Evil Under the Sun (1982)

Trying to find how a millionaire wound up with a phony diamond brings Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov) to an exclusive island resort frequented by the rich and famous. When a murder is committed, everyone has an alibi.

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writer:

Anthony Shaffer (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Ustinov, James Mason, Maggie Smith

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Ustinov	...	Hercule Poirot
Colin Blakely	...	Sir Horace Blatt
Jane Birkin	...	Christine Redfern
Nicholas Clay	...	Patrick Redfern
Maggie Smith	...	Daphne Castle
Roddy McDowall	...	Rex Brewster
Sylvia Miles	...	Myra Gardener
James Mason	...	Odell Gardener
Denis Quilley	...	Kenneth Marshall
Diana Rigg	...	Arlena Marshall
Emily Hone	...	Linda Marshall
John Alderson	...	Police Sergeant
Paul Antrim	...	Police Inspector
Cyril Conway	...	Police Surgeon
Barbara Hicks	...	Flewitt's Secretary

Storyline

Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov) is called in to investigate a case for an insurance company regarding a dead woman's body found on a moor, and then an important diamond sent to the company to be insured, turns out to be a fake. Poirot discovers that the diamond was bought for Arlena Marshall (Dame Diana Rigg) by Sir Horace Blatt (Colin Blakely), and Arlena is on her honeymoon with her husband and stepdaughter on a tropical island hotel. He joins them on the island and finds that everybody else starts to hate Arlena for different reasons, refusing to do a stage show, stopping a book, and for having an open affair with Patrick Redfern (Nicholas Clay), another guest, in full view of his shy wife. So it's only a matter of time before Arlena turns up dead, strangled, and Poirot must find out who it is.

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Plot Keywords:

hercule poirot | based on novel | agatha christie | beach | hercule poirot character | 

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Taglines:

Holidays can be murder.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

5 March 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Böse unter der Sonne

Filming Locations:

Cala Blanca, Camp de Mar, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,690,774, 7 March 1982, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$6,110,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Titan Productions, Mersham Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie relocates the provincial North Devon, England setting on Smuggler's Island off the Devonshire Coast from the Dame Agatha Christie source "Evil Under the Sun" novel to an island in the Adriatic Sea "somewhere west of Suez", a setting played by the exotic Spanish island location of Mallorca. Screenwriter Anthony Shaffer once said of this: "The location is important. The island should be a star. Just as the Nile steamer (in Death on the Nile (1978)) and the Orient Express (in Murder on the Orient Express (1974)) were stars." Mallorca was also, at the time, the home of Director Guy Hamilton.

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Goofs

As the Gardeners sit on the terrace watching Arlena's arrival, Odell calls Myra "Myrna."

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Quotes

Daphne Castle: [greeting the Redferns] Hello! I'm Daphne Castle - welcome to the island.
Patrick Redfern: How do you do.
Christine Redfern: [unenthusiastic] It looks lovely, I'm sure we'll have a nice time here.
Daphne Castle: [twinkling] And a naughty one too - I hope!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits feature watercolors by British architect and artist, Sir Hugh Casson, who taught Prince Charles to paint. The titles for each actor feature an item of costume, prop or setting relevant to their character and those for the production team are similarly themed.

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Connections

Followed by Dead Man's Folly (1986)

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Soundtracks

I Get A Kick Out of You
(uncredited)
Written by Cole Porter
Heard as a theme

User Reviews

The Sun is Shining, The Sky is Blue ... But Remember: Evil Under the Sun is Ustinov's Masterpiece

Yes, "EUTS" is Ustinov's best film, on an equal par with "Death on the Nile". While the plots are somewhat similar, (and some of the actors), the film is an excellent and high-spirited intermingling of murder, murder, bloody murder (actually no blood - the crime was strangulation of Diana Rigg's glamorous (what else?) Mrs. Arlena Marshall, the actress and vamp) and humour - Maggie Smith's Daphne Castle is brimming over the top with multiple solutions for the murder (her nut-cracker theory is best). The two leading ladies, Rigg and Smith, have excellent scenes together - and the music (Cole Porter) sets the scene exactly. Masterpiece!