And Then There Were None (2015) - General Discussion

[ChlcGirl]

In the book, Blore was paid by a gang to frame the guy for a crime. While it was said repeatedly that he was "too soft" for prison and this died, he was never said to have been gay. But I like the Blore-is-a-self-hating-gay-man-angle.

[PaulaO]

Gah. Dr. Armstrong is SOOOOO unlikeable (not at all like the Walter Houston character).  Can't wait til he's bumped off.  I've read every Agatha Christie multiple times and ATTWN is the creepiest book.  This mini-series is really creepy too, especially Rogers.  Was it said why Mrs. Rogers was wearing sunglasses?  And why change the name of island from Indian (in the book???)

[ChlcGirl]

This book has had so many different titles you need a scorecard! The original British title was Ten Little N#ggers and was published here as ATTWN. The island name was also changed depending on the edition.

[ennui]

I felt like Aidan Turner was auditioning to be the next James Bond.

I hope this will be On Demand for a while, so I can watch it again.  

[Frost]

This rendition is deliciously atmospheric and creepy.  If I wasn't already hooked by the story and the excellent casting, the sheer glory of watching Aidan Turner in a dinner jacket would have glued me to my TV.

[susannot]

Aidan Turner as the next James Bond--I am dying at the idea.  He is so deliciously dark, brooding, and evil.  No one is more handsome than dark, chiseled, British men. Can't wait for the semi-naked scene.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Aidan Turner as the next James Bond--I am dying at the idea.  He is so deliciously dark, brooding, and evil.  No one is more handsome than dark, chiseled, British men. Can't wait for the semi-naked scene.

 

Ahem! Aiden Turner is OIRISH!!!! Just check out any of his interviews, and you can hear that wonderful Brogue! Turns me into a big giant puddle of goo.

[ChlcGirl]

Aidan Turner as the next James Bond--I am dying at the idea. He is so deliciously dark, brooding, and evil. No one is more handsome than dark, chiseled, British men. Can't wait for the semi-naked scene.

That semi-naked scene is quite ... worthwhile. Ahem.

[GHScorpiosRule]

That semi-naked scene is quite ... worthwhile. Ahem.

 

 

That is putting it...mildly, ChicGirl. I just about fell off my couch when I saw it on youtube back when it first premiered!

[susannot]

OMG.  I'm falling asleep but the semi-naked scene is keeping me awake.

[Frost]

They were brave enough to stick with the book's ending!  I'm glad..but in another way, I'm also sad.   I admit I wanted Philip Lombard to live!  Shallow perhaps, but the towel scene was the deciding factor for me. 

 

What a great adaptation.  I'd love to see this team tackle more Christie.

[Frost]

It just occurred to me that Philip's flash back was pretty ambiguous. All the rest showed the person's crime bluntly. All we saw of Philip was him marching grimly with some other people. He said later the 21 had what he wanted, diamonds, but it's strange that his flash back didn't actually show him doing anything wrong. I'll have to read the book again to see if Christie was as sympathetic to the character as the show seemed to be.

[bmoore4026]

Oh, everybody snorting cocaine and having a mini-party was delightful.

 

And I think this is the first version I've seen where Vera is shown to have deliberately caused little Cyril's death. 

 

I know this is macabre, but I wish they made Vera's vision of Cyril look more drowned and corpselike.  I know that's creepy to think considering he's a kid, but, given her mental state, I think it would have worked better.

[ennui]

I watched the remaining five tear the house apart, and all I could think is, “someone has to clean that up, you know.”

[ennui]

It’s been several years since I read the book, but I did read it more than once … I seem to recall that personal guilt was a factor in their punishment. The first to go, the speeder in the Jensen, felt no remorse so he was a waste of space. Mrs. Rogers had already punished herself.
It was a complicated story.

[Spartan Girl]

Wow. It was like Downton Abbey, except everybody was a horrible person and they all died.

After seeing what Vera did to that poor kid, a slow and painful death was exactly what she deserved.

[ferretrick]

And I think this is the first version I've seen where Vera is shown to have deliberately caused little Cyril's death.

 

It is.  All the other filmed versions that I know of (there are 4 English language ones, each one worse than the last) retained the play's ending and structure, where Vera and Lombard survive and fall in love.  To make that ending palatable, Christie had both of them actually be innocent of their crimes in the play.  Christie considered it too difficult to keep the novel's ending in a live drama (and it is very difficult) and not have it land with a dramatic thud.  This version absolutely nailed it and much respect.  The play version has a bit of a black comic tone that the previous film's copied-this is the first version I've seen that kept the novel's mood and claustrophobic horror intact. 

 

I liked the Blore as closeted gay angle as well; very interesting choice.  Blore came out the least like I pictured the characters from the novel (I always pictured him as a big hulking brute of a guy), but I very much liked Burn Gorman's performance.  He definitely wasn't gay in the novel (neither was Emily Brent)-that probably wouldn't have gotten published in Christie's time.   The entire cast was just phenomenal-I especially respected the guy who played Marston.  That role is very tricky-you have to be an absolutely obnoxious, amoral, self-centered human being without being a cartoon, and none of the actors in the film versions pulled it off. 

Edited March 15, 2016 by ferretrick

[proserpina65]

I enjoyed this immensely.  Everyone was excellent, even Aidan Turner, whom I usually find to be an extremely one note actor.  There were one or two backstories which I felt could've used more explanation - specifically Lombard's and Armstrong's - but heck, that just makes me want to read the book.  Which I used to have a copy of; must look around for that now.

 

I saw part of the 1945 movie once, and knew that the killer was someone who they thought was already dead, but I couldn't remember who.

[susannot]

I'm glad that they kept the book's dark ending, but felt that they spoiled it and ruined Vera's death scene.  She's supposed to be haunted by voices and mesmerized by the sight of the rope.  It's a psychologically compelling scene in the book. To have the Judge burst into the room and recite the details of the mystery to her as she was dangling from the rope was very strange, in my opinion.  I would have preferred to have the book's ending, where the Judge's story is left behind after his death.  Don't know how that would have translated to film, though.

 

I didn't know that in the stage version Vera and Lombard survive.  Since this was one of the best-selling mysteries of all time, would there have been anyone who didn't know how the book really ended?

ETA:

I went back and read the ending of the book. Vera is haunted by the voices and visions of Cyril and Hugo ( and maybe Lombard too) and when she sees the rope she thinks "this is what Hugo wants me to do."  She is in a trance or a fugue state. She believes she sees Hugo lurking in the shadows.  Of course, it is really the Judge,watching with interest to see whether his psychological ploy succeeds.  I really think Dame Christie's original, perfect ending would have been much better.

Edited March 16, 2016 by susannot

[ChlcGirl]

 

 

That is putting it...mildly, ChicGirl. I just about fell off my couch when I saw it on youtube back when it first premiered!

 

I didn't want to ruin it for those who hadn't watched it yet :D :D

[ferretrick]

 

There were one or two backstories which I felt could've used more explanation - specifically Lombard's and Armstrong's - but heck, that just makes me want to read the book.

 

I didn't think they made Armstrong's very clear with that dream sequence either.  He was a recovering alcoholic (not that that term would have been around In Christie's time) who killed a patient operating while intoxicated.  In the book, Lombard apparently was some type of soldier of fortune in Africa who abandoned his native followers to certain death in the jungle, taking all the food and supplies with him.  (There's quite a bit of racism in the text as more than one character implies that this is not as morally reprehensible because "they were only natives.")  The movie implied a lot more than that-that he was a diamond hunter who actually killed the 21 men for profit.

[proserpina65]

I didn't think they made Armstrong's very clear with that dream sequence either.  He was a recovering alcoholic (not that that term would have been around In Christie's time) who killed a patient operating while intoxicated.  In the book, Lombard apparently was some type of soldier of fortune in Africa who abandoned his native followers to certain death in the jungle, taking all the food and supplies with him.  (There's quite a bit of racism in the text as more than one character implies that this is not as morally reprehensible because "they were only natives.")  The movie implied a lot more than that-that he was a diamond hunter who actually killed the 21 men for profit.

Thanks for the info.  I kind of got some of that, but their stories definitely weren't as fleshed out as Vera's.

 

Oh, and I have to confess, I really enjoyed the sight of Toby Stephens wearing nothing but a bedspread.

[Arynm]

Just finished! Thought it was really well done. I loved Agatha Christie as a child and My all time favorites are Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express, along with this one. I would love to see more miniseries like this, I knew how it ended, but I was still hanging onto every scene.

[Frost]

I have always loved the Miss Marple books but I can't think of an adaptation I've really enjoyed.  They always make her too cozy or grandmotherly or something.  There's obviously a very sharp mind and willingness to acknowledge the darkness of human nature behind her knitting fluffy white blankets.

[dubbel zout]

I wonder if we didn't get more of Lombard's backstory because he admitted right away that he'd killed 21 men. The others were adamant they were innocent, so we saw what they did to show their guilt.

 

The music added tremendously to the atmosphere. The entire production was really well done, even if the green screening was a bit too obvious at times.

Edited March 15, 2016 by dubbel zout

[ChlcGirl]

Count me in the camp that would LOVE to see this team take on some of the other books.  Can I put in a request for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Moving Finger???

OH!  Also, please just let the Brits produce them and export to us.  They aren't as constrained as the US producers are.

[sacrebleu]

I was joking with a friend about how they were going to work in shirtless Turner scenes. (because, why wouldn't you) And while I appreciated the view, I couldn't help but laugh. IMO-- it passed from being merely gratuitous to actually comical. I mean, they're all afraid for their lives at this point.

 

Every other male character was shown as completely uncomfortable, and covered up with a dressing gown as soon as possible.

 

But Lombard? Nope. He's just casually hanging out in a towel. S'up Vera, you like what you see?

[dubbel zout]

But Lombard? Nope. He's just casually hanging out in a towel. S'up Vera, you like what you see?

 

Lombard is no fool. 

[Frost]

Lombard is no fool.

Except, I think he got played by Vera.  Considering how calculating she was with Hugo and Cyril, she probably figured a physical relationship with Lombard was in her best interests.  Which ultimately proved out when he fell for her pleas to move Armstrong, turned his back on her, and ended up shot for his trouble.

[ennui]

I was joking with a friend about how they were going to work in shirtless Turner scenes.

 

We used to make similar jokes about Kirk Douglas films. In his prime, there was always a point where he appeared without a shirt.

[BusyOctober]

Loved this!  I had never read the book or saw any other adaptations, but I knew the gist of the mystery.  I loved seeing my favorite Brits in this too - characters from Death Comes to Pemberly, Poldark, Game of Thrones, TURN, Black Sails...so many talented people in one place. I like when I recognize actors from one show but they can make me forget their other "persona".  For example - seeing Toby Stephens playing a high strung ball of anxiety as Armstrong vs. his role as nerves-of-steel Capt Flint.  Of course, I can't completely NOT see menace and evil when I see Charles Dance. He's just so good at being bad.

[dubbel zout]

Except, I think he got played by Vera.  Considering how calculating she was with Hugo and Cyril, she probably figured a physical relationship with Lombard was in her best interests.  Which ultimately proved out when he fell for her pleas to move Armstrong, turned his back on her, and ended up shot for his trouble.

 

He did get played by Vera, but it's not as if they weren't using each other anyway. He's the penultimate victim instead of the ultimate. That's not really a win—no one knew who the killer was even at that point.

 

I was really making that "no fool" comment about how Lombard knew how to draw attention.

Edited March 16, 2016 by dubbel zout

[voiceover]

For years, this was known as Ten Little Indians -- as it was when I did the play in high school (the youngest girl cast, playing Mrs Rogers, as I was small enough to be carried in by Lombard after I fainted, ha).  

A beautiful production and a nice throwback to all those all-star casts of the 70s/80s, and Aidan Turner walked off with it all.  

But.

Rolled my eyes at the Evil Repressed Homosexshual angle -- wow, two! which seems to emerge in many a Christie remake lately.  

 

In the novel, the judge wrote a tell-all note (IIRC, he put it in a bottle & threw it out to sea) so SOMEone, somewhere, could one day glory in his genius.  I agree with susannot, who pointed out that Vera went nuts at the end (in the book) -- she didn't struggle to try to manipulate the killer out of killing her.  This put paid to the idea that her guilt and regret drove her to hang herself, which was the original intent.

 

Thought there was waaayyyy too much time spent on the flashbacks.  This is meant to be an extremely tense storyline, but every time it stopped so we could watch that character reliving his past, the tension ground..to...a...halt.  Couldn't we just have the actors ACT like they're carrying the burden?  I admit it could be because I knew the story already, but it felt like a 2-hour plot stretched to fit 4.  Which, commercial breaks aside, it was.

And get these kids off my lawn!

Edited March 16, 2016 by voiceover

[bmoore4026]

The person I feel most sorry for is Cyril's mother.  She was as much a victim as Cyril and there's no guarantee she'll marry again and have more children. 

Edited March 16, 2016 by bmoore4026

[ferretrick]

 

Of course, I can't completely NOT see menace and evil when I see Charles Dance. He's just so good at being bad.

 

He is.  My one quibble would have been that I felt they wasted Charles Dance a little up till the end.  He didn't get that much to do.  I think they were trying to keep him in the shadows for people who didn't already know the killer's identity so he would be overlooked.  Because if he was in full Tywin Lannister mode, everybody would suspect him immediately.  Heh. 

[emma675]

I loved it--spooky, atmospheric, haunting. I was totally unsettled all night after finishing part two yesterday evening. And they got me--I remembered the ending in the book, but I was still convinced the Judge was dead in this. His using the leftover organs from dinner to make it look like his brains had been blown out was inspired. 

 

I do have one question, though. Are we to infer that Armstrong helped the Judge with the killings? There was one scene with Vera where a figure in shadows behind her moved very quickly and furtively and I just couldn't buy it being the Judge in that scene. He was older, sick and in pain; he just couldn't move that fast.

[dubbel zout]

There was one scene with Vera where a figure in shadows behind her moved very quickly and furtively

 

I thought that was supposed to be the little boy she let drown.

[Winter Rose]

I didn't know what to expect, as admittedly I've never read the book, but I liked Poirot and Miss Marple (not that I expected this to be like either of those of course). Plus seeing who was in this cast, I couldn't not watch. And this did not disappoint. I understand the ending is a little different in the book but I liked what they did here anyway, it still made the point and was certainly chilling. And I have to agree that Charles Dance is so good at that cold and cunning, he's why I liked Tywin Lannister far more than I ever should have.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Winter Rose

[hendersonrocks]

I do have one question, though. Are we to infer that Armstrong helped the Judge with the killings?

 

I don't think so. The judge convinced Armstrong to help him fake his death so that he could investigate without the others knowing he was doing so. In the book, it's pretty clear Armstrong was just involved in that one thing and everything else was the judge on his own.

 

Re: the judge's infirmity, I noticed in the scene where he met Vera down on the beach that he was walking quickly and without a cane (and there were a few other scenes after that where he was also without the cane). I think he was able to get around just fine and was using the cane as a bit of a decoy. Unfortunately the other guests were all going so crazy* it seems like they didn't really notice the inconsistency. 

 

*This production captured that dynamic really well, I thought...the mental breakdown of everyone as the killings continued. 

[ennui]

no one knew who the killer was even at that point.

 

They believed it was one of the guests, and there were only two left. If it's not me, it must be you. 

[Darlin]

Never mind. I read the answers online.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Darlin

[attica]

i would like to send flowers to the crew member (or personal staff person) responsible for Aidan Turner's manscaping. Well done you!

 

I feel like somebody ought to cast Maeve Dermody as Emily Blunt's sister in something.

[KFC]

I'm embarrassed to admit, I didn't even realize Vera WASN'T being played by Emily Blunt until I looked up the production on IMDB.

[bmoore4026]

What thing that bugged me was in Wargrave's flashback on witnessing the serial killer's execution.  I don't think a drop like that would have broken his neck.  I mean, Vera dropped the same distance and her neck didn't break.  Did set design people just not have the money to build a better drop with some mattresses at the bottom or something?

 

God, I'm macabre.

[Nokids]

I thought it was Emily Blunt as well. What a resemblance! I liked it, although I wish the ending had been closer to the book. Also, they didn't always say the line of the poem when someone died, and I couldn't always remember it.

[meep.meep]

Finally got to watch it.  Great production!  The house was perfect, and it's always great to see a cast of really good actors tackle an ensemble piece.  Scantily clad Aidan Turner and Toby Stephens, hubba hubba!  Glad they spared us Charles Dance in similar condition.

 

They really over did the make up on Maeve Dermody in the second half.  She looked like she hadn't slept in a month and everyone else looked a little tired at worst.

[EyewatchTV211]

I don't think so. The judge convinced Armstrong to help him fake his death so that he could investigate without the others knowing he was doing so. In the book, it's pretty clear Armstrong was just involved in that one thing and everything else was the judge on his own.

I thought I remembered some dialogue indicating that Armstrong was helping with the killings, too.....maybe I'll have to rewatch.

[meep.meep]

Two additional observations:

 

They kept calling him Dr. Armstrong, but in Britain they don't do that.

In most other parts of the world all medical practitioners, physicians and surgeons alike, are referred to as Dr while in the UK surgeons are usually referred to as Mr/Miss/Ms/Mrs.

 

The flashback to Aidan Turner's crime, he looked just like he did in Being Human when he was standing in the train car yelling "I'm John Mitchell and I've killed more people than you've known."  Guess he's typecast as a mass murderer.

[mikem]

As a whole, I really enjoyed this adaptation, although I didn't love that the script put holes into Christie's pretty airtight plot.  At the end, there is no way that the judge could have known that Vera was going to startle and come off the chair like that, even if he had been looking into the room through a peephole or something (which he apparently wasn't doing anyway, because he was turning the handle as she was putting her head through the noose).  As in the book, he should have waited in the shadows until she actually hanged herself.  (Of course, if he did that, he wouldn't have been able to ramble on about being the murderer, which I feel didn't work well anyway.  The new ending in general didn't work for me, except for Vera's rather chilling, "They'll believe me. They believed me last time.")

 

The script also eliminated Vera and Philip actually dragging Armstrong's body past the high-tide water mark, showing that someone was alive after Armstrong died.  As things stood, it would be easy for the police to conclude that Armstrong killed everyone then killed himself by jumping.  And the judge killing himself at the table and throwing the gun to the other side was stupid, and also wouldn't have matched any possible descriptions of what happened to him by the others.  (In the book, several of the guests kept a diary or notes, which is how the police knew the general premise behind the murders and the order of the first several deaths.)

 

I also didn't like having all ten of the soldier figurines being on the table at the very end.    So the judge hid the revolver, the key, and 7 soldier figurines?  Despite everyone stripping, and the house being ransacked, the house search must have been pretty sloppy.  And as was said before, changing some of the previous murders from ones that couldn't be touched by the law (or in Marston's case, couldn't be appropriately punished) was counter to the whole rationale in the book for why the murderers couldn't be brought to justice in any other way.  But I thought that this version was great at capturing the atmosphere in the house, and I liked some of the changes (having Vera and Philip actually have a physical relationship added an interesting extra layer to their dynamic).  I hope there are more such Christie adaptations to come!  Does anyone know what the ratings were like, here or in the UK?

[GaT]

I recorded this & just watched it & I'm missing an hour! Parts 1 & 2 were only an hour each, & there aren't any other episodes. I don't know where the final hour is. OnDemand only has the part 2 I watched, I'm very confused.

 

Edited: I watched part 2 on Lifetime's site & it's nothing like the part 2 that I recorded on their TV channel. I have no idea what happened or if I missed anything.

Edited March 20, 2016 by GaT