Monday, April 29, 2013

And Then There Were None (1945)

Barry Fitzgerald is in this movie. 'Nuff said. But he has an all-star cast with him, including (among others) Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Sir C. Aubrey Smith and Mischa Auer.

Ten people have been brought to a remote island by a judge. It happens that he has tried each of them for criminal behavior in the past. They enjoy dinner, drinks and cards. Then a recording plays telling what each of them is charged with. Misha Auer is the first to die, by poison. Then one by one they go, until Fitzgerald tells them that Mr. Owen (the invisible murderer) is one of them. From then on the atmosphere is charged with suspicion. When the number is reduced to five, each of them discusses his crime before the others over dinner. Then it is down to four. Hayward and June Duprez seem to form an alliance. But then they are the last two, and each seems to suspect the other; neither confesses. Then Hayward figures it out, has Duprez shoot him (the gun has only blanks), and she goes back into the house. There Fitzgerald awaits, since he was not really shot. He has a noose ready for her hanging, but first explains how he pulled it all off. He has a fatal disease, and decided to take justice into his own hand. Since she will be the only living person on an island full of corpses, she would be hanged, but he encourages her to go ahead. He then takes poison as Hayward comes into the room and he realizes he has been foiled after all.




C. Aubrey Smith

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That book is one tense read!
A

nanny said...

that movie was great! Josh picked a good one here