Ten Little Indians (1965)

Ten people are invited to a luxury mountaintop mansion, only to find that an unseen person is killing them one by one. Could one of them be the killer?

Director:

George Pollock

Writers:

Peter Yeldham (screenplay), Harry Alan Towers (screenplay) (as Peter Welbeck)

Stars:

Hugh O'Brian, Shirley Eaton, Fabian

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Hugh O'Brian	...	Hugh Lombard
Shirley Eaton	...	Ann Clyde
Fabian	...	Mike Raven
Leo Genn	...	General Mandrake
Stanley Holloway	...	William Blore
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Judge Cannon (as Wilfrid Hyde White)
Daliah Lavi	...	Ilona Bergen
Dennis Price	...	Dr. Armstrong
Marianne Hoppe	...	Frau Grohmann
Mario Adorf	...	Herr Grohmann
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Mitchell	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

Up to a house high on a mountain top have been invited ten people who are strangers to each other. When they are all gathered, they hear from their host that each one of them has in someway caused the death of an innocent person and that justice had not be served in their cases. There are eight guests and two servants there for the weekend, but one by one, they are being knocked off according to the poem of "Ten Little Indians". As the number of survivors decreases, they begin to believe that the killer is one of the group, but are unable to decide on which one he or she may be.

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Plot Keywords:

indian | house | guest | death | judge | 

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Taglines:

10 Trapped in a House of Terror!

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 1966 (UK)

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians

Filming Locations:

Kenure House Rush Co, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tenlit Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hugh O'Brian has a bare chest scene in this movie.

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Goofs

when Shirley Eaton dresses for dinner her underwear is white (as noted in another goof). She then puts on a dress before opening the door for Hugh O'Brien. Later in the movie, when she is locked in her room, she is seen undressing and wearing black underwear. This is not a goof or continuity error. This is the next day and she has obviously changed clothes. She is no longer wearing a dress, but a skirt and sweater.

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Quotes

Judge Arthur Cannon: I find it a singular lapse of manners - a house party, and the host the last to arrive!
Mike Raven: It happens.
Judge Arthur Cannon: Not to me, young man.

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Alternate Versions

The film was originally released with a "Whodunit Break" gimmick. Right before Ann is seen firing the gun at Hugh, the action pauses and an off screen voice tells the audience that the film will pause for one minute to give them a chance to solve the crime. The previous murders are shown under a large clock ticking the minute away. After the narrator tells the audience they can figure the mystery out if they have "paid close attention" he finishes by intoning "DO NOT BE SURPRISED BY WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE!" At that point the action resumes. Some video and TV prints do not contain this fun "murder minute", but others (including the version shown on TV in the UK) still do.

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Connections

Referenced in 3-Day Weekend (2008)

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Soundtracks

Ten Little Indians
Adaption of traditional nursery rhyme
Performed by Fabian

User Reviews

Unptretentious but Good Version of Miss Christie's Novel

If you enjoy crime mystery movies this is one to see. Based on a novel by Agatha Christie, it tells the story of ten people, all unknown to each other, that get trapped and isolated in a sort of castle on top a mountain where they have been invited by a mysterious host they don't know either. They soon realize the idea for their presence there is none other than to be executed one by one as a punishment for unclear circumstances that hurt and killed people in each one's past. They also realize that the avenging murderer is one of them, but who? Deaths start and it comes to the point in which no one -sill alive of course- trusts no one and everyone suspects everyone. The mystery's disclosure at the very end of the film doesn't lack surprise and goes along with the previous entertaining situations.

A rather unpretentious remake of "And There here were None" released in the 40's, this 1965 version turns out really good and stands far better than others that followed (in 1974 with Oliver Reed and Elke Sommer and in 1989 with Donald Pleasence and Brenda Vaccaro).

The dark atmosphere -the shooting was made in black and white- is good enough and interest doesn't fall along the whole picture, perhaps because the events move fast and the film's running time is perfect.

No doubt the very good performances of such experienced actors as Leo Genn (the General), Wilfrid Hyde White (the Judge) and Sterling Holloway (the detective) help a lot too. Hugh O'Brian and Shirley Eaton (a former Bond girl) are correct in their not much demanding roles).

If you didn't read Christie's novel you will enjoy the film and its mysterious plot, and if did read it you will enjoy the murderer's handling of facts in order to accomplish his sinister plan.

Some too casual and forced situations -necessary to sustain the plot and usual in Miss Christie's novels- do not affect the picture in all which is a real good one in its genre.