AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

AGATHA CHRISTIE

15 September 1890 –12 January 1976

Agatha Christie was a famous writer along with Poe, Conan Doyle, Earl Derr Biggs. She Wrote novels, short stories and play. More than 4 billion copies of her works have been sold - more than any other writer. Her works have been translated into more than 100 languages.She is responsible for the creation of two famous detectives: Jane Marple and Hercule Poitot (of whom she grew tired, but did not kill off the way Doyle had done in Sherlock Holmes).

Her works include The Mouse Trap (the longest running play ever (more than 23,000+ performances); Witness for the Prosecution, Murder on the Orient Express, Deathy on the Nile, and Murder under the Sun. The Mirror Cracked is a story based on an event in Gene Tierney's life.

The Christie stories are somewhat formulaic.

Formula and plot devices

Almost all of Agatha Christie’s books are "whodunits". They focus in heneral on the English middle and upper classes. Typically the detective comes across the murder. Alternatrly aomeone the detective knows who is somehow involved brings the detective into the case. Gradually, The detective questions each of the suspects, checks the scene of the crime and in someway informs the readers or viewers of the clues, so readers can attempt to solve the crime first. Somewhere along the way, one of the suspects (usually the one most suspected) usually dies, because they have inadvertently stumbled on the identity of the killer. The detective (atypically in real life) brings all the suspects together and makes the solution known. The murders are often very clever, involving some complex deception. Christie is known for a writing rather slow style of writing creates a tense atmosphere and strong psychological suspense.

In four stories, Christie allows the murderer goes free. to escape justice.

Critical reception

Agatha Christie was revered as a master of suspense, plotting, and characterization by most of her contemporaries[says who?] and, even today, her stories have received glowing reviews in most literary circles.[citation needed] Fellow crime writer Anthony Berkeley Cox was an admitted fan of her work, once saying that nobody can write an Agatha Christie novel but the authoress herself.[citation needed] However, she does have her detractors, most notably the American novelist Raymond Chandler, who criticised her in his essay, "The Simple Art of Murder", and the American literary critic Edmund Wilson, who was dismissive of Christie and the detective fiction genre generally in his New Yorker essay, "Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd?".

LIFE AND THE MYSTERY

Early life and first marriage

Christie was born Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller in Torquay, Devon, England, but was raised by her mother's sister in America

During the WWI Christie worked as a nurse in a hospital. She later worked at a hospital pharmacy, and gained information for many of the murders in her books. which are poisonings. Agatha married Archibald Christie and became Agatha Christie. They divorced in 1928, after she discovered her husband was having an affair. She published her first novel in 1920 during the marriage. It was called The Mysterious Affair. In 1924, she published a collection of mystery and ghost stories entitled The Golden Ball.

Disappearance

In late 1926, when Agatha's husband Archie announced his involvement with another woman, Nancy Neele. hE wanted a divorce. After quarrel, Archie left their house in Sunningdale, Berkshire, and went to spend the weekend with his mistress at Godalming, Surrey. Later That evening Agatha disappeared. A letter was left for her secretary which said she was going to Yorkshire. Her disappearance created an enormous reactionfrom the public. Many were admirers of Agatha Christie's novels.Eleven days later she was found as a guest at the Swan Hydropathic Hotel (now the Old Swan Hotel) in Harrogate, Yorkshire. She was registered as 'Mrs Teresa Neele' (the surname of her husband's mistress) from Cape Town. Christie never gave an account of what had happened, but two doctors had diagnosed her as suffering from amnesia. She may have suffered a nervous breakdown brought about by a natural propensity for depression, made worse her mother's death earlier that year, and the discovery of her husband's infidelity. Public reaction at the time was largely negative with many believing it was all just a publicity stunt, whilst others thought she was trying to make the police think her husband killed her as revenge for his affair.

This has become the subject of a film called Agatha

In 1930, Christie remarried. This time her husband was an archaeologist named Max Mallowan. Their marriage seems to have been especially happy. Christie's traveled with Mallowan and what she saw contributed background to several of her novels set in the Middle East. Other novels (such as And Then There Were None) were set in and around Torquay, where she was born.

During WWII, Christie worked in the pharmacy at University College Hospital of University College, London. She learned a great deal about poisons that she put to good use in her post-war crime novels. The Chief Pharmacist Harold Davis suggested Thallium to her as a poison for a story. which she uses in The Pale Horse, published in 1961.Her description of the symptoms of thallium poisoning (which serve as a clue) was so accurate that on at least one occasion it helped solve a case that was baffling doctors. So like Doyle, she was also involved in real cases.

Agatha Christie films often contain many famous performers, although this 1945 version may not seem so given its age:

And Then There Were None

DISPENSING JUSTICE

The crime films have both form and substance. The substance deals with the textual issues, while the form deals with how the textual issues are sent as a message. We talked about how “time was running out” in M and how the idea of time as a kind of fate was expressed in the clock like circle of the children with the young girl choosing who is the next “victim”.

CONCEPTS

How to administer justice? After all ,most forms of punishment are illegal if carried out ny indicisuals not the state. The state assumes all forms of violence to itself:

There is a reasonable number of people (more than in a jury) who are agreed the confessed killer should be killed. The defense attorney argues several things:

Similar problems occur in other films as well. See, for example Murder on the Orient Express. Questions about the restrictions the law places on police will recur later in the term. The US system deals with “guilty” and “not guilty” (Not guilty does not mean that the person is innocent. It simply means that the case has not been proved beyond a reasonable doubt – the bar which the district attorney must pass.).

The idea that a court of law with opposing attorneys, a judge and a supposedly impartial jury will protect the rights of the accused and allow for a conviction if the person is guilty. The problem is when guilt seems obvious and the person gets off on a “technicality” people feel there is a miscarriage of justice – that adherence to the rules has become more important than guilt or innocence. The opposing side feels that it is preferable to let 100 guilty people go free than to punish an innocent man. Liberals tend to hold the latter position and conservatives the former. This leads to the idea that “Nothing turns a liberal into a conservative as fast as a good mugging” and the opposite form “Nothing turns a conservative into a liberal as fast as getting arrested”.

Today’s film is And Then There Were None.This is an Agatha Christie story and considered by some her best and by others the most perfect mystery ever written although the film alters this

The story has been made into a film more than once generally under the title of 10 Little Indians

The first was adapted for the cinema screen in René Clair's successful 1945 US production.

The second cinema adaptation of the book was directed by George Pollock in 1965; Pollock had previously handled the four Miss Marple films starring Margaret Rutherford. This film transferred the setting from a remote island to a mountain retreat in Austria.

Another variant of And Then There Were None made in 1974 was the first color English-language film version of the novel, directed by Peter Collinson from a screenplay by Peter Welbeck (who co-wrote the screenplay for the 1965 film). This version was set at a grand hotel in the Iranian desert.

A version from the USSR, Desyat' negrityat (?????? ???????? Ten Little Negroes) (1987) was written and directed by Stanislav Govorukhin and is the only cinema adaptation to use the novel's original ending.

The most recent film, Ten Little Indians, directed by Alan Birkinshaw, was made in 1989 and is set on safari in the African savannah.

The uncredited Hindi film adaptation Gumnaam (1965) adds the characteristic Bollywood elements of comedy, music and dance to Christie's plot.

The film April Fool’s Day is based on this book.

TEN LITTLE INDIANS

Rene Clair

(1945)

Agatha Christie is a famous British mystery writer whose writings often depict the adventures of Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot, two detectives of her creation. Both occur in a large number of movies made from her books. And Then There Were None is perhaps her most famous and praised film although it lacks any detective at all.Aside from the Russian version, all versions of the film deviate from the actual ending of the book.

The book has a number of problems which have been associated with the original title Ten Little Niggers. The name was changed to Ten Little Indians based (correctly) on the idea that ther term "Indians" was not offensive whereas "niggers" was. (Simlar problems have plagued the opening line of Showboat "Niggers all work on the Mississippi" which has been altered as well (although a recent recording reverts to the original line and there were problems reported with some members of the cast refusing to sing the line). In more recent times, American Indian (or just Indian) has been altered to Native American with the problem that it is indistiguishable from native American - i.e. a person born in America). So another title change was made to Ten Little Soldiers on the grounds that soldiers are neutral. There is no insult meant in the little poem which motivates the story "Ten Little Indians" which was well known. Ten Little Soldiers however is a recent construction although the rhyme has many variations although the basic idea remains the same. All the "Indian" versions start "Ten little Indians went out to dine..." and a;; versions end with the line "And then there were none." These two lines open the film and rely on the viewer having knowledge of the rhyme.

The film is made in 1945 during the period which most the classic film noir films are made. These films are rooted in the German expressionist style, whihc seems admirably suited to the crime/mystery genre. Images of entrapment and duplicity abound. In a sense the problem facing directors is how to tell the story (text and/or subtext) visually. This visual language was elaborated during the silent film era and films like M show expressionist directors like Lang began to develop interesting ways to make sound equally expressive and not simply a way of recording sounds that would occur during the action. Sounds may vanish, be accented, may occur with no visible source, may overlap from one scene into the next either lingering into the next scene or preceding the image. Voice overs and other techniques expand this area and expand the world on the screen since off screen sounds remind us that the world continues on beyond the screen.

Mystery films (and And Then There were None is certainly one) allow the audience to compete with the detective in the film as to who can come to the correct conclusion. In this sense, most film analysts play this same game with all films, trying to read the coded message that the film maker has produced in making a film.

Remember that each genre has certain "set pieces" (sometimes called "the money shot". Each genre in effect has something about it that people who like that genre come to see. For westerns it may be the scenery, the show down or some other high point. The first appearance of the monster in monster films is also a crucial moment. It is often helpful to look at the opening shot (the director is going to make a splash right at the start - see films like Fargo and Touch of Evil

Another moment is the final shot is also important because it is the last chance to impress the audiencce. (See for example the last shot of The Third Man) In crime films, some of the set pieces may be during the commission of the crime, the apprehension of the criminal, an important revelation on the stand, or in who dunnit its tje revealing of the killer (usually) or whatever.

And Then There Were None textually deals with the question of the administering of justice in cases where the law has been unable to exact punishment. Like M the idea that the guilty go free through some technicality or other is handled by a force outside the law. How does the film maker regard this situation. The Great Train Robbery accepts it without questioning anything about it M rejects the idea, And Then There Were None implies that the person administering the justice is a bit mad. Films like Murder on the Orient Express accept the verdict of 12 people not empowered by the state to make such a decision and reach the decision without the person being found guilty having access to legal protection.

Opening Sequence of And then There were None Analysis using film techniques: use of camera, editing, etc.)

FIRST FIVE MINUTES:

Kinds os links between people and things (metonymy

Cultures (and often specifically the meanings of words) may change over time (especially in terms of "political correctness":). The result is that Ten Little Indians would not have been thought of as offensive to most people (Indians included - who still tend to uise "Indians" rather than "Native Americans") Knowledge of the rhyme is necessary. As the times change tand the poem "went out of fashion" it produces a problem in the film since it is virtually an unknown piece at this time).

The shift to the more politically correct "The Little Soldier Boys" is meaningless since no one knows the poem, nor is it any clearer why the poems is less offensive to military personnel than to Indians. Originally 10 Little Niggers
Title Changed to Indians
Later to Soldiers

Word was not originally not meant to be offensive but things change over time. We have seen the spread of this to words that have nothing to do with their meanings. There was an attempt to change or introduce Girlcott and Herstory for Boycott and History (no one suggested to my knowledge changing Hysterectomy for Hersterectomy,

A friend whose name contains the sequence "jew" was blacked from using her name by an e-mail company.

Niggerdly (meaning cheap, stingy) is virtually a tabued work in parts of the south although it's etymology has nothing to do with the Latin stem niger meaning black which yields not only nigger but negro as well.

Consider Showboat's Opening Line "Niggers all work on the Mississippi". In the revival a number of African American actors refused to use the word
The idea there was to jolt of seeing all Black males shirtless in musical to make the audience aware of their own feelings.

Paul Robeson an activist sang the original "Ole Man River" and rewrote the lyrics for performances outside the play which became more and more activist oriented. He always asked Hammerstein if he could alter the text and always got his approval.

In the film Crossfire the Original story deals with a soldier killing a man who makes a homosexual advance. This was out for the movies and the thought was to make it that the killing was anti-Semitic. .Some in the pre production thought that was not a good idea since it might encourage anti Semitism and it was suggested that the Jew be made Black. (Apparently encouraging the killing of Blacks would have been OK). The film actually goes in the end for the anti Semitic bit. It did not spark a mass killing of Jews.

Names of people in credits are "wiped out" by wave (and will be by killer) Opening shots show great isolation: an opem sea and coastline wth no people. There are also views of an island with a single house. Finally a small ship appears alone on the stormy sea and appears nearly swamped by a wave.

The next shot appears to be taken from the stern of the boat where eventually we will see the helmsmansitting. This shot shows 8 people arranged with 4 on either side of the boat indicating they are linked without the helmsman. Each passenger is seen in a one shot indicating their lack of knowledge of one another. There is no concersation between them. One one occasion one person moves into someone else's frame and the two immediately move apart.

A scarf blows across the face of one of the men in the boat who sits next to her. The camera pans over the woman is seen wdjusting the scarf around her neck. She thens tosses the end of the scarf over her other shoulder and it blows across the face of one of the other men. The scarf looks almost shroudlike and could indicate some indication of death. The fact that attention is drawn to the woman's throat might imply something about hanging or strangulation.

The camera moves to the next person and a medical bag falls from the luggage rack indicating one of the people on board is a doctor.

The sartorial code indicates that the helmsman is not one of the guests as does his ability to eat on the rough sea.

Other characters personalities appear: An older woman is very sensitive to the pipe smoke from her neighbor and her disgust at the other man next to her who fall towards her as he dozes off (and into her frame). She also reascts with disgust to his sea sickness.

One the island are two servants - a man and a woman identified as servants by their clothing. The passengers arrive and depart fromt the boat, The helmsman hands a note off to the male servant indicating he is getting instructions from someone, and that the helmsman will be leaving with the boat. Thus the eight people on the boat and the two on the idland make 10 people, the same number as the number of Indians mentioned at the start of the film.

The music plays "Ten Little Indians" almost throughout, although a more comic bit appears behind the helmsman's images.

Thus we can see that a great deal of information is given to the audience without any dialoh but only through film techniques.

The final denouemoent delays the revelation of who the actual killer is. The killer is heard whistling (not unlike M) and the sound of billiars being played is heard. As Vera enters the house, the camera dollies back and a noose hanging from the ceiling is revealed - the final "Indian" hangs himself. The music plays the song "The Little Indians" emphasizing the point. As Vera approaches the table the camera reveals the billiard player from the waist down. As the camera pans up, a lamp hanging over the billiard table obscures the face of the murderer. Vera backs away and the klller steps forward and out from behind the lamp. The final revelation!

The film also Uses direct address when the characters intrudce themselves to each other which helps make the audience included in the group, and in a sense become the detective since an actual deective is missing from the film. Although this direct address often pulls the audience out of the film but it doesn not do that not quite noticeable here.

FINAL SEQUENCE AND REVELATION OF ACTUAL KILLER

The camera shows Vera and Philip on the beach and then the next shot shows them from inside the house, while off screen whistling of the "Ten Little Indians" song is heard. Someone else is in the house,

We see someone playing pool, but the camera is placed to low to see the peron's face. Vera walks into the house and the camera pulls back to reveal a noose hanging from the ceiling - "one little Indian left all alone, he went an hanhed himself and then there were none"

Billiard playing is a clue (see above) , face hidden by lamp.

Finally the killer moves out from behind the lamp and is rebealed to the audience.

TEN LITTLE INDIANS IN MANY OF ITS FORMS

Dedicated to Master Frank Dixey Winner
"Ten Little Injuns" (1866) by Septimus Winner
Comic Song and Chorus Sung with Immense Applause by
Mr. E. F. Dixey

Ten little "Injuns" standin' in a line,
One toddles home and then there were nine;
Nine little "Injuns" swingin' on a gate,
One tumbled off and then there were eight.

1st CHORUS

One little, two little, three little, four little,
five little "Injun" boys;
Six little, seven little, eight little, nine little,
ten little "Injun" boys.

Eight little "Injuns" never heard of heav'n,
One "kick'd the bucket" and then there were seven;
Seven little "Injuns" cuttin' up their tricks,
One broke his neck and then there were six.

(1st CHORUS)

Six little "Injuns" kickin' all alive,
One went to sleep and then there were five;
Five little "Injuns" on a cellar door,
One tumbles in and then there were four.

(1st CHORUS)

Four little "Injuns" out upon a spree,
One dead drunk and then there were three;
Three little "Injuns" out in a canoe,
One tumbles overboard and then there were two.

(1st CHORUS)

Two little "Injuns" foolin' with a gun,
One shot t'other and then there was one;
One little "Injun" livin' all alone,
He got married and then there was none.

(1st CHORUS)

6. [ENCORE Verse]

This little "Injun" with his little wife,
Lived in a wigwam the balance of his life;
One daddy "Injun" and a mommy "Squaw"
Brought up a family of Ten "Injun" more.

2nd CHORUS

One little, two little, three little, four little,
five little "Injun" more;
Six little, seven little, eight little, nine little,
ten little "Injun" more.

****************************

Ten little Injuns standin' in a line,
One toddled home and then there were nine;
Nine little Injuns swingin' on a gate,
One tumbled off and then there were eight.

One little, two little, three little, four little, five little Injun boys,
Six little, seven little, eight little, nine little, ten little Injun boys.

Eight little Injuns gayest under heav'n.
One went to sleep and then there were seven;
Seven little Injuns cuttin' up their tricks,
One broke his neck and then there were six.
Six little Injuns all alive,
One kicked the bucket and then there were five;
Five little Injuns on a cellar door,
One tumbled in and then there were four.
Four little Injuns up on a spree,
One got fuddled and then there were three;
Three little Injuns out on a canoe,
One tumbled overboard and then there were two.
Two little Injuns foolin' with a gun,
One shot t'other and then there was one;
One little Injun livin' all alone,
He got married and then there were none.

*******************************

Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were Nine.
Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were Eight.
Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.
Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.
Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;
A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.
Five little Indian boys going in for law;
One got into Chancery and then there were Four.
Four little Indian boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.
Three little Indian boys walking in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.
Two little Indian boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One little Indian boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself
And then there were none.

*********************************

Parody (From Shakespeare's Mother Goose for Julius Caesar)

X Roman soldiers in a battle line
One tripped on his spear, and then there were nine.
IX Roman soldiers staying up late
One drifted off to sleep, and then there were eight.
VIII Roman soldiers wished they were in heaven;
The augurs damned one, then there were seven.
VII Roman soldiers playing strategic tricks;
A catapult shot one, and then there were six.
VI Roman soldiers, well fed and alive
Till one ate poisoned food, and then there were five.
V Roman soldiers battering on a door;
One was crushed beneath the ram, and then there were four.
IV Roman soldiers stepping out so free,
One was slung up in a net, and then there were three.
III Roman soldiers to their Legion true,
One absconded with the Flag, and then there were two.
II Roman soldiers crossed the Rubicon,
One drowned in the stream, and then there was one.
I Roman soldier living all alone:
He broke his heart when Caesar died, and then there were none.