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And Then There Were None
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Date  Helpful Rating 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Unable to fully realize idea as a storyPosted: 11/17/2003A review of And Then There Were None by Anonymous In some respects, the 1945 film is worse and better than the book, which is hardly perfect. Neither Christie nor various filmmakers were able to turn her fascinating but confining plot concept into a truly fulfilling story.<br><br>While as tightly written as the book, the 1945 adaptation is richer in deductive theories, in taking stock at each stage of the story, and in survival techniques. The dialogue seems sharper than in the book and provides some memorable lines. This adaptation pioneered the technique of playing the Ten Little Indians nursery rhyme on the piano, which brings it to life and sets the stage. The cast is mostly outstanding. Many characters -- Lombard, Claythorne, doctor, judge, Blore, Brent -- seem as smart, strong, or distinctive as in the book, or more so. They are more entertaining. Generally, the films do a better job of showing the characters interact.<br><br>However, the 1945 version handles the characters' past crimes even less effectively than the book. The movie presents the general and his crime in an obscure, lifeless way. It makes a ludicrous change to the judge's past crime, and waters down Brent's. In changing the story to allow characters to survive, it distorts their identities and/or crimes in fundamental ways. In the process, it replaces the book's most complex, interesting past crime with one that is bland, superficial, and false. This also confuses the meaning of the host's actions.<br><br>Generally, the film's attempts to make the characters entertaining come at the expense of their plausibility as villains and of the story's seriousness. Characters confess their secrets and treat the horror unfolding around them as if it were a parlor game. Mischa Auer's farcical, clownish performance is only the most extreme example of a general problem with taking such a lighthearted approach to a fundamentally serious story. The climactic end scene is short, sedate, droll, unsatisfying, and leaves a lot unexplained. Was this review helpful? Sign In 1-1 of 1 Per Page | ||
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