After reading all these comments I got the urge, dug out And Then There Were None and watched it the other night. I won't repeat what has been said here so many times, only that it has to be one of the greatest films of all time. What a cast!! The best character actors of the 30's and 40's, many in the twilight of their careers. It's difficult to pick out superior performances. I did, however, take note that Louis Hayward gave a standout performance as Philip Lombard, and he had to be with this competition. He really was a fine actor, who incidentally, moved like a cat, a close match to the Lombard film character as envisioned by Agatha Christie. A couple of his other outstanding films come to mind: The Man in the Iron Mask and the seldom if ever shown, Ladies in Retirement. In the credits, he was also listed as one of the three stars of the film: BARRY FITZGERALD, WALTER HUSTON and LOUIS HAYWARD. The following screen shows the rest of the distinguished cast as supporting players. The musical score is as good as the cast, alternatively moody and eerie. June Duprez comes off very well against the competition as the vulnerable Miss Claythorne. I cannot forget how exquisitely beautiful she was in color in The Thief of Bagdad (1940). The book itself was excellent (I read it over 60 years ago) however, while I would indeed watch the film repeatedly I would not go out of my way to read the book once more.
P.S. (5/20/2007) Still a fan of ATTWN, I have just finished a 2001 audio version, read by Hugh Fraser (Hercule Poirot's TV sidekick). This is a six-hour, complete and unabridged version of the book which includes all the material omitted in the film and with original ending intact. At first blush, six hours might seem rather too long but believe me it just gets better and better right on through to that unique ending which has never been equaled in filmdom, and likely never will.
P.S. (5/20/2007) Still a fan of ATTWN, I have just finished a 2001 audio version, read by Hugh Fraser (Hercule Poirot's TV sidekick). This is a six-hour, complete and unabridged version of the book which includes all the material omitted in the film and with original ending intact. At first blush, six hours might seem rather too long but believe me it just gets better and better right on through to that unique ending which has never been equaled in filmdom, and likely never will.