Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None

1945 Harry M. Popkin Film

In high school, my English class was assigned to read and watch the film version of And Then There Were None. This was the first time I was introduced to Agatha Christie, and was one of the only times I felt captivated by a literary assignment, aside from Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet. This prompted me to purchase my own Christie novels, Three Act Tragedy and Halloween Party. I remember being engrossed in Three Act Tragedy, but I could not finish Halloween Party because I couldn’t keep up with the high volume of characters and their families. Years later in a bookstore at my current age of 26, I purchased Midwinter Murder, and after reading through Three Blind Mice, my desire to give Christie a second chance was activated.

After reading and watching The Chocolate Box, I watched the 1945 Harry M. Popkin film And Then There Were None once again. While I wanted to wait to read the novel first, I could not resist myself. Before I watched it, I remembered 10 strangers gathering on an island, only to find out one of them was a murderer and wanted to kill each individual one by one as punishment for the sins they have committed in the past. I recalled parts of the beginning, where 10 Indian statues became symbolic of each house guest, and the ending, which involved two romantic characters remaining alive, a noose, and that the Judge was revealed as the one responsible for the crimes.

The film knocked it out of the part. Instead of being very eerie and mysterious all the time, it was additionally very funny and charming. Of course it featured very talented Old Hollywood actors: Louis Hayward Mischa Auer. I forgot that the novel was based on a nursery rhyme called Ten Little Indians. It makes me wonder if Christie purposefully listened for uncanny children’s nursery rhymes to turn them in mystery thrillers.

Characters:

Philip Lombard (Charles Morley)- witty and gentlemanly

Vera Claythorn- unassuming and sweet

Justice Francis Quinncannon- assertive and forthright

Detective William Blore- suspicious and stern

Miss Emily Brent- self-righteous and stiff

Prince Nikita Starloff- whimsical and charming

General Mandrake- aloof and reserved

Dr. Edward Armstrong- sharp and partisan

Thomas Rogers- dutiful and dubious

Ethel Rogers- hysterical and cynical

10/10

2015 TV Miniseries

I accidentally discovered this masterpiece from a YouTube recommendation on a cozy Sunday afternoon on November 13, 2022. From the moment I played it, I was so enthralled I watched it straight through, with different snacks of course. The themes in this version were much darker and sexual than the 1945 version. For example, Mr. Rogers was very controlling and abusive towards Mrs. Rogers and Phillip Lombard sexually objectified Vera Claythorn and behaved more like a player instead of a sarcastic gentleman. The ending was also completely different, as was the psychology of Vera Claythorn, who was actually responsible for the drowning of a young boy she was a nanny to. Vera also kills Philip and hangs herself in front of the judge. As a hopeless romantic, I almost wished for the accusations against Vera to be untrue and for there to have been a “happy ending” for Philip and Vera like in the 1945 film; however, I appreciate how well written this script was that led to my shock of how evil and manipulative she actually was.

Characters:

Philip Lombard- arrogant and sexist

Vera Claythorn- secretive and guilty

Justice Wargrave- unassuming and judgmental

Miss Emily Brent- self-righteous and stiff

Detective William Blore- suspicious and stern

Anthony Marston- presumptuous and arrogant

Dr. Edward Armstrong- temperamental and hysterical

General MacArthur- aloof and reserved

Mrs. Rogers- anxious and compliant

Mr. Thomas Rogers- abusive and evasive

10/10

When it came time for me to read the novel, which was published in 1939, I wondered which ending would come true. The less gruesome ending or the very unhappy ending? It was the latter. All characters and plot were much closer aligned to the miniseries. The novel also featured Justice Wargrave’s letter to the police that narrated his motive for conducting the crimes. While this is clearly one of Christie’s darker novels, I would recommend it to anyone that is interested in giving her a chance since it is so cleverly written and suspenseful, and her most famous novel.

10/10