This essay contains spoilers. Be forewarned.
Despite having seen Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile over a decade prior, it would only be in the last few years when I finally saw its less-remembered follow-up. Did the relative lack of Old Hollywood stars (and distributor EMI Films' then-ongoing financial troubles) keep audiences from fully embracing Evil Under the Sun? Does it have its own wit and style to offer in the shadow of its predecessors? We shall see...
Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot
Maggie Smith as Daphne Castle
Diana Rigg as Arlena Stuart Marshall
Denis Quilley as Kenneth Marshall
Emily Hone as Linda Marshall
Sylvia Miles as Myra Gardener
James Mason as Odell Gardener
Roddy McDowall as Rex Brewster
Nicholas Clay as Patrick Redfern
Jane Birkin as Christine Redfern
Colin Blakely as Sir Horace Blatt
Tasked by the insurance company of millionaire Sir Horace Blatt to recover a jewel absconded by former Broadway star Arlena Stuart, Hercule Poirot follows her to an Adriatic island that was once the summer palace of the fictional King of Tyrania.
Taking cues from Cole Porter and mystery comedies such as The Thin Man, director Guy Hamilton splendidly avoids the pacing pitfalls and tonal thorns of DOTN as he brings the style and energy that helped his James Bond films to Agatha Christie. With Anthony Shaffer on hand with the script, the two bring a much-needed snappiness to the island setting, with all the attitudes, idiosyncrasies, and contrasts afforded by the characters on it.
Tension soon arises, as Daphne knows both Kenneth
and former rival Arlena from separate occasions.
As great as EUTS's cast is, this is pretty much Maggie Smith's movie. Whether she's trading dry barbs with Rigg, kindly offering solace to Quilley and Hone, or assisting Ustinov's Poirot with the investigation, Smith shows that her Daphne is anything but a one-note HBIC. (More on that later.)
Daphne doesn't take kindly to Arlena's treatment
of stepdaughter Linda.
Underneath Daphne's directness and strength
lies a very big heart.
Taking on a motherly role with Linda almost immediately,
Smith's quieter moments practically outshine her barbs and put-downs.
But it's no secret that a lot of the movie's credibility would be out the window were it not for its casting of two important roles: Arlena Marshall and Patrick Redfern.
In most other movies, this use of fanservice would be gratuitous,
but in EUTS it plays a vitally important role.
Clay (Excalibur) is perfectly cast as Patrick (whose M.O. literally banks on his good looks), bringing easy charm and charisma, without seeming like Arlena's "victim" before we find out about their prior relationship.
Diana Rigg shines with what has to be a difficult role. Arlena has to be fun, vivacious, and flirtatious, without coming off as completely unlikable given her actions. Rigg also brings that little bit of a "puppy dog" quality, which is key, given what later happens to her. (More on that also later.)
Rigg and Smith's rendition of "You're the Top" shows
their characters, as well as Arlena's charm
that makes so many men fall for her.
While it's great that bis, straight women, and gay men
have Nicholas Clay to lay eyes on, Evil Under the Sun,
for putting Diana Rigg in a slip, this lesbian thanks you.
*throws perfume bottle*
My biggest laugh from this movie.
Miles plays the token "Ugly American" to a T.
McDowall is so much fun, you'll wonder why
he didn't do more mystery comedies in general.
Mason is once again the "henpecked husband",
which isn't too far off from his character in Bloodline.
Blakely (returning as a different character from MOTOE)
is highly amusing as Poirot's cantankerous client.
Peter Ustinov is back as Poirot, and his "having fun" with the character really gets its time in the sun here (no pun intended).
Designing your character's monogrammed swimsuit?
Now that's acting!
Any surprise he and Smith are great together?
And a nice hat too.
Hamilton's direction and Christopher Challis'
cinematography mark it a cut above DOTN.
I'd be foolish not to mention Anthony Powell's Wonder Bread
-themed follow ups to DOTN's impeccable costumes.
With Cole Porter songs moving the film along, EUTS really strikes me as an attempt to avoid some of the mistakes DOTN made (the film is nearly half an hour shorter than its predecessor). At no point did I feel tonal whiplash (intentional or otherwise), and Hamilton balances all the elements beautifully. As much as it often feels like a 30s film with an 80s color scheme slathered over it, it's not overwhelming to the point of parody or disbelief. These characters are on vacation, and by gum, they're gonna act like it!
That lean is both in-character and cinematically pleasing.
THE ROLE OF ADAPTATION
A complaint I had with DOTN was how despite excising several characters and combining several others, these moves yielded little result in terms of character. Thankfully, Shaffer's script here remedies that with Daphne Castle.
Combining the characters of hotel proprietor Mrs. Castle and Rosamund Darnley from the novel, Shaffer expands Smith's role in this film, providing ample opportunities for her to do more than just put down her guests (as great as she certainly is at doing that).
Daphne's putting forward of shaky theories shows
that even top-notch hotel heads can stumble a bit in sleuthing.
Wanting to protect Kenneth with an alibi,
knowing full well how Arlena treated him,
brings further shading to Daphne's character.
As Arlena wasn't nearly as vitriolic to Linda (or to Kenneth, for that matter) in the book, changing her character could have gone too far in the other direction, snuffing out what little sympathy she garners due to the circumstances of her death. Thankfully, however, Shaffer's script and Rigg's performance make her as "love to hate" as one can be in an Agatha Christie story.
Notably, Arlena's song gets smiles and admiration
even from people who actively despise her.
The novel (from what I could look up about it) treats Arlena's murder as ultimately a tragedy, since despite her impulses and disrespect, she is no match for Patrick Redfern, who, with his wife Christine, are so cunning, ruthless, and greedy that just about anybody could fall victim to them. Her waking up in the grotto, naked, disoriented, unaware, and yet so vulnerable to what's coming is capped emotionally with her greeting her eventual killer with a sweet, breathy "Patrick...", tugging at the viewer's heartstrings at the very last second possible.
On a lighter note, that's a real foreboding
Speedo if I ever did see one.
THE STUFF OF TRAVELOGUES
Filmed in and around Majorca, Spain (Hamilton's place of residence at the time), EUTS's landscapes are a welcome change from the sand of DOTN.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS
While the corpse of Alice Ruber is obviously breathing,
as someone also living in a cool, wet climate, I can personally
attest to the difficult task of keeping one's snot in their nostrils.
Rewatching this film shows it covered its tracks
by dubbing Birkin over with another actress.
Paddleboating, the activity that looks fun at first glance
but is actually painfully slow, strenuous, and highly irritating.
In less than a minute, Myra gains massive
confidence to drive an unfamiliar speedboat.
Director Guy Hamilton appears in a walk-on
cameo before we first see Poirot.
TIDBITS AND SUCH
While EUTS's best-remembered poster is the U.S. one above (check out Brewster in the corner there!), I also have an affinity for the alternate U.S. poster (below), in all its early-80s 30s homage cheese, as well as the very colorful Thai poster (below that).
(I also really like the Japanese poster, with its Amsel-esque painting of the cast, but I haven't been able to find a clear image to post as of this writing.)
The original trailer (below) and T.V. spots for the film have Poirot addressing the audience and detailing the film's plot. In the case of the former, I can't help but imagine the other diners (including Patrick and presumably Arlena) listening in on him the whole time he's speaking.
Copyright © Chynna Moore
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