Death on the Nile

This movie was the first and best of Peter Ustinov's performances as Hercule Poirot. Though physically not very accurate to Agatha Christie's description of the little Belgian detective, for this one movie everything worked and the discrepancy was not a problem. The film is well-paced, with all the plot turns and clues coming with perfect timing, not too fast to be confusing, but not too slow to strain the rather flimsy fabric of the story. The whole cast is very good, especially Bette Davis as a malevolent old spider of a woman, gleefully tormenting her long-suffering companion, Maggie Smith. The scene where she smiles indulgently at a group of Egyptian children waving at her on the river bank, only to sink into mortified disgust as they turn around and moon her, is a highlight of the movie. The climax of the film is quite surprising, and unlike many mysteries, does not cheat the viewer by withholding vital information until the last moment. We feel the pleasure of being honestly fooled throughout, and the conclusion is thoroughly satisfying.

This film has to be one of my all-time favourites! I must have seen it at least 100 times and I always enjoy it as much every time. One of the greatest casts EVER, music is stunning (NINO ROTA) and the scenery is breathtaking. SEE IT. There haven't been many films like this and there certainly haven't been any to match it since when it comes to this particular genre. Surprised it hasn't been released on DVD yet.. oh well.

Murder aboard a Nile steamer in the 1930s is deftly handled here thanks to a good script and some excellent performances.

There can be no question about it--if you're a mystery fan of the sort of crime novels Agatha Christie wrote during her prolific writing career--this is for you. The script fashioned from one of her best works gives a number of interesting actors roles they can chew the scenery with--and most of them do. I can't praise Angela Lansbury enough for her deft and daffy portrayal of a tipsy authoress--so good, she deserved at least an Oscar nomination. The only real flaw is the film's tendency to move at a rather slow pace before things get more intense.

Other acting kudos among the suspects aboard a Nile steamer belong to Bette Davis as an elderly dowager with a penchant for stealing jewelry; her servant, Maggie Smith, with whom she exchanges some priceless barbs; Simon MacCorkindale and Lois Chiles as lovers; Mia Farrow as a vengeful ex-sweetheart; and of course Peter Ustinov as Poirot. David Niven has the least colorful role and can do little with it as he endeavors to help Poirot solve the mystery. The plot has all the ingenious twists we come to expect of Christie and is a very clever one--if slightly improbable when you stop to think about it--depending heavily on luck and coincidence.

But it's all delivered as entertainment and wrapped up in a package designed to stir the senses with an excellent musical score, some fine scenery and Oscar-winning costumes. It's a relief that the writer decided to keep the period of the novel in the 1930s rather than update it as has been done with other Christie stories--notably, MURDER IS EASY ('82) which was updated to include computer technology as part of the plotline. The period flavor here is an added pleasure.

Flavorful, and highly amusing whenever Bette Davis and Maggie Smith have a go at some wisecracks, with an ending that will surprise you if you fail to catch some of the clues. Superior entertainment.

I had read DEATH ON THE NILE (probably Christie's best novel, superior to the overrated MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS) before I saw the movie, so I was sure there would be no real suspense. But, to the everlasting credit of everyone involved, the movie does manage to hold the book's air of mystery throughout. It's not as faithful to the book as it could have been--a whole major subplot is given just a few small scenes; several characters who were more substantial in the book are reduced to barely more than window dressing--but it is remarkably true to the main story, sticks to it nicely, and allows both Poirot and the viewer to come to such a completely logical conclusion about the murder that you will wonder on repeat viewings how you could have possibly missed the clues the first time.

The real gems in this film are not the leads and big names, but the smaller parts--Simon MacCorkindale as Doyle, Lois Chiles as Linnet, Jane Birkin as Louise. In particular, Simon MacCorkindale (more familiar to American audiences from MANIMAL, FALCON CREST, and COUNTERSTRIKE) is a criminally underused actor, and he does a spectacular job here in this, his first movie role, playing the hopeless and hapless Simon Doyle, caught between two captivating women (Lois Chiles and Mia Farrow--wow, what a choice to have) and ultimately driven by greed as he chooses between them.

This film is finally out in DVD, and widescreen at that, so if you like good murder mysteries and old-fashioned costume dramas, pick yourself up a copy and prepare to be entertained.

Having just watched the mess of a 2022 film of the same name I thought I would go back and see what this 1978 version was like.

It is much better and follows more closely the original plot.