Death on the Nile (1978)

A murder is committed on a Nile steamer, but Hercule Poirot is on board...

Director:

John Guillermin

Writer:

Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Ustinov, Jane Birkin, Mia Farrow

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Ustinov	...	Hercule Poirot
Jane Birkin	...	Louise Bourget
Lois Chiles	...	Linnet Ridgeway
Bette Davis	...	Mrs. Van Schuyler
Mia Farrow	...	Jacqueline De Bellefort
Jon Finch	...	Mr. Ferguson
Olivia Hussey	...	Rosalie Otterbourne
I.S. Johar	...	Manager Of The Karnak (as I.S.Johar)
George Kennedy	...	Andrew Pennington
Angela Lansbury	...	Mrs. Salome Otterbourne
Simon MacCorkindale	...	Simon Doyle
David Niven	...	Colonel Race
Maggie Smith	...	Miss Bowers
Jack Warden	...	Dr. Bessner
Harry Andrews	...	Barnstaple

Storyline

Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot has a set of murder suspects on a boat in the Nile after a rich heiress is killed. Can he find the culprit before they reach port ?

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Plot Keywords:

murder | suspect | american | writer | blackmail | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French Arabic German

Release Date:

29 September 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Muerte en el Nilo

Filming Locations:

Abu Simbel Temple, Abu Simbel, Egypt

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 3,534,367 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Mersham Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (as colour) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In this Agatha Christie story, Angela Lansbury plays the author Salome Otterbourne; in of Murder, She Wrote: Death 'N Denial (also whodunits, where Lansbury is the heroine sleuth), playing in Egypt, a character is called Sally Otterburn.

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Goofs

When Simon and Linette are climbing up the pyramid there's a shot of them having climbed more than half way up, but in the next shot, looking down on them, the ground and rubble is visible only a few meters beneath.

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Quotes

Andrew Pennington: What the hell is going on?
Hercule Poirot: We're going through your private papers, sir, isn't that obvious?

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Connections

Followed by Dead Man's Folly (1986)

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Soundtracks

"I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'"
(uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Played during the scene where Linnet and Simon are dancing and the other main characters are shown for the first time

User Reviews

A good, well-paced classic whodunnit

This movie was the first and best of Peter Ustinov's performances as Hercule Poirot. Though physically not very accurate to Agatha Christie's description of the little Belgian detective, for this one movie everything worked and the discrepancy was not a problem. The film is well-paced, with all the plot turns and clues coming with perfect timing, not too fast to be confusing, but not too slow to strain the rather flimsy fabric of the story. The whole cast is very good, especially Bette Davis as a malevolent old spider of a woman, gleefully tormenting her long-suffering companion, Maggie Smith. The scene where she smiles indulgently at a group of Egyptian children waving at her on the river bank, only to sink into mortified disgust as they turn around and moon her, is a highlight of the movie. The climax of the film is quite surprising, and unlike many mysteries, does not cheat the viewer by withholding vital information until the last moment. We feel the pleasure of being honestly fooled throughout, and the conclusion is thoroughly satisfying.