It's almost certain that Agatha Christie did not see this 1932 movie which will inevitably remind the viewer of her classic murder mystery "and then there were none ": the unknown person who throws a party and invites people who have something to be guilty about; the similarities in the first part are striking : the host is not present ,there' s a voice out of a radio accusing the guests ,they cannot leave the penthouse (the doors are charged with electricity ) ,and of course,they begin to suspect each other.And let the countdown begin!
In fact , apart from the confessions , the development is closer to modern thrillers such as " saw" or the Spanish thriller "la habitacion de Fermat" .
The atmosphere itself is charged with electricity ;the only sound is the unbearable ticking of a clock ; the problem is that there is too little time to make acquaintance with the characters and the final confession is too hurried for comfort: if you have not read the book (very hard to find nowadays) ,it's sometimes difficult to follow the plot -the film hardly lasts 70 minutes.And it lacks the implacable mastery of Dame Christie .
Yet, her buffs should watch this because it contains the seeds of her 1939 masterful thriller.
In fact , apart from the confessions , the development is closer to modern thrillers such as " saw" or the Spanish thriller "la habitacion de Fermat" .
The atmosphere itself is charged with electricity ;the only sound is the unbearable ticking of a clock ; the problem is that there is too little time to make acquaintance with the characters and the final confession is too hurried for comfort: if you have not read the book (very hard to find nowadays) ,it's sometimes difficult to follow the plot -the film hardly lasts 70 minutes.And it lacks the implacable mastery of Dame Christie .
Yet, her buffs should watch this because it contains the seeds of her 1939 masterful thriller.