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Ten Little Indians
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Date  Helpful Rating 0 out of 0 users found this helpful  Mixed resultsPosted: 11/17/2003A review of Ten Little Indians by Anonymous Unfortunately, neither Christie nor various filmmakers succeeded in turning her fascinating but at the same time confining plot concept into a truly fulfilling story.<br><br>The 1965 film is enjoyable and energetic. The characters are well-cast, especially the doctor, judge, Blore, and general. Some are more feisty than elsewhere, like the maid, butler, and spinster Brent, revamped as conceited actress Ilona and given a different, but entertaining, past crime. This film livens up the methods and depictions of the murders. It changes some words of the nursery rhyme, but it closely adheres to its own version, right down to a bear statute toppled onto one character. Interactions between characters are more heated and less dainty than in 1945, as they should be, given the events.<br><br>However, the 1965 film is not as tightly and richly told, nor as well-acted as the 1945 version. Lombard and Vera seem relatively superficial and wooden. The doctor and judge, while each striking a better balance between seriousness and playfulness than in 1945, are not as energetic, commanding, and entertaining. Ilona is amusing, but exaggerated.<br><br>Lombard's past crime, and even more harmfully the general's, are changed in 1965 to something trite and unexplained. Showing the killings on screen in a visually interesting way can be dramatic and vividly convey murderous host Owen's malice, but it can also make them seem implausible.<br><br>As in 1945, attempts to make characters comical or appealing sap the suspense. The final scene has more explanation than in 1945, but remains thin and undramatic. Again, Owen has a weary, rational, amiable armchair chat with the final victim precisely when the character should come alive as someone triumphantly and credibly capable of inflicting such horror. Ironically, it is left to the weak 1989 version to provide an ending that is dramatic, reflects Owen's menace and lunacy, and most fully explains Owen's behavior. Was this review helpful? Sign In 1-1 of 1 Per Page | ||
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