Ein unbekannter rechnet ab (1974)

Director:

Peter Collinson

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel) and
Erich Kröhnke (writer)

Release Date:

24 September 1974 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Tagline:

The who's next whodunnit

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:

Murder | Beautiful Woman | Murder Mystery | Paranoia | Based On Novel

Cast

Charles Aznavour	...	Michel Raven
Maria Rohm	...	Elsa Martino
Adolfo Celi	...	Gen. André Salvé
Stéphane Audran	...	Ilona Morgan
Alberto de Mendoza	...	Otto Martino
Richard Attenborough	...	Judge Arthur Cannon
Gert Fröbe	...	Wilhelm Blore
Herbert Lom	...	Dr. Edward Armstrong
Elke Sommer	...	Vera Clyde
Oliver Reed	...	Hugh Lombard
Orson Welles	...	Voice of Tape (voice)
Teresa Gimpera	...	Maria
Rik Battaglia
Nasser Malekmotei	...	Inspector (as Nasser Malek Moti-i)
Sepedeh

Also Known As:

...e poi non ne rimase nessuno (Italy)
And Then There Were None (UK)
Diez negritos (Spain)
Dix petits nègres (France)
Ten Little Indians (USA)
Zehn kleine Negerlein (West Germany) (TV title)

Runtime:

Germany:92 min | Spain:105 min | USA:98 min | Belgium:95 min (video version) | Italy:95 min (home cinema version)

Country:

France | Spain | West Germany | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (video rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 (w) | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Shah Abbas Hotel, Isfahan, Iran

Company:

Corona Filmproduktion

Trivia:

Despite a few small changes made to fit the different cast, the dialogue for this film is word for word identical to the 1965 version.

Goofs:

Continuity: Blore shorts out the generator. However, when the murderer is revealed, the lights above the pool table are on.

Quotes:

Dr. Edward Armstrong: Stop playing cat and mouse with me. If you...
[he glances around, and lowers his voice]
Dr. Edward Armstrong: If you want to kill the others I shan't interfere. Just leave me alone.

Movie Connections:

Version of Ten Little Indians (1959) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Dance In The Old Fashioned Way (Les Plaisirs Démodés)

Standing up for movie

I just wanted to stand up for this version of the movie. I've read the book 'Ten little indians' and while it's set on an island and this 1974 movie is set in a desert, I feel that it is the closest to the feel of the book out of the four (?) versions I've seen. The 1945 and the 1960's movies were too light-hearted, too fluffy. This is a scary situation, with people trapped somewhere they can't leave, and one of them is taking a perverse delight in murdering them one by one. There is no room for humour in a movie like this. The 1974 movie is dark, with no needless humour injected, and this makes it feel a lot like the book did. My only grievance with the movie, is that, like all the others, it doesn't finish in the same way as the book. I'd really like to see a version that does. Oh, and Elke Sommers clothing is hideous, but that's the passage of time, more than anything. :)