After delivering a fabulous pressing of the 4K-UHD/Blu Ray Edition of Sidney Lumet’s all-star triumph, Murder on the Orient Express, Kino Lorber gifts us 4Ks of the three terrific Agatha Christie follow-up films.
Every incarnation of the venerable novelist’s work that preceded or followed cannot escape comparison. The Paul Dehn-penned pic worked so well because of a perfect blend of high drama with sly satire, all the while retaining the spirit of Christie’s novels. That and a true cast of titanic thesps, from stage and screen, doing what they do best. Christie, who died in 1976, cited Orient Express as the only film adaptation of her work she was happy with. And it was the highest grossing British film of all time at that time.
While the Oscar-winning Lumet classic is still the crème de la crème, these subsequent additions have much to offer.
Death On The Nile — 4K-UHD/Blu-ray — Kino Lorber
Needing to capitalize on the great critical and commercial success of Orient Express, the producers and EMI teamed up again in 1978 for Death on the Nile, under the direction of John Guillermin, who had just made two huge box-office smashes, the multi-Oscared disaster film, The Towering Inferno and King Kong. The adaptation was penned by Anthony Shaffer (Frenzy, Sleuth).
Finney was asked to reprise his Oscar-nominated role, but turned it down, not wanting to be typecast and because the makeup application was “highly uncomfortable.” The creatives decided to cast the role unconventionally with two-time Oscar-winner Peter Ustinov (Spartacus, Topkapi).
The creatives managed to assemble a formidable cast of Academy-Award-winners and nominees, including Bette Davis, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Jack Warden, Angela Lansbury and George Kennedy. In addition, Mia Farrow, Lois Chiles, Jon Finch, Olivia Hussey, Jane Birkin, Sam Wanamaker and Simon MacCorkindale were on board.
I can only imagine a trip down the Nile was enticing enough for many of them.
Set in 1932, the plot centered on a murder of a much-despised heiress (Chiles), who had made enough enemies so everyone on board the ship, say it with me, was a suspect.
World renowned detective Hercule Poirot (Ustinov) who just happens to be traveling down the Nile with the group—as is always the case–begins utilizing his sleuthing skills to figure out the culprit(s) and all will be revealed in his final summation. But a few more characters are pecked off along the way. Interesting to note: the book had 16 suspects vs. the film’s nine.
Ustinov’s Poirot is somewhat fun but stuffier than Finney. He gets better in later incarnations. His performance was BAFTA nominated.
The supporting actors are mostly stellar if sometimes oddly cast (Warden as a German?). Tart-tongued Smith, always a delight, was nominated for a BAFTA, as was an over-the-top Lansbury. I’m sure Davis, chasing that much-coveted third Oscar, wasn’t happy.
The film itself received just one Academy Award nomination, for Anthony Powell’s swell costumes. And he won.
Simon MacCorkindale provides fab eye candy for women and gay men (there is often one actor, specifically cast for this purpose). And the brooding Finch is a more intense, kind of handsome.
Farrow, who has never been Oscar-nominated, delivers the film’s most complex and clever performance as Jacquie, the victim’s former bestie. One could argue there were two perfs in Woody Allen movies, The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and Alice (1990), where she was egregiously overlooked.
Kino Lorber’s disc is a marvel using a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. I did a little comparison to the KL BD and this one is a great improvement, with the lush and incredible shots of the Egyptian sites magnificently presented—the amazing camerawork is by the venerable DP Jack Cardiff, with lavish production design by Peter Murton. The audio is clean and clear highlighting Nino Rota’s excellent, slightly bombastic, score. It is quite effective but a bit too reminiscent of John Williams’s work on The Poseidon Adventure.
Special Features are portalled over from the KL Blu-ray and include a vintage 23-minute doc boasting interviews with Ustinov, Niven, Finch and Kennedy, two brief chats with Ustinov and Birkin for Spanish TV, a few trailers and a fun and informative audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson.
Death on the Nile proved an admirable addition to the Christie film canon. The darker Kenneth Branagh reimagining from 2022 was quite good but rather humorless.
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The Mirror Crack’d — 4K-UHD/Blu-ray — Kino Lorber
The next effort on the parts of EMI and the producers, John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin, proved much less effective.
The Mirror Crack’d (book title The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side) would bring Miss Marple back to the screen as played by Angela Lansbury. The senior sleuth had been portrayed by Oscar-winner Margaret Rutherford in a series of 1960s films. The plan was to make a trio of Marple films with Lansbury. Tellingly, only this one was made.
The cast was led by two-time Oscar winner Elizabeth Taylor, replacing Natalie Wood, who either turned it down or dropped out, according to conflicting accounts. Other ensemble members included, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Kim Novak, Geraldine Chaplin, Edward Fox and Maureen Bennett, who received an “introduced” credit and went on to mostly small TV roles.
Set in a small English village in the 1950s, the fun part of the plot centers on the rivalry between two actresses. An American film company is shooting a picture about Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I. At a reception held at the country estate of the lead actress, Marina Rudd (Taylor) and her director husband Jason (Hudson), a local, Heather Babcock (Bennett) is poisoned and dies. Right before the murder, Babcock was in the midst of regaling Marina with a long-winded story about how she met the star once backstage.
Also, in attendance at this soiree, and therefore suspects, are Marina’s longtime feuding rival and co-star, Lola Brewster (Novak), the film’s producer (Tony Curtis) and Marina’s personal assistant (Geraldine Chaplin), who may be having an affair with Jason.
Marple is introduced aiding her inspector nephew (Fox) with the investigation of the rather ho-hum murder since the victim was an uninteresting blather-mouth. And the murder, at least, put the audience out of our misery—but then we must suffer through flashbacks of her!
The question of whether Marina was the intended target, never goes anywhere.
And the catfighting between Taylor and Novak just doesn’t have the delicious camp quality we’ve come to expect from Diva-fights onscreen (Evil Under the Sun fixes that). But don’t blame the ladies, the writing is pretty mediocre.
Speaking of the scribes, Jonathan Hales and Barry Sandler don’t seem to know what story they really want to focus on–the more glam if serious mystery surrounding Marina, her feud with Lola or the super dull and silly Marple stuff. The tonal shifts don’t help. Director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever) is also at fault for the deadening pacing.
Taylor does have some splendid moments. This should have been her comeback film. After nabbing her second Oscar for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, she starred in a string of highly anticipated but less-than-successful pics like Reflection in a Golden Eye, Boom, Under Milk Wood, The Only Game in Town, Night Watch and A Little Night Music.
The film looks great on 4K, using a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative and preserving the original aspect ratio.
Extras are, again, brought over from the KL Blu-ray and are most disappointing with tv spots and trailers and a chatty, interesting audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thompson.
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Evil Under The Sun — 4K-UHD/Blu-ray — Kino Lorber
For their fourth Christie endeavor, EMI and co, decided to adapt the author’s 1941 novel, Evil Under the Sun, bringing back Peter Ustinov as Poirot. Anthony Shaffer was again tapped to write the screenplay (with an uncredited Barry Sandler), with Guy Hamilton directing.
This one proved to be far better than The Mirror Crack’d, although it managed to mirror Death on the Nile in many ways (fault Christie forever borrowing from herself) and the reveal stretched credulity.
Once again, the powers-that-be managed to allure a most impressive cast of Oscar winners, nominees and respected thesps including Maggie Smith and Jane Birkin (who both appeared in Death on the Nile), as well as Diana Rigg, Roddy McDowall, James Mason, and Sylvia Miles – and toss in Orient Expresscast members Colin Blakely and Dennis Quilley (I continue to mistake one for the other). Newcomer Nicholas Clay, who had just splashed as Lancelot in John Boorman’s marvelous Excalibur was this entry’s hottie. And the film introduced the great Emily Hone. Wait, what, who? Exactly. The bland actress went on to make only one more feature.
This 1982 release is such a treat, mostly because of the wicked and witty dialogue, some awesome moments of camp, and sensational performances from most of the cast.
The setting is the fictional kingdom of Tyrania —gloriously filmed — in Majorca, Spain.
The plot sees Poirot, now, oddly, prone to seasickness (he seemed fine going down the Nile) being asked by his millionaire friend (Blakely) to locate an expensive diamond that his mistress, the famous actress Arlena Stuart Marshall (a terrifically nasty Rigg), absconded with.
Arlena, her cuckold husband (Quilley) and his daughter (Hone, Zzzzz), checks into a fancy hotel on an island in the Adriatic owned and operated by her once Broadway rival, Daphne Castle (Smith, delectably divine) – who was gifted the property by the King of Tyrania for her… services.
Also staying at the same hotel are Arlena’s dashing lover (yummy Clay) and his frail, pale wife (Birkin), a hack writer working on a salacious bio about Arlena (McDowall, having a gay ol’ time); and a pair of sycophantic Broadway producers (Mason and Miles, what a teaming!).
Then, imagine, a murder is committed and everyone is a suspect! Sacré bleu!Everyone also seems to have an alibi.
Smith and Rigg are the standouts, and I wish they had been given more meat to play, more diva sparring matches, and, perhaps, an actual bonding scene. Rigg is a delicious bitch (the character’s words). And Smith is comic genius, especially when she tries to out-sleuth Poirot.
McDowall goes full-on mean queen, while Miles delivers every line in her inimitable dry style.
Clay was this installment’s eye candy for women and gay men, and the director allows ample opportunity to showcase this perfectly physiqued actor romping around in his skimpy black bathing suit. Isn’t it fab when tables are turned and men are made to be sex objects?
Kino Lorber did an awesome job with the Blu-ray several years ago, but the 4K is even more gorgeous to watch—a brand new HDR/Dolby Vision master from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative. The visuals are eye-popping, making the locales look way too inviting (as well as Clay). The sound is clear, crisp if bit echo-y on occasion. I did an old Blu-ray/ new 4K comparison of certain scenes and the images are much cleaner with the water shimmering, and the colors more radiant.
Special features are just okay. There’s a swell vintage 15-minute doc with behind-the-scenes footage and some cool interviews, as well as the trailer plus an enjoyable audio commentary track with film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, where they chat about how they think this adaptation is superior to the novel.
Evil Under the Sun is an opulent, murderously pleasurable time.
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