And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None is one of the most satisfying screen adaptations of Agatha Christie's works. The only other movie of similar quality derived from her creations is the Billy Wilder classic, Witness for the Prosecution.

Part of the success of And Then There Were None stems from the fact that Christie herself worked to make this dramatically credible on screen. She recast her original novel Ten Little Niggers as a stage play, making some vital changes for this new medium. And the screen adaptation derives from the stage play, not from the novel.

The differences are major, but can't be discussed in detail without giving too much away. Enough to say that the macabre finale of the novel has changed significantly - but in a logical and pleasing way. And there are no longer Ten Little Niggers - they have transmogrified into Ten Little Indians - nowadays, of course, the nursery rhyme would refer to Ten Little Native North-Americans...

This film, made in 1945, is directed with a light semi-comical touch by French director Rene Clair, and acted by an almost universally excellent cast headed by Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston (father of John and grandfather of Angelica), Australian actress Dame Judith Anderson and Louis Hayward. A couple of the performances are dated, but for the most part this is a stylish, very elegant movie which has not really dated - its then-contemporary 1940s setting now adding to its charm.

Ten Little Niggers was one of Agatha Christie's most celebrated mystery plotting coups, excelled only by her The Mystery of Roger Ackroyd. It really presents a mystery which, if you haven't read the book or seen the film, leaves you guessing until the film's end. This is a classic mystery, given classic film treatment. There have been at least three remakes of this movie, usually under the revised title Ten Little Indians; not one approaches the quality of the original.

Try not to examine the opening credits too closely. They jump across the screen, shaking and rolling so badly that you fear this film will be totally unviewable. But once the credits have rolled, things improve. Black levels and shadow detail are excellent for a black-and-white film of this vintage. This is not a pristine print; emulsion loss, scratching and other blemishes are evident throughout, and there doesn't seem to have been any attempt at digital restoration. But these flaws are relatively minor and never interfere enough to mar viewing enjoyment of this classic movie.

The Dolby two-channel mono soundtrack is perfectly adequate for a vintage movie from this period.

This is a dialogue-driven movie, and the dialogue is delivered without any muffling of the sort which mars some classic presentations such as the recent The Importance of Being Earnest.

Biographical notes on the ten leading actors, presented in a straightforward text form, presenting generally interesting material - and in the case of the biography of Walter Huston, bringing us one of the best bloopers I've seen for ages - a mistake to relish. I won't reveal it - it's worth seeking it out. There is a historical note on the genesis of the movie. There is a puzzling extra feature - a video of the nursery rhyme at the core of the film, sung fairly badly, and illustrated by clips from the film. The bonus material is rounded out by a stills gallery and a collection of posters/lobby cards.

It creaks from time to time, but so would you if you were made in 1946! This is not a pristine transfer of the sort we'd expect from a company such as Criterion, but while the print shows its age, it's in reasonably decent condition.

If you enjoy the generation of English mystery writers headed by Margery Allingham, Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie, then this will have to find a place in your collection.