Synopsis:
Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Sir Peter Ustinov, Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus) travels to an island resort to investigate the circumstances in which a diamond was given to a famous stage actress (Diana Rigg, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service). However, the actress in question is murdered before Poirot is able to complete his investigation.
Reaction & Thoughts:
“Twaddle or not, it is the only explanation which fits all the facts.”
Evil Under the Sun is the fourth and last of the Agatha Christie movies produced by British moguls John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin. Despite being considered a critical and financial flop (the movie failed to recoup its costs), Evil Under the Sun isn’t a bad movie — it’s an elegant and well-acted murder-mystery.
While it’s definitely the least effective Brabourne-Goodwin whodunit (Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Death on the Nile (1978) and The Mirror Crack’d (1980) are their other productions), there are plenty of goodies here — Christopher Challis’s (Two for the Road) gorgeous cinematography (most of the movie was shot on the beautiful Spanish island of Mallorca) and the Cole Porter soundtrack are big pluses.
I also thought writer Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth) did a good job developing the storyline, especially the way he explores character dynamics. Additionally, the dialogue is witty and sharp, and the obligatory scene where Poirot unmasks the killer is handled well despite the fact that the explanation was a tad convoluted. The only thing I didn’t like about Shaffer’s script is that some characters were pushed to the background.
Once again, Sir Peter Ustinov plays the astute and inquisitive Belgian sleuth who will stop at nothing until the culprit of the crimes he investigates gets apprehended. Ustinov is very good (it was nice to see that Poirot has more screen time than usual), but as might be expected, the small but impressive supporting cast hogs all the attention.
The cast’s two Dames, Maggie Smith (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) and Diana Rigg, give the best performances in the movie. Smith plays the sassy hotel owner of the hotel where all the action takes place (Smith played a different character in Death on the Nile). Rigg is a hoot as a temperamental theater diva who enjoys manipulating the people around her — the talented Riggs even gets to sing Porter’s “You’re The Top”!
Roddy McDowall (Planet of the Apes) is also on hand as a gossipy, sharp-tongued writer of tell-all books. James Mason (Lolita) plays a theater impresario and Sylvia Miles (Midnight Cowboy) plays his domineering wife. It was, however, disappointing to see that Miles and Mason had so little to do. Also with Colin Blakely (Equus), Jane Birkin (1960s style icon and Charlotte Gainsbourg’s mom), Nicholas Clay (Excalibur) and Denis Quilley (Anne of a Thousand Days) as Rigg’s weakling husband.
Conclusions & Final Thoughts:
I feel Evil Under the Sun has been unfairly maligned by the critical mass. Although the movie is not what you would call great, it’s obvious that the filmmakers did the best they could with the source material. The endless shots of the beautiful island of Mallorca are a bonus. For Agatha Christie enthusiasts, the delighfully droll Evil Under the Sun is a must-see whodunit. Recommended. Color, 117 minutes, Rated PG.
A great review…interesting that the series ran out of steam – this one is definitely worth a re-watch!
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Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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I own this movie. I love this movie.
Can you believe Poirot pours extra sugar on the already mega-sweet, mega-rich desert in front of him in the opening monologue of this clip?!
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LOL! Yes, I noticed that! Poirot is definitely not watching his weight! 🙂
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I enjoy this one a lot myself. It does take a little longer to get the juicy murder mystery part, but it is nice to get the feel of the characters so when the murder does happen, the audience can have a bit more fun at guessing who had the strongest motive.
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It’s a fun movie. The cast is great and the scenery is beautiful.
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Beautiful scenery, speaking as a nature lover, can often attract me to a movie.
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Yes! A Passage to India, Out of Africa, The Mission, A Room with a View, etc., all great travelogue movies.
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Hi Mr. Binford – great article on what is actually my favorite of all the Brabourne-Goodwins (though I also love Death on the Nile) – Maggie Smith steals the show, and that’s not an easy feat with all that star power including Diana Rigg. I love the witty Shaffer script, the lush cinematography, colorful costumes and Cole Porter tunes…also a tiny soupcon of naughty sex appeal that the others are lacking. Ustinov is the utimate Poirot for me, so believable as the bloviating “Belgian fart” ; I find Albert Finney a bit stilted, ditto for Branagh.
Happy New Year! Need to pull my DVD out and watch this one immediately!
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“(Evil Under the Sun) is actually my favorite of all the Brabourne-Goodwins.” Wow, I didn’t expect that! Glad to see that this wonderful movie has some admirers! BTW, I still need to see Branagh’s Poirot… soon, very soon.
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I know this title–no idea why I missed this one. How can one lose with James Mason, Maggie Smith, and Diana Rigg, among the cast? You can’t. Nice write up!
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It’s like a leisurely stroll along the Mediterranean Sea. 🙂
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🙂 🙂
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I’ve only seen one of the four (The Mirror Crack’d), but now that I know Diana Rigg is in this one, I’ll give it a look. And with that gorgeous scenery – I’m talking about Mallorca now – I’ll have to find it on Blu-ray…IF it exists on Blu-ray.
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I used to own a VHS copy of the movie and I have to say that this is the kind of gorgeous-looking production that was meant to be watched on HD (I took the screen shot directly form the Blu-ray disc).
Here is a review of KINO’s Blu-ray edition:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Evil-Under-the-Sun-Blu-ray/131797/
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Thanks for the link!
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This is firmly in my “guilty pleasures” category!
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It’s a fun whodunit! 🙂
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And the cast!!!
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Gal Godot is starring in a new Poirot remake. Her agent must have pitched HARD for her to transition from superheroine stereotype to normal character upgrade in order to see if she could shine in this one. Not a bad looking chick, but I have to think about whether she fits the role she’s been assigned.
— Catxman
http://www.catxman.wordpress.com
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I just saw the trailer for the new Death on the Nile. I believe Godot plays Lois Chiles’s old role (the spoiled heiress). I agree with you that she is probably trying to prove that she can act. If I’m correct, the role is flashy but rather small, so I don’t see her screwing it up (well, anything is possible, right?).
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