Evil Under the Sun

very good story

This is an excellent rendition of a classic Poirot story - in large part because it is done as a period piece true to the time Christie wrote it. This and Death on the Nile were done as such and that - along with the Ustinov charm - are why they succeed. The other Ustinov Poirots were moved to contemporary settings and are utter failures IMHO despite Ustinov's charm. It's why the Branagh movies are such catastrophes - sure they are set in period but with completely modern (read woke) social attitudes. This is pretty faithful Christie - not perfectly so but what modern scribe can resist "improving" a story no matter how classic it is.

By: RevitThe film version of Agatha Christie's Evil Under the Sun, staring Peter Ustinov as Christie's favorite detective Hercule Poirot, was released in 1982. Anthony Schaffer wrote the screenplay, Guy Hamilton was the Director, Cole Porter wrote the music and Anthony Powell designed the magnificent modernistic campy costumes.As the story opens a hiker, Alice Ruber, is found strangled on the Yorkshire moors. Poirot was hired by the insurers to investigate the murder and added the investigation of a faux diamond being substituted for the genuine one belonging to millionaire industrialist Horace Blatt (Colin Blakely). Poirot interviewed Horace Blatt on his yacht who said that he given the diamond, valued at $50,000, to a New York City music show star, Arlina Stuart, (Diana Rigg), in contemplation of marriage. She had left him on the boat trip back to England and married Kenneth Marshal; he demanded the diamond back. Now he knows that she returned a faux copy of the diamond to him.The participants all gathered at an exclusive island resort in the Adriatic, formally the summer palace of the King of Tyrania and now owned by Daphne Castle (Maggie Smith). Resort guests included: Odell and Myra Gardener (James Mason and Sylvia Miles), New York City theatrical producers, and Rex Brewster (Roddy McDowall) a writer and theatrical journalist. Newly arriving guests included: Kenneth Marshal (Denis Quilley), his wife Arlina and his 16 year old daughter Linda; Patrick Redfern, a dashing young man and his wife Christine (Nicholas Mason and Jane Birkin); and of course Hercule Poirot .Odel and Myra Gardner face financial ruin resulting from Arlina quitting their successful musical in the middle of its run, and her refusal to accept a role in their newly planned musical. Rex Brewster faces serious debts due to having spent advances on the book he had written about Arlina. She refused to let him publish it. Horace Blatt will loose $50,000 on the diamond he had given to Arlina, unless he can get her to return the genuine one to him.Arlina is found strangled on the beach near the faux diamond. Daphne Castle urges Poirot to investigate fearing a spot of murder would ruin her resort hotel. Poirot accepts planning to get a recovery fee on the diamond. As is often the case in Christie's mysteries, a lot of the participants have motives but their alibis seem to preclude the possibility that any of them committed the crime. Poirot questions all of the suspects several times. He uses his little grey cells to evaluate and organize the responses into a timed matrix. The next day, he awakens refreshed, and asks that they all gather in the lobby after he has had breakfast; then he will tell them how the crime was committed and who the guilty party was.Can you solve this crime before Poirot finishes breakfast? I strongly recommend that you save your sanity, buy the DVD, and tell your family to join you with popcorn in hand to see the movie. You can watch it over and over until your little grey cells organize the information into a timed matrix. Then you can compare your solution with Poirot's. Incidentally if you also have a copy of this same mystery with David Suchet playing Poirot you can compare the two of them. You will find that disc in the "Definitive Collection" of twelve Agatha Christie mysteries. I believe you will find this version with Peter Ustinov playing Poirot to be far superior; I certainly do.

"Evil under the Sun" marks Peter Ustinov's second foray into the character of Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's idiosyncratic and overwhelmingly self-assured Belgian detective with a gourmand's delight in fine food and wine and the tending of his distinctive moustache.One of the more recent Poirot cycles began with "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974), starring the Oscar-nominated Albert Finney, which established the template for a complicated murder mystery set in an exotic location and featuring a cast of former stars, not quite stars , character actors and future television stars. The former star here is James Mason, most celebrated for his Oscar nominated performance in "A Star Is Born"(1954). The not quite stars include Roddy Mc Dowell. whose career goes back as far as "How Green Was My Valley"(1941), the character actor is the inimitable Sylvia Miles ("Midnight Cowboy" (1969), who is beyond bizarrely paired with Mason and the television stars are theatrical veterans and acting icons Diana Rigg ("The Avengers" (1960"s) and "Game of Thrones")and Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey"). In other words, with some time travel involved, Mrs. Peel versus the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Needless to say, Rigg and Smith exchange barbs and drop dead glances, to the music of Cole Porter no less.The stand out elements of "Evil under the Sun", however, are the vibrantly photographed land and sea scapes of the island of Majorca, birthplace of Raphael Nadal, and the sexually magnetic character played by Nicholas Clay, fresh from his clothing deprived performances in "Lady Chatterley's Lover" and "Excalibur", both in the early 1980's. For those who are still sequestered by the pandemic, "Evil under the Sun" is a perfect example of what used to be called "an armchair adventure." Not to belittle the enormous death and suffering inflicted by the corona virus, this film serves a function: that of a good looking entertainment which is escapist while not being too mentally challenging.

Me encantan las películas basadas en libros de Agatha Christie.

Excellent movie starring Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot. Very enjoyable has an excellent cast of well known actors & actresses. Well worth watching if you enjoy a good who dunnit & if you enjoy Agatha Christie’s works.

Great film and actor lm very happy with the seller and product

This DVD has been remastered really well. The picture is crisp with excellent colour. Undoubtedly, Agatha Christie’s novel writing prowess shines brilliantly in this storyline. Peter Ustinov’s acting skills adds marvellously to this movie and overall makes viewing very enjoyable. This is a dvd that can easily be added to one’s library and watched frequently. Very good value for the price paid.

A wonderful upgrade in quality and sound from the original dvd. If you love Agatha Christie it is a much have.