Film Review
French filmmaker René Clair rounded off his productive and generally successful
period in Hollywood with this inspired adaptation of an Agatha Christie
novel which is considered the author's most popular. Originally
published in the UK as
Ten Little Niggers and later as
Ten Little Indians,
And Then There Were None has been adapted for film and television more often
than any other Christie novel - Clair's adaptation was the first and easily one
of the best (far superior to the next big screen version
Ten Little Indians (1965)
directed by George Pollock). How curious that the plot should so closely
resemble that of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes adventure
The House of Fear (1945)...
The plot may have undergone innumerable re-workings since this film was made, but
somehow the film (arguably the best adaptation of an Agatha Christie whodunnit) still
manages to feel fresh and enjoyable. It's far from obvious who the killer is - the
audience is kept guessing right up until the denouement. (A propos, the ending is
not that of Christie's original novel but rather that of her more upbeat 1943 stage
stage adaptation.) The delicious combination of black comedy and mystery thriller intrigue
may lead you to mistake it for one of Hitchcock's films, so strongly does it
resemble his early suspense thrillers. Some inventive use of
lighting and noirish camerawork lends the film an unrelenting
sense of lurking menace, which intensifies as the drama builds to its
gripping climax. Clair also makes good use of his fiendish sense of
comic irony, injecting some effective shots
of humour just when the narrative needs it. Thankfully, the humour is more
restrained than it was on Clair's previous comedy
I Married a Witch (1942),
but it beautifully complements the film's darker aspects. Murder is, after all,
a serious business...
© James Travers 2007
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next René Clair film:
Le Silence est d'or (1947)
Film Synopsis
Eight men and women, all unknown to each other, accept a mysterious invitation to an island
estate. They are welcomed by two domestic servants, Mr and Mrs Rogers, who appear
to be as ignorant of the reason for the meeting as the guests are. When they
are all assembled together, they hear a strange message from their unknown host on a gramophone
record. Each one of them is accused of a murder, and each one of them is destined
to be punished. The first victim is Prince Nikita, poisoned. The next morning,
it is found that Mrs Rogers has died in her sleep. The murders appear to be following
the pattern of a children's nursery rhyme, The Ten Little Indians. One by one, the
guests will be eliminated - until there are none…
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.