And Then There Were None

By Agatha Christie

This is the classic murder mystery story. All other murder mysteries are based around this story. With that information in mind, I channeled every single murder mystery I have ever watched or read. specifically I was thinking of the Netflix movie, Murder Mystery. There was a new appreciation for some of the scenes within the movie as they were hidden and subtle nods to this classic novel. The scene at the end of the book where Blore grabs a lamp as a weapon is absolutely referenced when Adam Sandler jokingly picks up a lamp to defend himself and Jennifer Aniston. I enjoyed having a new understanding of that already comedic moment. 

While I read, I kept a sticky note on the page with the nursery rhyme so that each time there was a death I could refer back and know what the next death was going to look like. This brought me great joy!

I also started the 1945 film adaptation as it is free on Amazon Prime. The old film was terribly difficult to watch for many reasons. The newer (2015) mini-series is absolutely worth the watch, but it is not included in generic Prime (a subscription, or 7 day free trial to Acorn is required). The notes about the film/mini-series will be in italics, as always. 

As the 1945 film begins, it feels stuffy and for the first many minutes I believed it to be a silent film. Yikes.

Also, a point of note; the mini-series called the island Soldier Island instead of Indian Island, and instead of 10 little Indians, the poem read 10 little Soldiers. An interesting shift likely for politically correct reasons. The change detracts no meaning therefore there is no reason to not accept it.

Another fun moment in the pages of this book was the little Indian figurines. The little china figures brought an element of fun to the murderous rampage occurring. It was as if the murderer was playing more than one game for his guests entertainment. Not only were they watching the events unfold in real life, they were also watching them occur to the miniatures. That's madman stuff that I can get behind. Style points, for sure. The mini-series' figurines were gorgeous and reminded me of ornate chess pieces.

The mini-series told the story almost completely in accordance with the book. There are three episodes, each about an hour long. High marks for not only capturing the spirit and essence of the book, but sometimes even going further in explanation than the text. I have never experienced such a phenomenon. There was one change between the book and mini-series that I felt was completely warranted and appreciated. When Mr. Rodgers is found, instead of Vera Claythorne getting hysterical, the mini-series had Dr. Armstrong in hysteria. I believe the reason this role was shifted was due to the response of such hysterics. In the text, written in 1939, Dr. Armstrong slaps Vera Claythorne to snap her out of it and she actually thanks him for such a blow. In 2015, no such action would be tolerated and thus the roles were switched, allowing Vera Claythorne to deliver a full handed smack across the doctors face.

The ending was a mixed bag, in my opinion. Firstly, what I did appreciate. Intense and in-depth discussion of how such a murderous plot came to be was fun to read. Knowing all of the little intricacies and back stories and motivations made the story feel complete, rounded, worthy of praise. 

I was also disappointed in the ending, though. In Murder Mystery, Adam Sandler swears for the whole movie that the murderer is always the butler. While reading, I got so much in my head with the idea that it was the butler, Rodgers, that when the finale was not such a reveal, the disappointment emerged. I thought his death was faked (even though it was an axe through his skull, yes) and adding to the equation, up until the last three deaths, we read that the group of people moved every single other dead person, but they never moved Mr. Rogers' body (it was at least not discussed).

The ending of the mini-series was delicious. Maybe because I went into the viewing experience knowing who to watch and what to expect, but even still, there were slight differences that added taste. There was also no way that the butler could have been such the mastermind (even if you hadn't read the book) because he acted so suspiciously and everyone suspected him (also because his death was incredibly gruesome and not possibly faked). The detailed conversation between Wargrave and Claythorne while one is literally dying was an excellent way to wrap up the story and replace the epilogue in the text. I do wish there was a little bit more said about the order in which the killings occurred. I wished that Wargrave elaborated on his idea of, "you were my favorite." Because in the book we understand that the deaths were administered in the order of atrocious-ness, so Claythorne would be the absolute worst human on the island, her death being last. The 'favorite' line was good, but you had to know what you were looking for to understand exactly what he meant. 

Overall, a good read. And an excellent mini-series. I am glad to have another Agatha Christie read completed and I think I will try to read Murder on the Orient Express and compare it to the film.

Luckily for me, I have not seen any of the movies based on her books so I have the privilege of reading the original art and then judging the films!

Happy Reading & viewing, Bookworms!