Ten Little Indians

When you're in the mood for a quick Christie fix, and don't mind getting it from an old, very low-budget made-for-tv quickie flick, consider this rarity. Surfing thru the offerings on streaming this evening, I happened upon it, and normally would have given it a pass--especially considering its faded, technical antiquity and the only recognizable name being reliable Nina Foch (among other roles, the Egyptian princess who adopts baby Moses in the 1956 "Ten Commandments".) The other players, while capable, seemed like they'd all blur together, and the faded black-and-white print looked to have been made on a shoestring. But with its brief running time, I gave it a look and was glad I did. It moves along and tells the tale briskly enough that you don't have time to be bored (closed-captioning helps a lot with the accents too.) I'm glad I checked it out.

I really enjoyed this one, and it moves along quite nicely. Yes, it is only an hour long, but it is cohesive and well-done. I have seen every version save for the 1949 TV version, and I must say that this is one of the better ones. My ranking would probably go 1.Desyat Negrityat, 2.And Then There Were None, 3.Ten Little Indians (1959), 4.Ten Little Indians (1966), 5.Ten Little Indians (1989), 6.Ten Little Indians (1975). You can find a copy from "Movies Unlimited." It's an old TV print, but it's not so bad. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a digital remaster one day.

There are many versions of this Agatha Christie story, often known as And Then There Were None. This one is an hour-long teleplay for British television, starring Nina Foch, black and white, from 1959. The show also features Barry Jones, Romney Brent, Valerie French, and James Berwick.

The setting for this particular adaptation is a mansion in the Alps.

Certainly not the best version, though, since it's only an hour, people drop like flies fairly quickly. The version I saw was a lousy print.

For reasons known only to whomever advertised this film on streaming, one is given to believe Hugh O'Brian is in this. He is in a later version.

And Then There Were None has been one of my favourite books of all time since I was 12, it was my first Agatha Christie book actually and made me a huge fan of her work very shortly after. This 1959 adaptation is one of the better ones of this truly great book, surpassed only by the Russian version- the most faithful- and the Rene Clair version. The worst one is the 1989 film and in my opinion the only one that didn't do anything for me(the one 1974 has its issues but to me it wasn't that bad). This adaptation could have been 20 minutes longer(it's just under an hour and I think that's too short), some of it read of one murder after murder and not quite enough of the suspenseful interplay between the characters and Nina Foch overdoes it as Vera. However, it is beautifully filmed with a location that suits the mystery very well. The dialogue is witty in a subtle way, and also thoughtful and intelligently written, while the story is true to the book, surprisingly well-paced for a film as short as it is and has a good amount of suspense and tension. And yes you are kept guessing until the end, which is different from the book(in all fairness the book ending is very difficult and until I saw the Russian version I'd cited it as unfilmable) but doesn't feel too disappointing or contrived, like I used to think this particular ending did. The version I feel that does this alternate ending best is the 1965 version though. Expecting Foch, the acting is very good especially from Barry Jones and Romney Brent, a good thing as I have always considered Wargrave and Armstrong the most interesting characters of the book. To conclude, nicely done and while not the best version of a masterpiece it is one of the better ones. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a rare, live television Presentation of one of Agatha Christie's most famous mysteries. First aired on NBC on January 18th, 1959. Quite well done, with great performances from it's cast, Most notably Jones as the Judge and Brent as the Doctor. The movie only runs about an hour, which makes some of the plot appear rushed, but it doesn't make the movie any less enjoyable. This version actually follows the story more closely than you would expect. It is the only other version, (besides 1945's And Then There Were None) to keep the location at the secluded Indian Island Mansion. And it is in glorious black and white, which also makes viewing entertaining.

Those who don't know the story,(and those who do) will probably not be let down. The plot is: ten people are invited to a remote mansion on an island. When they arrive their missing host (via phonograph) accuses them of crimes he believes they have gotten away with. Soon the group begins to grow smaller, as their "Host" begins to kill them off one by one, according to the TEN LITTLE INDIANS (of course) nursery rhyme. Soon they realize their "Host" is among them, and they have to figure out who it is.

This is a highly entertaining flick. I have seen every version of this movie That I can find, the only version I haven't seen is the russian version, Desyat Negrityat, And this is one of my favorites. It doesn't surpass Rene Clair's "And Then There Were None" but for that matter, none of the remakes have. But the performance of the killer (I won't say who) is quite good. And for those who don't know the story, you will probably not be able to figure out who the killer is until he reveals himself (or herself) at the end. The only two places that I have seen it available are Videoflicks (Where I got my copy) and EBAY. If you like the story(Or just a good mystery) view it if you get a chance.

*****/*****