In this week’s Back to the Beach, we travel to an island off the coast of Spain for an all-star Agatha Christie whodunnit.
Two Cents is a Cinapse original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team curates the series and contribute their “two cents” using a maximum of 200-400 words. Guest contributors and comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future picks. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion. Would you like to be a guest contributor or programmer for an upcoming Two Cents entry? Simply watch along with us and/or send your pitches or 200-400 word reviews to [email protected].
The Pick: Evil Under the Sun (1982)
When the Two Cents crew had suggested a beach theme, I knew almost instantly that Evil Under the Sun was the only title I could pick. One of the last big-screen adaptations of Agatha Christie’s for a while (until the boys at Cannon Films decided to give it a go in the late 80s), Evil Under the Sun is a decadent escape into a sun-drenched paradise among a group of characters who are just as catty as they are entertaining. Because this is a Christie adaptation, it just so happens that there’s also a worthwhile murder at the center of this secluded island getaway, one that fans of the genre will find themselves instantly hooked on that also manages to use its beach setting to powerful effect. So put on some Cole Porter, enjoy a cocktail, and try to uncover the evil under the sun.
Our Guest
Of the all-star Agatha Christie adaptations that were a fixture of the 1970s and 1980s, Evil Under the Sun is easily the frothiest – the summer getaway of murder mysteries, if you will. While the mystery itself – part murder, part jewel heist – is certainly engaging, with enough misdirection to really keep you guessing until the solution is revealed, the true fun comes from the cast of suspects and the barbed dialogue they throw at each other. Unlike certain recent Christie adaptations, there’s no cast member who isn’t given their moment to shine and they each play up their hatred of the eventual victim superbly.
Peter Ustinov returns to the mustaches of Hercule Poirot after his first stint in Death on the Nile, keeping his detective infinitely fussy and seemingly harmless. Of the supporting cast, the great Maggie Smith shines the brightest as the resort owner, Daphne Castle. She lands every laugh line expertly and mines her “frenemy” relationship with Diana Rigg’s Arlena with everything she has. Their competitive rendition of “You’re the Top” is a bitchy delight.
The location shots of Majorca are dazzling, Anthony Shaffer’s sharp screenplay keeps the train moving at just the right pace, and Anthony Powell’s costumes provide plenty of humor and glamour. Poirot’s bathing suit is a joke all its own, while the cut of Nicholas Clay’s swim trunks needs to be seen to be believed. Keeping this a relatively spoiler-free zone, there’s also a costume toward the end of the film that deserves entrance applause – you’ll know it when you see it. The movie is a fun romp in the sun, with a little death as an excursion.
(@jerrydowney913 on Xitter)
The Team
Before Kenneth Branagh gave the all-star Agatha Christie murder mystery a new life, it’s important to remember that so many of the mystery writer’s works had found their way onto the big screen that the author was practically a movie genre unto her own. While most fans count Sidney Lumet’s 1974 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express as the best of the all-star Christie mysteries, almost all of them would consider Evil Under the Sun to be a close second.
The plot deals with a small assortment of guests at an island resort on the Adriatic, all of whom become suspects when a theater diva (Diana Rigg) turns up dead. Director Guy Hamilton and screenwriter Anthony Schaffer do a superb job transferring Christie’s text to the screen and enlivening it with witty one-liners and great monologues for its cast to recite. The biggest benefactor of this, naturally, is Peter Ustinov, who, in his second outing as Hercule Poirot, finds the right balance between the detective’s playful nature and clever instincts. The rest of the cast is a cinephile’s dream with Maggie Smith, Jane Birkin, Roddy McDowall, Sylvia Miles, and James Mason all taking their turns as both eccentric hotel guests and credible suspects.
But all the game performances and fun dialogue wouldn’t work without a solid mystery at the center, which Evil Under the Sun definitely has. Shaffer’s adapting of Christie’s yarn is perfect. The mystery is neither dense nor obvious, but rather a smart puzzle that offers its audience a seemingly unsolvable scenario that plays with time and detail in the most dizzying of ways. All of this culminates in a showstopping ending that could only have come from a mind like Christie’s.
(@frankfilmgeek on Xitter)
Oh, how I love Cinapse staffer Frank Calvillo’s taste, and how pleased I am that he had us check out Evil Under the Sun. Not because I adored the film (it was fun enough) but because of what the programming of this title means for the concept of programming itself. Frank loves fancy things and classic things. He loves the romance of old Hollywood stars and classical big casts, etc. So it makes me happy that when we dreamed up a beach-themed month, this is the title he advocated for and which we watched and experienced together. I personally know almost nothing about Agatha Christie’s work or of the many tales of Hercule Poirot beyond Branagh’s most recent adaptations, of which I’ve only seen one.
That said, Evil Under the Sun has all the hallmarks of the well-worn formula of a whodunnit, and therefore it’s going to be entertaining and satisfying at the most basic of levels. I enjoy that Poirot is full of foibles and unflattering eccentricities. While Sherlock Holmes is an odd man, he’s not as silly or perhaps flawed as Poirot. The grand cast and majestic summer beach setting do make it perfect for this series. And I found it fascinating that the murder itself doesn’t happen until about an hour into the two-hour film. Ultimately the setting, the cast, and the writing come together for a sumptuous and entertaining romp that feels much like any classical murder mystery, with a little extra sunshine.
(@Ed_Travis on Xitter)
Viewing this through a 2024 lens, the biggest takeaway I had in this delightful Poirot mystery is how clearly this tale – and probably specifically this adaptation – had an impact on Rian Johnson’s second Benoit Blanc film, Glass Onion. I knew that his Knives Out mysteries were calling back to these classic star-studded ensemble movies and to Agatha Christie tales in particular, but even so, I didn’t realize that this one was such a specific reference point: the remote private island setting and its colorful guests, the meeting of the cast before they’re ferried over, even the island’s unusual methods for tolling the hour (Johnson’s “hourly dong” hat-tipping Christie’s noon cannon).
Peter Ustinov is a fun anchoring presence in the role of Poirot, a little more whimsical and upbeat than Kenneth Branagh’s current and more straightforward version of the character (which I’m also quite fond of for different reasons). Both are deeply calculating, but Ustinov rather cleverly masks it with his seemingly bumbling and disarming presence (a trait that Johnson clearly picked up and ran with for his Benoit Blanc). This is a great yarn, mixing up character-driven comedy with intrigue, delivered by a top-notch cast so good that some of them almost feel a little wasted, if not for the fact that the casting itself is subtly serving up some red herrings (James Mason in a minor supporting role!?). The central mystery doesn’t even kick off until a good 50 minutes in, nearly at the halfway mark, and that’s OK because we’re having a good time observing these characters, many of them squabbly and self-absorbed. Thanks to Frank for the recommendation; I was already planning to check this series out and am glad to have a reason to do so.
(@VforVashaw on Xitter)
I loved Agatha Christie novels when I was growing up. And, while I tended to gravitate towards Miss Marple, I enjoyed many Poirot stories as well. Yet, I have never cared a great deal for any film adaptations of Christie novels, despite my love for thrillers and mysteries. I think part of my issue is that I typically like my mysteries bloodier and more graphic, in the vein of Giallo films. While I certainly enjoy many films that aren’t gorefests, I think in this particular genre, I barely prefer when they are. There’s an additional stylistic flair that most Christie adaptations employ that doesn’t seem to vibe with me… even if I can’t pinpoint exactly what that is.
Sadly, this film didn’t buck that trend for me. While I vaguely remembered the novel, despite the 25+ year gap since last reading it, I couldn’t get into this film. Perhaps, I simply prefer these novels to the films… or perhaps, my tastes are just wildly different than they were in my pre-teen and teen years… but I can assert that this one isn’t for me – 42-year-old me, at least. However, I fully get the appeal of this film and it certainly screams “Frank” in its sensibilities and style. If nothing else, I genuinely appreciate Frank sharing a film he loves with us all!
(@thepaintedman on Xitter)
CINAPSE GOES BACK TO THE BEACH!
Every week in July, we’ll be headed to the beach. Sometimes it’ll be fun, other times it’ll be a difficult journey, and yet other weeks it may end up deadly! Join us this month by reaching out to any of the team or emailing [email protected]!
July 29th – Club Dread
