And Then There Were None (1974 film)
| And Then There Were None | |
|---|---|
 A film poster bearing the film's alternative title: Ten Little Indians |
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| Directed by | Peter Collinson |
| Produced by | Harry Alan Towers |
| Written by | Novel: Agatha Christie Screenplay: Harry Alan Towers (as "Peter Welbeck") Uncredited: Enrique Llovet |
| Starring | Charles Aznavour Stéphane Audran Elke Sommer Gert Fröbe |
| Music by | Bruno Nicolai |
| Cinematography | Fernando Arribas |
| Editing by | John Trumper Gabrielle Reinecke Mike Crowley |
| Studio | Corona Filmproduktion Talía Films COMECI |
| Distributed by | AVCO Embassy Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1974 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Country | France / Spain / Germany / Italy |
| Language | English |
And Then There Were None (a.k.a. Ten Little Indians) is a 1974 film version of the Agatha Christie mystery novel of the same name. Two previous theatrical adaptations were released in 1945 and 1965, and a videotaped made-for-television version was broadcast in 1959. This was the second of three versions of Christie's novel to be adapted to the screen by producer Harry Alan Towers; the aforementioned 1965 version, this one was made in 1974, and yet another in 1989. It follows the script of the 1965 version, right down to calling the Oliver Reed character "Hugh" (a name change made to accommodate Hugh O'Brian in the earlier version) instead of "Phillip," which was character's name in the novel and play, though this particular adaptation is set in an abandoned hotel in the Iranian desert; the film was shot in the Shah Abbas Hotel (now known as the Abbasi Hotel) in Iran during its pre-revolution days. The film's run time is an hour and thirty-eight minutes and it is the first film version of the novel to be filmed in color.
Herbert Lom, who plays Dr. Armstrong here, also starred in the 1989 version as the General.
Both Celi and Froebe had already played villains in the James Bond series.
Charles Aznavour was allowed to sing his signature song, The Old Fashioned Way, and the film uses the standard recording of it, which leaves the audience to wonder where the orchestral back-up behind him is coming from.
Orson Welles is heard as the voice of the mystery man "U.N. Owen," though unlike the 1965 version, for which Christopher Lee played "Owen" anonymously, Welles received full screen credit.
In the opening credits the screenplay is credited only to "Peter Welbeck" (a pseudonym of producer Towers), but the IMDB attributes the script to Welbeck, Erich Krohnke, and Enrique Lovet. The film was directed by Peter Collinson.
[edit] Plot
The plot remains essentially the same as the novel during the first part, though some of the characterizations are based more closely on the script of the 1965 film. However, the ending is completely different. Another departure from Christie's text is that this time the action takes place not on a deserted island, but in a hotel deep within the Iranian desert.
A group of 10 people, strangers to one another, have all traveled to a hotel located deep in the deserts of Iran. Upon arrival they discover that their host is mysteriously absent. They are accused by a tape recording of having committed various crimes in the past which went unpunished by the law. As guests start to die, the remainder deduce that their unseen host is determined to murder them. Since a search of the hotel proves that there is no one hiding among them, they realize that the murderer is one of them.
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