And Then There Were None (1945)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

René Clair

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Dudley Nichols (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 October 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Agatha Christie tale of 10 people invited to an isolated place only to find that an unseen person is killing them one by one. One of them?

Plot Keywords:

Island | Record | Guest | Agatha Christie | Dinner

Awards:

1 win

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Rene Clair's 'And Then There Were None' (USA) (complete title)
Ten Little Niggers (UK)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording) | Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:(Banned) (1946) | USA:Approved | Sweden:15 | UK:U (2002)

Company:

Rene Clair Productions

Trivia:

This movie, as all existent versions of "Ten Little Indians," is based not on the novel by Agatha Christie but on her very similar play. While the identity of the murderer is the same in both versions, the outcome of who survives the murderer's plot is very different.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Vera starts playing a piano piece (Schubert's Scherzo No. 1 in B flat major), Philip says "E flat, Miss Claythorne." There is in fact no E flat in the piece until two measures later.

Quotes:

Judge Francis J. Quincannon: So you see, the whole thing has been as inevitable as in a nursery rhyme. When the boat arrives from the mainland, there will be ten dead bodies, and a riddle no one can solve on Indian Island.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Steele Trap (#1.10)" (1982)

Soundtrack:

Ten Little Indians

This may be the best mystery ever put to film.

This may be the best mystery ever put to film. If it isn't totally true to the letter of the Christie book, it is totally true to the spirit of her writing. Ten unique individuals are lured to an old house on a deserted Channel island. One by one - but I'll say no more. Very good acting, especially Fitzgerald. If you don't know the plot, you won't figure out whodunnit, despite the fact that it plays fair. There is suspense, good humor that holds up today, fine acting and a wonderful plot. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, turn the lights down, snuggle in the blanket, and prepare to enjoy a wonderful, cozy mystery which hasn't been equaled since.