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 Stuart 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 Mediterranean 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:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German French

Release Date:

5 March 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Evil Under the Sun

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,690,774, 7 March 1982

Gross USA:

$6,110,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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 was selected to be the 1982 Royal Film Performance. This movie screened on Monday, March 22, 1982 at London's Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square in the gracious presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with proceeds from the charity U.K. premiere going to the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund. However, this screening was not the world premiere of the movie, it had debuted in Australia a month earlier in February 1982, this movie launching down under there because EMI's Can't Stop the Music (1980) had had its best box-office returns there.

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Goofs

The first corpse (found in the moor at the beginning of the film) can clearly be seen breathing.

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Quotes

Mr. Flewitt's Secretary: Hercules Parrot, sir!
Poirot: [entering the office] Poirot, Mademoiselle, pucker your lips as though about to bestow a kiss! Poi-rot.

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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

Begin the Beguine
(uncredited)
Written by Cole Porter
Heard as a theme

User Reviews

Great, Great, Great,

What can I say, this is an excellent film, only equal to The Suchet Poirot Murder On the Links, it's the most enjoyable Agatha Christie That Ustinov has ever made!!!! 10/10 Stars!!!