And Then There Were None
Directed by René Clair
Written by Dudley Nichols from the novel by Agatha Christie
1945/USA
René Clair Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
[box] Emily Brent: Very stupid to kill the only servant in the house. Now we don’t even know where to find the marmalade.[/box]
Agatha Christie murder mysteries are the kind of thing that works best on a first viewing. Still with this cast it’s hard to go far wrong.
Mr. U.N. Owen invites eight people, strangers to him and each other, to a weekend houseparty at his mansion on an isolated island. There they join the married butler and housekeeper who are to tend to their needs. There is no sign of their host, however. After establishing that there is no way off the island until the ferry returns in two days and no telephone either, the guests begin speculating. After dinner, the butler plays a gramaphone record recorded by Owen accusing each guest and servant of some unpunished capital crime and vowing justice. A copy of the song “Ten Little Indians” is prominently placed on the piano.
Guests start dropping by the methods described in the song. A table centerpiece loses one Indian with each murder. Things get even more interesting, if possible, when the guests convince themselves that Owen must be one of their number. With Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Roland Young, Louis Hayward, Judith Anderson, Mischa Auer, C. Aubrey Smith, and June Duprez.
The solution to the mystery seemed obvious on a second viewing, eliminating all of the suspense that kept me going the first time. Still, all these fine character actors attack their roles with gusto and Clair films everything like the artist he was.
Trailer
