of what is each person accused?
• October 31, 1945 (United States)
• United States
• Rene Clair's 'And Then There Were None'
• Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA
• Rene Clair Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 37 minutes
• Black and White

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• A Quiet Place: Day One Link to A Quiet Place: Day One
• Inside Out 2 Link to Inside Out 2
• Daddio Link to Daddio

New TV Tonight

• Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 2
• Grace: Season 4
• Down in the Valley: Season 1
• The Great Food Truck Race: Season 17
• SPRINT: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• Star Wars: The Acolyte: Season 1
• The Bear: Season 3
• The Boys: Season 4
• My Lady Jane: Season 1
• Supacell: Season 1
• Presumed Innocent: Season 1
• Dark Matter: Season 1
• House of the Dragon: Season 2
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• My Lady Jane: Season 1 Link to My Lady Jane: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Box Office 2024: Top 10 Movies of the Year

All 54 Billion-Dollar Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

The Bear : Season 3 First Reviews: Still One of the Best Shows on TV

A Quiet Place: Day One First Reviews: A Tense, Surprisingly Tender Thriller Anchored by Fantastic Performances

• Trending on RT
• The Bikeriders
• Billion Dollar Movies
• The Bear Season 3
• MaXXXine: First Reviews

Miniseries – And Then There Were None

What to know.

Dark yet dashingly executed, And Then There Were None offers a brazenly misanthropic look at human nature.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Douglas Booth

Anthony Marston

Charles Dance

Justice Lawrence Wargrave

Maeve Dermody

Vera Claythorne

Burn Gorman

William Blore

Anna Maxwell Martin

Ethel Rogers

General John MacArthur

More Like This

And then there were none — miniseries, season info.

And Then There Were None

By agatha christie.

'And Then There Were None' is a deceptively simple read, yet it ranks beyond the archetype of a regular mystery novel. Here are reasons to love this mystery masterpiece.

Article written by Israel Njoku

Degree in M.C.M with focus on Literature from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

‘ And Then There Were None ‘ by Agatha Christie has remained a favorite among many generations of mystery readers. However, among critics, the reception is mixed but mostly positive. Here is a breakdown of the elements that make the novel the celebrated piece that it is.

Agatha Christie’s ‘ And Then There Were None ‘ narrates the story of ten strangers who are brought together from several walks of life to an island where they are all killed in mostly mysterious circumstances. It turns out that these characters had all at one point or the other in their lives, committed murder but got away without being punished for it in any way at all.

The manner of their deaths is patterned around the nursery rhyme, ‘Ten Little Indians.’ Also, when they arrive on the Indian Island, there are ten soldier figurines on the dining table whose number keep reducing to match the number of people who have died at any moment in time.

The story of ‘And Then There Were None’ significantly advances Agatha Christie’s reputation as a pioneering and influential mystery writer. The novel’s ingenious plotting, impactful endings, and complex characterization showcase Christie’s talent and earned her the title “Queen of Mystery.” Its enduring global appeal, cultural significance, and exploration of timeless themes further solidify her status as one of the most celebrated authors in literary history.

• Plot Twists

The plot twists in Agatha Christie’s, ‘ And Then There Were None’ is widely acclaimed and considered some of the best in the mystery genre. Christie’s gradual unraveling of the mystery, suspenseful tension, and unexpected revelations keep readers engaged and guessing throughout the story. The twists have multiple layers and present moral dilemmas, adding depth and intellectual stimulation to the narrative. The iconic ending, in particular, leaves a lasting impact on readers

Great Characterization

One key strategy that Christie employs in the presentation of her characters is long internal monologues. In this way, she gives the reader an insight into the personality of the character. She also employs a variety of techniques to enact the ominous and suspenseful mood that subsists throughout the story. For example, when the old man who is on board the same train as Blore tells him that a storm is coming and that it is judgment day, that already foreshadows the subsequent events which are going to happen shortly afterward. There is also a buildup of psychological suspense even before the deaths begin to happen. Christie can achieve this through that voice recording which accused the characters of murders that they had one way or another been associated with earlier in their lives. This triggers guilt feelings in the characters, thereby setting the mood for the deaths to seem inevitable and justified.

The author did a splendid job with the characters she created . They are part of what helps sustain the mystery of the plot through to the end. Christie took the time to differentiate and develop each character with just the appropriate amount of detail, personality depth, and complexity. That is part of how even the characters themselves become wary of each other. There is no room for taking anyone at face value. Because there is always more to each one of them than meets the eye. The same attitude is what the reader is forced to adopt throughout until the full resolution of the story.

The novel had sometimes been criticized as an unfair mystery story, the idea being that in a standard mystery sequence, a crime is committed, then a detective emerges to solve the crime, and the reader follows along as the detective makes his discoveries. In other words, by following the excursion of the detective who is attempting to solve the crime, the reader expects to be able to put things together and tell with a considerable degree of certainty who the villain is. Agatha Christie breaks this familiar pattern and keeps the reader guessing all through to the end. And even so, the reader does not find out for sure who the killer is until the Epilogue and by a written confession of the killer himself. This means that technically the crime is not even solved, or it is solved, but the criminal and the detective are rolled up in the same character by the name of Wargrave. In this way, Agatha Christie renders the story doubly mysterious.

The novel, nevertheless, does assert a certain moral order. The actions of Wargrave do not go entirely unpunished. By taking it upon himself to kill these other people on the pretext of being an agent of justice, he in turn makes himself a murderer. This means that even according to his own standards of justice, he cannot afford to go unpunished. In this way, the author manages to reassert the code of classic detective stories whereby every crime goes with a certain punishment, and nobody gets away with any infraction, no matter how insignificant or secret.

'And Then There Were None' Review

Book Title: And Then There Were None

Book Description: The best-selling mystery novel of all time written by Agatha Christie

Book Author: Agatha Christie

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: Collins Crime Club

Date published: November 6, 1939

ISBN: 0-00-231835-0

Number Of Pages: 256

• Lasting Impact on a Reader

'And Then There Were None' Review

If ever there was any doubt as to the renown of Agatha Christie as ‘The Queen of Crime’, she rids every iota of that doubt with the brilliance and creativity she displayed in ‘ And Then There Were None’.  The novel engages the mind and imagination of readers so much that readers find themselves wondering about the supernatural. After taking readers down a maze of suspense and plot twists, the reader is rewarded with an ending so reasonable and logical that it cannot be faulted. Agatha Christie is indeed the author to read for all lovers of mystery.

• Characters with Depth
• Artistic Quality
• logical Resolution
• Graphic Details
• Too Many Deaths

Join Our Community for Free!

Exclusive to Members

Create Your Personal Profile

Engage in Forums

Join or Create Groups

Save your favorites, beta access.

About Israel Njoku

Israel loves to delve into rigorous analysis of themes with broader implications. As a passionate book lover and reviewer, Israel aims to contribute meaningful insights into broader discussions.

About the Book

Discover literature, enjoy exclusive perks, and connect with others just like yourself!

Start the Conversation. Join the Chat.

There was a problem reporting this post.

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

• See blocked member's posts
• Mention this member in posts
• Invite this member to groups

Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

Turn autoplay off

Turn autoplay on

Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off

• Jump to content [s]
• Jump to site navigation [0]
• Jump to search [4]
• Terms and conditions [8]
• Your activity
• Email subscriptions
• Account details
• Linked services
• Press office
• Guardian Print Centre
• Guardian readers' editor
• Observer readers' editor
• Terms of service
• Privacy policy
• Advertising guide
• Digital archive
• Digital edition
• Guardian Weekly
• Buy Guardian and Observer photos

Today's paper

• Main section
• G2 features
• Comment and debate
• Editorials, letters and corrections
• Other lives
• SocietyGuardian
• Life & style
• Environment

And Then There Were None

This week's films

Reviews in chronological order (Total 0 reviews)

There are no reviews yet for this film.

Today's best video

The week in tv, 'get your arse out, mate', spanish football player's stunning solo goal, whitewater kayaking: 'i wanted to spend every day on the river'.

• Most viewed

Last 24 hours

• 2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review
• 3. Quiz: Can you match each of these Bond villains with their own evil plot?
• 4. After Gremlins and The Goonies, what other 80s films need a remake?
• 5. Brendan Gleeson: sins of the fathers
• More most viewed
• 2. Mickey Rooney cuts family out of will
• 3. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review
• 4. Brendan Gleeson: sins of the fathers
• 5. Cate Blanchett sets her sights on Sutton Hoo drama The Dig
• All today's stories

Film search

Latest reviews.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review: 'so savvy, punchy and dashing that it won't be denied'

Marc Webb's superhero sequel is savvy, punchy and dashing enough to stir the blood of even the most jaded adult, writes Xan Brooks

Noah review – 'a preposterous but endearingly unhinged epic'

The Double review – Richard Ayoade's dark doppelganger drama

Divergent review – lacks lustre and grit

A Story of Children and Film review – Mark Cousins's 'spine-tingling' visual essay

Sponsored feature

• Across the site
• Film reviews
• Film trailers
• Video interviews
• License/buy our content
• Terms & conditions
• Accessibility
• Inside the Guardian blog
• Work for us
• Join our dating site today
• © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Bodies, Bodies and More Bodies: Movie Riffs on 'And Then There Were None'

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Willem Dafoe Was Already in a Nosferatu Movie

Stanley tucci & colin firth play a troubled couple in this heartbreaking romance, 'a quiet place: day one' ending explained: do lupita nyong’o and joseph quinn survive.

The rip-roaring success of the irreverent A24 film Bodies Bodies Bodies reaffirmed the following: some movie templates never die. Classic mystery tomes have helped shape screenplays for decades and the premise for Agatha Christie 's And Then There Were None is among those often used - a tale wherein 10 unconnected strangers are lured by an enigmatic stranger to an idyllic setting to attend a lavish dinner party. The gullible ensemble arrives in high spirits, smugly expecting a weekend of frivolity and casual merrymaking. They are wrong. The group is picked off one by one, as it occurs to them all that they are in fact connected somehow. Sins from each individual's past begin to bubble to the surface as the daylight fritters away.

A cornerstone of the whodunit genre, the aforementioned story has been subject to straight-up adaptations, spiritual re-imaginings, and stabs at comedic satire to varying degrees of success and fun. In short, Hollywood has cranked out an impressive number of films that either replicate or pay tribute to, if not the aforementioned tome, similar entries in the Christie canon. What's allowed the core idea to thrive and gain significant cinematic mileage over the course of several decades is the fact that it's been put in the tumble dryer many times by filmmakers looking to wring fresh results out of the source material. And some interesting thematic directions have been travailed by directors using the premise as a narrative shadow.

There are boundless movies that owe some skerrick of debt to the Christie oeuvre - for the late author's penchant for crafting alluring mysteries translates to perfect fodder for genre vehicles. See How They Run is a recent testament to the enduring powers of that influence. Here is a selection of films that in some way shape or form pay homage to the And then There Were None template (or a similar whodunit format) and use it to their advantage to either explore genre mashups or wander down new tonal pathways or both.

RELATED: Why Are Murder Mysteries So Hot Right Now?

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

A runaway success, and devilishly clever spin on the well-worn yarn, A24's 2022 film ensures beyond doubt the conceit is nowhere near the morgue yet. Bodies Bodies Bodies pits a group of Gen Z partiers against a storm and an unknown assailant while trapped in a hip manse in New York State. Sophie ( Amandla Stenberg) is recently out of rehab for substance abuse, and her reemergence from the social abyss with a new girlfriend in tow ( Maria Bakalova ) immediately stirs up a maelstrom of gossip. In the midst of the chaos, our group begins to turn, plot the demise of each other's relationships and wreak general havoc even before the first body is found unblinking in a crimson pool. The characters are fleshed out in this effort from director Halina Reijn , and the cast carries each and every beat perfectly.

Myha'la Herrold and Rachel Sennott are especially committed to their roles essaying confrontational and innocuous ignorant parts respectively, and Lee Pace 's slyly humorous turn as one of the surprise attendees is also a great counterpoint. Bodies throws a fresh spin on things through its deconstruction of what audiences have come to expect. Later on, when the group is reduced to four - an enormously dramatic sequence unfurls in candlelight as the conniving sides of each character are revealed. The backstabbing proclivities are unmasked in the flickering atmosphere - the psychological underbelly of being stuck in such a situation aerated with aplomb.

And Then There Were None (1945)

This straight-up adaptation of the novel is the best one of its type in its simple, old-fashioned stylings. Set in a gloomy mansion on an island in rural England - it's the most straightforward version of the original novel and it is laced with wit and choice barbs in the dialogue. While the first three hapless guests are done away with quite quickly, the movie dives into more tense territory as the story's drawn out to accommodate the remaining seven (each played very well by the likes of Walter Huston ) . Taking a cue from some noir/gothic-tinged flicks of the time, this version is quite stage-ish, but its conversation scenes and spare cinematography create an environment of hostility and intrigue. And it has a rainstorm as well!

Identity (2003)

James Mangold 's thriller contains an abundance of twists and its serpentine tale of 10 strangers at a Nevada motel in the midst of, you guessed it, a torrential downpour makes for quintessential early 2000s viewing. A more obvious homage than others, Identity plays for unabashed thrills and Mangold's skill for visceral cinema prevails with skillful editing to link two concurrent stories, with strong casting ( John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Ray Liotta ) afoot . With more than a nod and a wink to that other Southwest-set motel horror film from 1960 ( Psycho ) - it's a film that uses a macabre calling card (numbered motel keys) as a kind of perverse reverse countdown as each new victim is discovered. The film is a patchwork of surprises and the revelation that the film's series of events at the hotel may actually be unfolding within the mental landscape of a death row inmate (introduced in another story arc) is both shocking and original. A far less linear re-working of the original template that works.

Clue (1986)

Released to a mixed reception upon release, Clue has since found a devoted group of fans. Inspired loosely by the Parker Brothers game , Clue contains many classic genre hallmarks (including the off-screen presence of a wealthy stranger who sends inexplicable invites to unsuspecting guests-to-be). Tim Curry is the butler overseeing the night's madcap silliness as each of his dinner attendees arrives at a New England mansion and discovers they all share government connections. Also, they're being blackmailed by an arrogant opportunist (who is promptly shot and then clobbered over the head).

A stylized and relatively refreshing take on the original idea that shoots fairly squarely for gallows humor, Clue still boasts a series of unexplained deaths and a zealous if bumbling attempt to unmask the killer as everyone present is armed with a motive. Skepticism and political squabbles ensue - rendering it a diversion from other iterations. The movie's major asset is its cast and an inspired triple-barrelled ending - where the hero and perpetrator remain as blurred as the rain-slicked windows that surround the house.

April Fool's Day (1986)

Aprils Fool's Day is undoubtedly one of the most biting and fun slashers of the 80s and easily the most obvious example of such a film inspired by the Christie classic. It's a vastly underrated example of how to bash a new approach into something that's been reproduced many times. Bearing a chilly atmosphere, classically 80s, synth-laden score sure to induce mass-fist-bumping among Stranger Things diehards and a cast including the legendary Thomas F Wilson (Biff Tannen from Back to the Future), Fools Day was one of the great horror surprise packets whose innovation and satire perhaps preempted Scream . A group of college friends heads off to the island home of Buffy ( Deborah Foreman) for the weekend to raise glasses to impending graduation. The stylish party-goers witness a couple of disturbing events en route to their temporary island home, but soon settle in quickly before they each start to seemingly meet various demises.

Corpses show up underneath jetties and at the bottom of wells, and their once-bubbly host has now turned sour. Is Buffy orchestrating the bloodbath? Is the other girl in the family photos actually her satanic twin sister who has taken her place and gone on a murder spree? By the end, the whole saga is revealed to be an elaborate ruse - a murder-themed party simulator of sorts being trialed for use on thrill-seeking vacationers. The third act is gonzo and genuinely surprising. Some audiences felt cheated at the time by a slasher whose body count totaled 0, but April Fools Day has aged well and remains a marvelously well-executed and economical flick in its own light. A top-tier revival of some of And Then There Were None 's more tired aspects.

Mindhunters (2004)

Mindhunters was helmed by Renny Harlin (who is renowned for more straight-up actioners), and it serves as a curiously brooding departure for the director — a dark thriller with a procedural bent. Seven young FBI trainees are sent to a remote island off the coast of North Carolina to solve the fictitious crimes of a made-up killer called the Puppeteer. They are joined by a mysterious government agent ( LL Cool J) and are overseen by a supervisor played by Val Kilmer. Emboldened but naive in their collective pursuit of becoming the next set of elite profilers, the agents (comprised of Christian Slater, CSI veteran Kathryn Morris, and Clifton Collins Jr) begin to perish at the hands of some intricately rigged traps that target their character traits.

Skill sets are put to the test, all in keeping with the most heavily used plot devices to prop up the narrative framework. The film deserves credit for essentially taking the scenario and giving it a forensic thriller/cop makeover - an undeniably new approach to the source material - but it is also at times implausible and contains fairly heavy-handed dialogue. Technically sound and containing some impressive set pieces, Mindhunters is nonetheless fun in spite of its flaws, as it paints its mysterious attacker as an unseen force of nature intent on turning the tables on its ill-fated criminologists in what amounts to a slick genre mashup.

Spiritual Mention: See How They Run (2022)

While focusing on another of Christie's works, See How They Run is a well-paced, brisk whodunit with wide appeal that admirably takes the viewer back to the era of classics, and throws further weight behind the notion that there remains a strong appetite for flicks of this ilk. With a kind of hard-boiled noir-inspired narration kicking proceedings off, this play on The Mousetrap is comic and enlivened by its talented actors: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan (as the cops), Adrien Brody (as the arrogant film director who is murdered first) and David Oyelowo (as the movie adaptation's high-strung writer).

While not fixing itself to any one location, everyone within the universe is, in a way, trapped within an endless loop of the same show being played at the same venue eternally, as those involved with the production begin to fear for their lives. Motives pile up, and no one is above suspicion, including phlegmatic Inspector Stoppard (Rockwell ). Farcical and lightweight, it's a comic spin that works a treat.

• Movie Features
• Agatha Christie