“And Then There Were None” (1945)

And Then There Were None

Brief Description:

Ten strangers are mysteriously tricked into coming to a lonely sequestered island off the British coast. Quickly they discover a ‘Ten Little Indians’ theme in the house… and then all ten are accused of some kind of murder that the law cannot touch. Every day one of them is murdered in a matter that fits with the song. Who will be left in the end? And which among them is the killer? 

(written by me)

Date: 1945

Genre: American crime drama mystery 

Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes 

Cast: 

Barry Fitzgerald (Judge Quinncannon)

Walter Huston (Dr. Armstrong)

Louis Hayward (Mr. Lombard)

Roland Young (Detective Blore)

June Duprez (Miss Claythorne)

Mischa Auer (Prince Starloff)

C. Aubrey Smith (General Mandrake)

Judith Anderson (Miss Brent)

Richard Haydn (Rogers)

Queenie Leonard (Mrs. Rogers)

Harry Thurston (boatman)

Director: René Clair

Production company:  20th Century Fox 

Based on: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Wikipedia page

Watch on Archive

(watched on Tubi)

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 5/5

This is one of the most unique mystery films I have ever seen! The way the horror and confusion slowly grew upon you, sharpened by how normal the setting was and how likeable everyone seemed… it had me hooked and questioning the whole time. I loved it. 

Characters: 5/5

I didn’t believe that they were killers at first. I liked every one of them. The prince was hilarious; the judge was quaint; the doctor was genial; the detective was bluff; the general was poignant; Miss Brent was unusual; Rogers was the stereotypical butler, and his wife the stereotypical maid… and Lombard was epic. He was my favourite, I LOVED LOMBARD. He was so amusing and such a mixture of English and American. But as time went on and true colours were shown, my revulsion of feeling was instant and strong… except for Lombard and Vera. I loved them so much and it hurt so much to think of what they’d done! But every character was so alive and curious… 

Plot: 5/5

I already mentioned how tangled the plot was, and you’d better believe it. It’s so confusing, and I just couldn’t figure out who was the one killing for ‘true’ justice. Yet with all that mystery and anxiety was romance and humour and good-fellowship, and it just made it more striking. 

Romance: 5/5

Vera and Lombard are adorable. End of story. 

Theme/Message/Topics: 5/5

I was too busy figuring it out, but after, this film still has me thinking about justice and what it means…

Content: 5/5 

I recall nothing. 

Violence: 5/5 

Off-screen murder, a few minutes of tension but nothing horrifying. 

Overall: 5/5

One of my top fav mystery films now. I know the book ends differently but I don’t care, I love this. I still wanna read the book though.