MovieChat Forums > And Then There Were None (2015) Discussion > A Better adaptation but 3 important aspe...

A Better adaptation but 3 important aspects of the book left out..

posted 8 years ago by simplyfsl
10 replies | jump to latest

And then there were none aka Ten little Indians aka Ten little *beep* is the pioneer and best single location mystery ever written, I have read the book 5 times but all previous adaptations have somewhat disappointed leaving out some of the interesting dimensions of the book.

While the 1945 version was good but they adapted the Play ending rather than book which is less shocking and surprising than the book.

The Russian Version keeps the books ending but has subpar acting performances.

This was one of the better versions because I always thought that best way to do justice with the great book was to adapt it into a series which was a good move. The acting performances were excellent and the most of the details of the book were kept intact, but what bothered me a bit was 3 important and simple points of the book which could have added the suspense and mystery.

1: When I read the book first time, I finished it in one setting because I was struggling to guess the killer but also how they would die according to the Ten Little *beep* rhyme (which was it originally called). In the book, the rhyme was known to the viewer early in the book, A simple scene of someone reciting the poem in their room would have added more suspense like the book. They did give parts of the poem after each murder but it mostly spoiled the suspense of how the next murder would be executed and who would die according to the rhyme.

2: The guilt of each character except that of Vera and Col. Mcarthur were not so completely explained and one of the most guilty of the ten, Dr. Armstrong, his story was almost restricted to a flashback which wasn't even so completely explained.

3: I don't mind that the epilogue ending was changed because it was still 90% the same ending but one of the main surprises and reasons in epilogue was the sequence of the murders. It was revealed that according to the villain (keeping spoiler free :)), the more the guilty a character, the later he/she died because they also faced mental and psychological torture of time progression, loneliness and dread due to severity of their crimes. How could they leave this part out ?

An otherwise good adaptation but the screenplay writer shouldn't have missed the last point at least because it added suspense, mystery and logic to the plot.

Why so Serious ?

[–] adamdurrance 8 years ago

Did the book have the gay aspects in it?

This makes me want to read it. Haven't since 5th grade and have no memory of it.

[–] simplyfsl 8 years ago

There were no gay aspects in the plot even subtle in this book, have read the book multiple times.
While some other Christie books do touch the gay subtlety due to the conservative approach of the era they were written in, And then there were none or Ten little Indians as it is called, didn't have any gay aspect.

[–] CharlesTheBold 8 years ago

How could they leave this part out ?
================
I'm not sure exactly where they could put it in. I suppose that while she was strangling he could have taunted her with "I saved you for the last because I thought you were the worst of the lot!", but having him coldly walk out on her was effective too.

[–] simplyfsl 8 years ago

Yes that part was done ok and being a big fan of the book, I had no issue with the epilogue being replaced with him seeing her die but in the book, the sequence of their deaths added logic and also increased the re-readability of the book even when you knew the ending. Agatha Christies commentary on that the Cold blooded child killer was the the worst of the lot was really another of her best plot decisions in one of perfect thriller books ever which has still stood the test of time..

In one way or another in a relatively superior adaptation like this, I just wanted that aspect of the plot to be more cleared to non readers and non Christie fans to know her logic and masterful execution of the plot.

[–] SuCue 8 years ago

One thing that I missed was the point that the reason the killer went after the people he selected was because most of them weren't considered murderers by the letter of the law - thus they "got away with it." This was ruined by changing the manner of the crimes that were committed by some of the victims in the past - i.e showing Blore and the General directly killing their victims, instead of indirectly as in previous versions and the book.

[–] CaptainLombard33 8 years ago

I would agree the changing of some of the backstories was a bit extreme, like Blore and the General, but it didn't take me out of the film. I only wondered after it was over how they could have so blatantly gotten away with obvious murder. I do agree though that I liked the killings as written in Christie's novel over the change, as it made the set up of who died when more logical, and was more in tune with the concept of U.N. Owen punishing those who were guilty that the law could not touch.

I would agree that Armstrong needed his own longer flashback. We as the audience can surmise he operated while drunk (And of course I read the book, so I know what he did) but he never does explain his actions, like Blore does towards the end.

One of the things I personally wished was in the adaptation that was left out in the recent film was the moving of Armstrong's body. Much of the killer's unsolvable crime is based off of the fact that Armstrong could not have killed everyone and jumped to his death because his body was moved after he died out of the high water mark. While it makes sense as filmed for Vera to get Lombard's gun as quickly as possible, and ratchets up the tension in their showdown scene, it leaves a window for the police who come after to assume that Armstrong was the killer. They could also speculate it was Lombard, since his body is left at the mercy of the tides as well in this adaptation. He could easily get washed away and end up being blamed, especially since his gun is used to kill the judge. The novel moves Armstrong and leaves Lombard dead out of the range of the high-water mark, but then takes the gun away, eliminating both of them as being legitimately able to commit the crimes. Here, either one of them could end up with a bad rap.

Desyat Negrityat got the Armstrong element right, and managed to make it a taut showdown in the process. I wish it could have made it here as well. Still, I really liked this latest adaptation. Probably tied with Desyat for my favorite.

[–] SuCue 8 years ago

I love Desyat too. But I like all the versions I've seen (never seen the '74 or '89 versions). They each have their plusses and minuses. '

[–] CaptainLombard33 8 years ago

Of the rest, while the '45 version is the best done, i have a soft spot for the '74 and '89 versions. Donald Pleasance is a favorite actor of mine, and he physically looks like my picture of the judge from the novel (Though Charles Dance had a good look as well) and the '89 and '74 versions both have Herbert Lom, who's in my top 3 of favorite actors. Plus the '74 version has the likes of Oliver Reed, Richard Attenborough as the judge, and two former James Bond villians, Gert Frobe and Adolfo Celi.

Don't get me wrong, they're not great films, but the casts (And in the case of the '74 version, the loungey soundtrack) make them endlessly watchable for me.

[–] SuCue 8 years ago

The '74 and '89 versions aren't available in the US, unfortunately. The only options I've seen are used VHS copies costing more than $30 apiece. Amazon does have the 50s Nina Foch version on DVD, though.

[–] CaptainLombard33 8 years ago

Honestly, I believe the '74 and '89 versions are both uploaded to youtube. The '74 version was a couple of years ago. When I first discovered ATTWN in my youth, I bought all 4 of the films off Ebay on glorious VHS and I still have them. I then got the live t.v. version on VHS from Canada a few years after that.

I got my first copy of Desyat Negrityat a few years ago, then later bought the updated version, which corrects some of the pacing problems with the subtitles vs. action (After Lombard's gun is taken, in the initial DVD version I owned, the subtitles are about three lines behind who is talking for the rest of the film)

Youtube isn't the best format for viewing pleasure, but it's a quick and easy way to see them. They're definitely NOT worth $30 apiece, even on DVD. I got a U.K. copy of the '74 version on DVD around the time I got Desyat. I have a universal DVD player so I was able to watch it.

I sent you a pm.