Monday, November 1, 2021

Ten Little Indians x Five!

Agatha Christie's classic 1939 mystery novel Ten Little Indians (the original title is best forgotten) has been adapted multiple times in multiple languages for the big and small screens. Below are the five best-known versions ranked--according to the Café staff--from best to worst.

Shirley Eaton.
1. Ten Little Indians (1965) - This one is the first, and best, of three adaptations produced and co-written by Harry Alan Towers. It shifts the location from an island to a snowy retreat which becomes isolated when the only cable car is sabotaged. The theatrical version features a sixty-second Whodunit Break which stops the action near the climax to "refresh your memory with a few clues." The cast includes great character actors such as Wilfrid Hyde-White, Stanley Holloway, Dennis Price, and Leo Genn (plus Christopher Lee as the voice of Mr. U. N. Owen). However, the film belongs to Shirley Eaton, who turns the female protagonist into a cool beauty who just might be capable of murder! Alas, there's also Fabian who is hopelessly miscast...but at least, his demise comes quickly. The setting, the supporting cast, and Ms. Eaton elevate the 1965 Ten Little Indians to our top spot over other versions.

Walter Huston, Louis Hayward & Roland Young.
2. And Then There Were None (1945) - This adaptation written by Dudley Nichols opts for the happy ending from Agatha Christie's 1943 stage play as opposed to the downbeat one in her novel. It's a practice that most other screen versions would mimic. It also uses the title of the U.S. publication of the book and changes some of the characters' names. Otherwise, it's a pretty faithful adaptation set on an isolated island and blessed with a strong cast of veteran performers such as C. Aubrey Smith, Judith Anderson, Walter Huston, and Barry Fitzgerald. None of the murders are explicitly shown. Director Rene Clair even adds a touch of macabre humor to the proceedings--although that also lessens the suspense. Incredibly, 20th Century-Fox allowed the copyright to expire, so beware of poor public domain prints. You can view all the murders in this compilation clip on our YouTube channel (just beware of spoilers!).

3. And There There Were None (2015) - This is the first of several Agatha Christie television adaptations written by Sarah Phelps. The first-rate cast features Sam Neill, Miranda Richardson, Toby Stephens, and Aidan Turner. Christie purists can rejoice that it retains the island setting, restores the original ending from the novel, and features a dark, menacing atmosphere. At times, though, it's almost too grim and its three-hour length feels too bloated for the plot. 

Elke Sommer and Oliver Reed.
4. Ten Little Indians (aka And Then There Were None) (1974) - Harry Alan Towers' second adaptation exists in two versions: a 109-minute film with a subplot about spies and a more widely available 98-minute cut that is almost a scene-for-scene remake of Towers' 1965 film. Both versions are notable for their color photography (the '45 and '65 films were in B&W) and for relocating the the mystery plot to an abandoned luxurious hotel in the middle of an Iranian desert. I've only seen the shorter print, a color-by-numbers exercise that fails to do justice to Christie's ingenious premise. The international cast never quite meshes together, though it's still fun to see the suspects played by the likes of Oliver Reed, Elke Sommer, Charles Aznavour, Adolfo Celi, Richard Attenborough, Gert Fröbe, and Herbert Lom. Interestingly, Celi and Fröbe played James Bond villains in, respectively, Thunderball and Goldfinger. In the latter film, Fröbe's Goldfinger painted Shirley Eaton's character with gold paint; as noted above, Eaton starred in the '65 Ten Little Indians. 

Sarah Maur Thorp.
5. Ten Little Indians (1989) - Towers intended his third adaptation to be more faithful to the source novel. However, budget constraints led him to set the film in Africa, with the suspects living in tents! Actually, this setting works surprisingly well as it seems more plausible for a killer to sneak around a safari camp without being seen. The cast features a handful of respectable performances, notably Donald Pleasance, newcomer Sarah Maur Thorp, and Herbert Lom (who appeared in the '74 version as a different character). However, Frank Stallone (Sly's brother) makes a wooden "hero" and Brenda Vaccaro nibbles on the scenery far too often. Although the running time is similar to Towers' earlier endeavors, this perfunctory version turns into a snooze fest long before the climax.

8 comments:

  1. 1945 and 1965 are the only two versions I have under my belt. It looks like I have a lot of catching up to do.

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  2. I didn’t realize there so many…

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  3. Fun Fact:

    In 1959, NBC (with the resources of David Susskind) mounted a live-on-tape one-hour version of Ten Little Indians - and I've got it on a DVD!
    Trying to smoosh the Christie plot into a '50s TV hour (something like 50 minutes, give or take) was a fool's errand, though it must be said that everybody was game.
    The top-billed stars here were Nina Foch and Kenneth Haigh; everybody else was from the stage, most of whom you probably wouldn't know unless you were a devotee.
    I watched the DVD once, a while back; knowing the story, the super-condensation was a bit wince-inducing (I mean, only one set?).
    "It probably seemed like a good idea at the time ..."
    I think I'll look at it again - maybe back-to-back with one or more of the better ones ...
    s

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    1. That version was on Amazon Prime for a while and I kept putting off watching it. Now, it's "temporarily unavailable." Hopefully, it will be available again.

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  4. I saw a community theater version back in the '80s that was exceptionally well done. I liked your top-ranked film, but stage versions of certain stories are just wonderful fits.

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  5. The 2015 version is the only one I've seen so far, and you're right about it being bloated. Beautiful technical values, and a good cast, but little else to recommend it, in my opinion.

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  6. I never realized five versions were made! I grew up watching the 1945 film but then in my teens, discovered the 1965 version and enjoyed it a lot. Both are equally good....but honestly, none of the films are as entertaining as Christie's book.

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  7. I have read so many comments and reviews about the movie adaptations of 10 Little Indians, and I'm really surprised that most of people don't even know about the brilliant Russian movie filmed in 1987, called "Desyat Negrityat". You can say whatever you want, but this is definitely the most accurate adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel. It's the only one which doesn't introduce any major changes to the plot or characters, and the only one to show the real end of the story.
    I'll tell you where the other movies have failed:
    - And Then There Were None (1945): Lombard and Vera surviving literally destroy the dramatic and beautiful end; the "fake" Lombard replacing an old friend of him was unnecessary; overall, the atmosphere is too playful, with too many jokes, and break the suspence.
    - Ten Little Indians (1965): I really don't see how this could be the best adaption (as stated in this review). Most of the characters have been changes (names and background); the location changed to a mountain retreat (unacceptable!) and some of the deaths has no connection at all with the original rhyme; the fight between Lombard and the butler was unnecessary; most of the dialogues are just a replica from the 1945 movie;
    - Ten Little Indians (1974): as for the previous one, there are too many changes compared with the novel. The house is located in the middle of a desert; the characters have been changed, Lombard and Vera surviving, etc.;
    Ten Little Indians (1989): definitely the lowest moment of the adaptations series, with the slaughter arranged in a safari camp (not even an house!);
    And There There Were None (2015): this could be the best attempt... what a pity that the judges decided to enter the room BEFORE Vera actually choked herself to death. I regret some other choices, such as the "orgy party", and I wish they could find a way to show Blore's death as it was supposed to be (only the 1945 movie and the Russian movie did).
    To make it short, just have a look at "Desyat Negrityat": this chart will definitely have a new entry, directly at the first place.

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