And Then There Were None (1)

Thanks for the memories!

Boring

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This is certainly the best 'film of the book' there has ever been - so far. The title sequence alone deserves an Oscar, with those beautiful jade figurines disintegrating and morphing into a model of the island where it all happens.The house, the cast, the pathetically fallacious cloud formations, sunsets and dramatic weather, the costumes, hair and makeup taking each character from groomed control to dishevelled à la Marat/Sade - everything contributes to this brilliant psychological drama of Agatha Christie at her finest.The only thing missing was Agatha Christie's brilliance.There is a lack of understanding in this film of the original plot, which is not only fatal to the interpretation but is actually quite horrible. It is, in the final analysis, typical BBC. Every time the BBC dramatises a classic (Austen, Dickens, Conan Doyle...) it should have, just under the title, the words 'Loosely based on an idea by' - as a kind of caveat.Agatha Christie's book (originally titled, in the UK, as 'Ten Little Niggers', in accordance with the terminology of the time - this was after all 1939...) has a completeness and subtlety of plot which the BBC can for some reason never achieve. Every tiny detail, as in a fine tapestry, fits in with and contributes to the whole. Everything is in its place - and the reader overlooks it at their peril.So why did the BBC (in the persons of the screenwriter, director, et al.) omit things like the red oilskin curtain, the hiding of the grey skein of wool (inexpertly wound into an unusable ball by Miranda Richardson), the pooling and securing of possible murder implements, the bee, the seaweed, and so on? Why were the original murders made physical to an obviously culpable extent when the whole point of the plot is that they were not so, because they were too 'hands off'? It is, after all, in this last respect why every reader kicks themself as they turn the last page of Agatha Christie's most perfect work - because she provided not only all the clues but actually also the only possible solution, elegantly displayed along the way, for the Hastings-blind reader who missed it all. And then there's the larding of the BBC's currently in-favour - but inappropriate to the time and to Agatha Christie's oeuvre and taste - swear words. Plus the physical manifestation of the particularly favoured word between Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard. What the fuck is all that about?. (See - doesn't add anything, does it ?) Have the BBC never heard of dramatic tension (oh, wait...)? If they'd kept faithful to the original in every respect, they wouldn't have needed to add anything as silly as a one-night stand and a few tacky close-ups of thighs, stocking tops, torsos, and cleavage. Good, verging on excellent - but in the event not good enough. Worth a watch, but not a buy.We'll just have to wait another twenty-nine or forty-one years for the next one to come along...

One of the best and real TV version of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Niggers" novel. There is no stupid happy end like in previous ones (except Russian TV-movie 1989.

I really liked this rendition of the book. It has already been filmed before, but that one is completely redone from the book (it became a new story altogether) and I did not like that at all. This one, on the other hand, is true to the book. It is also so fast paced it never got boring This in particular I'm really happy about, because this isn't a story that would handle that well. The story itself is probably one of my favorites (thanks Agatha Christie!) and I've wanted a decently filmed version like this one since I first read the book several years ago. I am so so happy with this mini-series and I definitely recommend it to anyone with this kind of taste in stories!

This is a long time favorite of mine (I have every version of this tale on DVD). This production does great respect to Christie while giving a new twist on the story.Being a big fan of all things BBC, I expected a high-value production and deep psychological investigation. And this mini delivered! The casting was brilliant and they appropriately removed characters before they could annoy you, as other interpretations did not.I loved how they made a simple tale into a series-serialist program. The production value is very high and as much as Aidan Turner was ticking me off in his attitude, it made sense in how they unfolded this version of the story and that character. A nice twist that made me recoil in the end.I think Mammoth Screen really proves their strength in production and keeps the viewer engaged both visually and in character exposure, however, if you are familiar with the plot, you might find some dialogue "forced to fit". No disrespect to Sarah Phelps - I think it was a masterful interpretation (giving new life to an age old tale). It must be tough to take Christie's work in hand, and I applaud her undertaking a project that has such a die-hard following. And she nailed it, no question. Truly brilliant. But you just might feel a twinge of "what the hell?" if you've read and seen all other interpretations before this. Get over that, though, because this does overcome!I looked forward to this becoming available on DVD because I cannot get live BBC programming, so I pre-ordered on Amazon and from my mailbox to my DVD player was less than 15 minutes. And it was everything I had hoped for, plus some. I've watched it several times now and I appreciate it more every time.To me, this production gives meaning to "reviving and redoing". New twists and new visions while still respecting the original texts.Casting was great! (you already know that) Production value was top notch and the editing and sound mixing was outstanding! With the high-bar that people expect in today's media world, this production will not let any fan of Christie feel slighted.You'll be impressed and you'll enjoy!