And Then There Were None (1945)

Seven guests, a newly hired secretary and two staff are gathered at a manor house on an isolated island by an unknown absentee host and are killed off one-by-one. They work together to determine who the killer is before it's too late.

Director:

René Clair (as Rene Clair)

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel), Dudley Nichols (screenplay)

Stars:

Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward

1 win.

Cast

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

Storyline

Seven guests, a newly hired personal secretary and two staff are gathered for a weekend on an isolated island by the hosts, the Owens, who are delayed. At dinner, a record is played and the host's message alleges that all of the people present are guilty of murder, and suddenly the first of them is dead, then the next. It seems that one of them is the murderer, but the leading person is always the person who is murdered next and at last, only two people are left.

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Plot Keywords:

island | guest | judge | servant | logical deduction | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Queenie Leonard (Mrs. Ethel Rogers), who died on January 17, 2002 at age 96, was the last surviving cast member.

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Goofs

The opening credits state that the movie is "From the Novel by Agatha Christie". Strictly speaking, this is not true. The movie uses the stage play's ending, rather than the novel's.

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Quotes

Judge Francis J. Quincannon: Don't forget the old proverb, Doctor. Never trust a man who doesn't drink.
Detective William Henry Blore: Sounds like the Bible. Great book.

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Crazy Credits

The first line of the nursery rhyme appears onscreen - "Ten Little Indians Went Out To Dine...." - superimposed over a set of small statues of Native Americans - this is immediately followed by the film's title "And Then There Were None".

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Connections

Spoofed in Murder by Death (1976)

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Soundtracks

Ten Little Indians
(uncredited)
Performed by Mischa Auer
Played often throughout the picture

User Reviews

Who Might Be the Mysterious Killer?

Judge Francis J. Quinncannon (Barry Fitzgerald), Dr. Edward G. Armstrong (Walter Huston), Philip Lombard (Louis Hayward), Detective William Henry Blore (Roland Young), the secretary Vera Claythorne (June Duprez), Prince Nikita 'Nikki' Starloff (Mischa Auer), Gen. Sir John Mandrake (Sir C. Aubrey Smith) and Emily Brent (Judith Anderson) are invited by the mysterious Mr U. N. Own to spend the weekend in an island and they are hosted by the newly-hired butler Thomas Rogers (Richard Haydn) and his wife and housekeeper Ethel Rogers (Queenie Leonard).

Thomas explains that Mr. Own will arrive later and following the instructions of his master, he plays a record where the host explains that all of them have been accused of murder. Further, they realize that none of them actually knows Mr. Own. Vera plays a song about Ten Little Indians on the piano and they see a decoration on the table with ten Indians. Soon they are killed one-by-one while the each Indian vanishes from the decoration. Who might be the mysterious killer?

"And Then There Were None" is an engaging thriller based on a novel and a stage play by Agatha Christie. René Clair makes an excellent theatrical but never boring film, supported by magnificent performances and a delightful screenplay with tense and humorous situations. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Vingador Invisível" ("The Invisible Avenger")

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rene Clair's 'And Then There Were None'

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rene Clair Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1