Und dann gab es keines mehr

I read Agatha Christie's source novel several times and lost count of how many different versions of the story I watched on film as well as on stage, but one thing is for certain: I will never grow tired of "And then there were None". The very first film-adaptation, released in 1945 already, still stands proud as the best version (and my personal favorite), but this mini-series is the completest version and perhaps also the most accessible one, suitable to introduce the genius of Mrs. Christie to younger audiences! "And then there were None" was produced by the BBC to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth. My sincerest respect to the makers, because they truly took the time and effort to achieve a qualitative and detailed enactment of the story with top-notch casting choices, stunningly accurate filming locations, precise decors, continuous underlying tension an ominous atmosphere throughout.

The only real difference with the original story is the nature of the 10 little protagonists of the infamous nursery rhyme! For obvious reasons, the use of words referring to "black people" is unacceptable, but apparently it's nowadays also racist and discriminating to use little Indians! Hence, we're following the elimination of ten little soldier boys here, and they're illustrated via ugly modern art ornaments (???) standing on the dinner table. I guess the rest of the plot is universally known and doesn't need a further summary? Oh heck, just because I love the story: ten people, complete strangers to each other, are heading out towards the minuscule Soldier's Island off the English coast. They were all lured to the island, via a formal invitation or a job offer, by a certain Mr. and Mrs. U.N. Owen (read that out loud) but upon their arrival their host and hostess aren't present. After dinner, the guests are suddenly confronted with a recording in which every single one of them is accused of being responsible for the death of a fellow human being even though they weren't punished for it. Immediately after the recording and the initial panic, the guests are killed one by one in ways that are reminiscent to the "10 Little Soldiers" rhyme. Since they are the only people on the island, the rapidly shrinking group of survivors realize that U.N Owen doesn't exist and that one of them is the murderer.

This is probably the longest version of "And then there were None" ever filmed, but you never get the impression that it's tedious. It's slow-paced and atmospheric, with the screenplay digging deeper into the details of the guests' previously committed crimes. The horror fan in me somewhat regrets that the actual murders are either too briefly or even entirely off-screen, but the lack of spectacle is widely compensated by the subtle tension-building and the profound character portraits. The cast is downright fantastic. Admittedly I only knew two names at first (Charles Dance and Sam Neill), but the rest of the cast is experienced and multi-talented as well. I doubt if Mrs. Christie would have approved of the "drunken orgy" sequences that were inserted close to the finale, but apart from that I've never seen a more version more faithful to the source novel. Agatha Christie is more alive than ever, in fact, since writer/director Kenneth Brannagh recently also delivered a brand new version of "Murder on the Orient Express".

For a series based on famous literature work, there is a persistent effort on BBC to create proper feel for characters and isolated vista from the novel pages. The series looks strikingly posh, beautifully made with crisp cinematography while the actors play as palpable deceptive characters. This is back to the core of mystery thriller inspired by work of masterful writer and it's certainly deliciously inviting.

One might have read or seen this trademark Agatha Christie's flair before, several dubious personalities come together in an alarmingly desolated albeit gorgeous location where surreal legend might just appear out of thin air. Each of them is as shady as the cloud of arrows from Thermopylae and when body count starts to rise, dark secrets begin to emerge.

Visual presentation is handled with care. Every shot is designed to create a mystifying environment, sufficiently detached from reality. It's eerily fascinating how they can produce this single mansion on a tiny island, nearly like something out of a dream, yet might just believable enough. There's good care on the interior shots, as it presents the claustrophobic house in light enough angle so it would still hide the clandestine nature and the audience can better familiarize the setting as integral part of story.

Script shows a meticulous flamboyant approach for the interactions. All of the personalities gathered are completely suspicious and the series showcases these deep rooted deceptions in small bursts. Banters happen in beautiful words, yet they are meant to cut deep, or just plain cursing when the timely moments arrive. This set-up it immaculate done, one can appreciated the small details meant to draw or mislead the attention.

This is the quintessential classic mystery thriller from one of the best writers who have graced the genre, it will be a delightful treat for the fans as well as intriguing watch for everyone in general.

This is certainly the best 'film of the book' there has ever been - so far. The title sequence alone deserves an Oscar, with those beautiful jade figurines disintegrating and morphing into a model of the island where it all happens.

The house, the cast, the pathetically fallacious cloud formations, sunsets and dramatic weather, the costumes, hair and makeup taking each character from groomed control to dishevelled à la Marat/Sade - everything contributes to this brilliant psychological drama of Agatha Christie at her finest.

The only thing missing was Agatha Christie's brilliance.

There is a lack of understanding in this film of the original plot, which is not only fatal to the interpretation but is actually quite horrible. It is, in the final analysis, typical BBC. Every time the BBC dramatises a classic (Austen, Dickens, Conan Doyle...) it should have, just under the title, the words 'Loosely based on an idea by' - as a kind of caveat.

Agatha Christie's book (originally titled, in the UK, as 'Ten Little Niggers', in accordance with the terminology of the time - this was after all 1939...) has a completeness and subtlety of plot which the BBC can for some reason never achieve. Every tiny detail, as in a fine tapestry, fits in with and contributes to the whole. Everything is in its place - and the reader overlooks it at their peril.

So why did the BBC (in the persons of the screenwriter, director, et al.) omit things like the red oilskin curtain, the hiding of the grey skein of wool (inexpertly wound into an unusable ball by Miranda Richardson), the pooling and securing of possible murder implements, the bee, the seaweed, and so on? Why were the original murders made physical to an obviously culpable extent when the whole point of the plot is that they were not so, because they were too 'hands off'?

It is, after all, in this last respect why every reader kicks themself as they turn the last page of Agatha Christie's most perfect work - because she provided not only all the clues but actually also the only possible solution, elegantly displayed along the way, for the Hastings-blind reader who missed it all.

And then there's the larding of the BBC's currently in-favour - but inappropriate to the time and to Agatha Christie's oeuvre and taste - swear words. Plus the physical manifestation of the particularly favoured word between Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard. What the fuck is all that about?. (See - doesn't add anything, does it ?) Have the BBC never heard of dramatic tension (oh, wait...)? If they'd kept faithful to the original in every respect, they wouldn't have needed to add anything as silly as a one-night stand and a few tacky close-ups of thighs, stocking tops, torsos, and cleavage.

Good, verging on excellent - but in the event not good enough. Worth a watch, but not a buy.

We'll just have to wait another twenty-nine or forty-one years for the next one to come along...

As much as I have enjoyed watching Miss Marple and Poirot on TV over the past few years I must admit I have never read an Agatha Christie novel, and although I was familiar with the basic outline of And Then There Were None, 10 people on an island being murdered one by one, I didn't expect it to be so good.

The setting on an isolated island was intriguing, the tie in with the 10 Little Indians poem was clever and the disappearing figures with each death was a wonderful twist.

With each character having a troubled past it was impossible to single out an individual as the murderer but isn't that what a good thriller is all about, making you think, making you work ,to get the thoughts going, watching it with others made it fun as we all had different ideas of who the killer was. There were in hindsight clues that were never picked up on and red herrings that although lead you so far, didn't quite lead you to the guilty one and when the murderer is finally revealed it was well thought out and clever rather than just stupid.

You do have to give Agatha Christie credit even without her much loved 'old dear' and moustached, funny little Belgium man she could write a great who done it, and without the characteristic or familiar settings of these two detectives she was able to go further with the story line, delve deeper into the dark side of human nature.

It has certainly left me wanting more, and has left me intrigued as to other Agatha Christie novels that don't feature her more famous characters. Here's hoping they adapt more of her novels on TV or indeed maybe I should just pick up a book! lol

I almost decided not to watch this cause of the few negative reviews that I read (my own mistake for focusing more on the negative reviews rather than positive ones which are the majority here). I'm glad I decided to give it a shot because I watched all three episodes in one sitting.

I have to admit that I never read the book nor have I saw the original movie from the 1945 so I can't compare to the source material. With that out of the way, I love love loved what I saw here. The only negative I can say is the split near the end where I went "Oh of course they decided to split now", but other than that, everything was just as it should be in my opinion.

The actors did a great job, the cast was amazing. The camera work is fantastic. Many shots are literally wallpaper worthy. So yeah, don't sleep on this like I did. I only discovered this mini series by accident which is a shame. None of my friends knew about this either.