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Ten Little Indians

Original title: Desyat negrityat
  • 1987
  • 2h 17m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
Ten Little Indians (1987)
Psychological ThrillerSerial KillerSuspense MysteryWhodunnitCrimeDramaMysteryThriller

A psychological thriller based on the novel by Agatha Christie. Ten strangers are forced to come face to face with their dark pasts after receiving invitation to an isolated island off the c... Read allA psychological thriller based on the novel by Agatha Christie. Ten strangers are forced to come face to face with their dark pasts after receiving invitation to an isolated island off the coast of England.A psychological thriller based on the novel by Agatha Christie. Ten strangers are forced to come face to face with their dark pasts after receiving invitation to an isolated island off the coast of England.

  • Director
    • Stanislav Govorukhin
  • Writers
    • Agatha Christie
    • Stanislav Govorukhin
  • Stars
    • Vladimir Zeldin
    • Tatyana Drubich
    • Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    3.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Stanislav Govorukhin
    • Writers
      • Agatha Christie
      • Stanislav Govorukhin
    • Stars
      • Vladimir Zeldin
      • Tatyana Drubich
      • Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy
    • 28User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos31

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    Top cast15

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    Vladimir Zeldin
    Vladimir Zeldin
    • judge Lawrence John Wargrave
    Tatyana Drubich
    Tatyana Drubich
    • Vera Elizabeth Claythorne
    Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy
    Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy
    • captain Philip Lombard
    Aleksey Zharkov
    Aleksey Zharkov
    • William Henry Blore
    Anatoliy Romashin
    Anatoliy Romashin
    • Dr. Edward George Armstrong
    Lyudmila Maksakova
    Lyudmila Maksakova
    • miss Emily Caroline Brent
    Mikhail Gluzskiy
    Mikhail Gluzskiy
    • general John Gordon Macarthur
    Aleksey Zolotnitskiy
    • Thomas Rogers - servant
    Irina Tereshchenko
    Irina Tereshchenko
    • Ethel Rogers - maid
    Aleksandr Abdulov
    Aleksandr Abdulov
    • Anthony James Marston
    Ivan Arzhatkin
    • Shipboy
    • (as V. Arzhatkin)
    Dmitriy Arshinov
    • Child
    • (as D. Arshinov)
    Viktor Bentsler
    • Vera's fiance
    Vladimir Zharikov
    • Aborigine
    Fyodor Odinokov
    Fyodor Odinokov
    • Fred Narracott - boatman
    • (as F. Odinokov)
    • Director
      • Stanislav Govorukhin
    • Writers
      • Agatha Christie
      • Stanislav Govorukhin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews28

    7.73.3K
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    Featured reviews

    10cluedokid25

    As faithful as a dog

    Amazing! AllI can say is amazing! The best movie adaptation yet! I liked the realistic reactions rather than the wise cracks from older versions. Vera was played to perfection right down to the hanging and the Judge, all I can say is brilliant. I'm glad they played out the ending there versions were afraid to do, and the setting is just perfect to the way Christie described it! I'm also happy on the way they did the death scenes in that manor. Aside from liking Vera's breakdown, I was equally amazed by Miss Brents break down to her smashing her bible through the window! The score was just plain creepy! My only grip is the horrible subtitles, that look like they were written by some 4-year old! Plus they were completely off. Like the guy would speak and seconds later, the words would prompt on. Next time I'm watching it subtitle less, after all, it was so close to the book I felt like I didn't even need the subtitles! Overall I give it 9 out of 10 N i g g e rs!
    10Sleepin_Dragon

    A first class version.

    Ten people find themselves on an isolated island, and one by one they begin to die, is the killer hiding on the island, or hiding in plain sight?

    For my shame I haven't watched this movie for about a decade, that's bad on my part, because it is a superb adaptation.

    Who'd have thought that a Russian adaptation of Agatha Christie's incredible novel, would be the first to follow through with the original ending, it took some courage not to opt for the softer conclusion.

    Great atmosphere, it's tense, suspenseful and claustrophobic, they truly captured the tone and essence of the book. Some of the earlier adaptations, films I love, but have a degree of humour, the book is a straight up thriller, it doesn't have sentiment or humour, this adaptation is bleak, as is the story.

    Each of the characters look the part, Miss Brent looks exactly as I pictured the character from the book, as so The Doctor and Judge.

    The music is great, the visuals are spot on, I love the property they use, it has that isolated feel.

    I only wish a British made adaptation had been made along these lines, not until the later BBC series was it adapted again.

    Perfect adaptation, 10/10.
    9yusufpiskin

    Extraordinary Adaptation

    Desyat Negrityat is a 1987 Soviet film based on the Agatha Christie novel Ten Little Indians. Its director, Stanislav Govorukhin, also wrote the script. This adaptation draws attention with the fact that almost no part of the novel has changed.

    This adaptation draws attention with the fact that almost no part of the novel has changed. Unlike previous Hollywood/British adaptations of the same story, none of the characters or their crimes have been changed, and the film ends with the original brutal finale of Agatha Christie's novel.
    8stevenmcghee-89100

    Well worth watching

    I won't rehash the storyline which everyone knows but just a few comments:

    Plus points: -the first film adaptation which sticks to the ending as outlined in the novel

    -dialogue is very much as per the novel. If you know the book well, the subtitles are almost superfluous as you will know what the characters are saying

    -the choice of location for filming was inspired. Oddly, the external shots feel more claustrophobic than those inside the house. The crucial scene at the end between Vera and Lombard is powerfully shot with the sea almost a background character on its own.

    Minus points: -At times it can be difficult to distinguish Lombard from Blore. Facially, they are very alike.

    -The actress playing Emily Brent is too young...equally, the character playing Anthony Marston is some 10 years too old.

    -There's something lacking with the interior shots which fail, at times, to convey the cloying claustrophobia so evident in the book. It may be that there are simply too many daylight scenes.

    While I prefer the 2015 BBC adaptation, this 1987 Soviet version is in second place, well ahead of any of the previous adaptations.

    However, no film version will ever beat the novel itself and the imagery those words conjure up in the reader's imagination. It's still the only book I can pick up and read from start to finish without a break.
    10iconians

    One of the best.

    This is not the type of movie that a typical moviegoer will seek, so, instead I will give some other insight.

    This was the only movie that ever gave me nightmares when I was a kid. Mostly, I think it's because the movie achieved a rare feat of actually transforming not only the book and it's characters to the screen but also the atmosphere.

    Many people will not watch this movie just based on it's original name, but I can assure you, the name conveys no negative information. That leads to believe that it's P.C title, is just a cop-out.

    As far as adaptations done, there are no better versions of any ever made.

    10/10

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    Related interests

    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
    Psychological Thriller
    Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Se7en (1995)
    Serial Killer
    James Stewart in Rear Window (1954)
    Suspense Mystery
    Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
    Whodunnit
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This is the first adaptation of Agatha Christie's story which follows the novel's original ending.
    • Goofs
      After the first murder, when we see Mr. Owen enter the dining room in the middle of the night and remove the first of the ten china figures (leaving nine), the dining table is clean and set up for breakfast. However, later, Rogers says that he noticed there were only nine figures on the table while he was cleaning up the dining room.
    • Quotes

      Anthony James Marston: [while dancing with Vera, translated from the Russian] Ten minutes ago, I regretted that I came here.

    • Crazy credits
      The credits roll in absolute silence.
    • Alternate versions
      The television print includes a brief interlude right after Vera and Rogers discover there are only seven Nigger statuettes left after General Macarthur's murder. This was done for a separate two night broadcast, with an inter-title simply stating "Agatha Christie's Ten Little Niggers, part two." Curiously, this is the version that was released on home video.
    • Connections
      Featured in Exploitation Cinema (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Stardust
      Music by Hoagy Carmichael

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    FAQ12

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 28, 1987 (Soviet Union)
    • Country of origin
      • Soviet Union
    • Language
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Десятеро негренят
    • Filming locations
      • Black Sea, Russia
    • Production company
      • Odessa Film Studio
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 17m(137 min)

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