And Then There Were None (1945)

My Review

“And Then There Were None” is a murder mystery story about ten strangers who arrive at a mansion on an island off of the coast of England for the weekend. They soon discover they were all invited by “Owen” who is not present. After dinner, a gramophone record suddenly starts playing, accusing each one of murder and escaping prosecution. The group quickly realizes they are stuck, as the boat they arrived on will not return until Monday morning.

The heavy drama proceeds from there, well directed by Rene Clair, from an excellent screenplay by Dudley Nichols. It was adapted from the 1939 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The cast includes Walter Huston, Barry Fitzgerald, Louis Hayward, Judith Anderson, C. Aubrey Smith, Roland Young, Richard Haydn, June Duprez, Mischa Auer, Queenie Leonard, and Harry Thurston as the boat driver. “And Then There Were None” broke even at the box office in its initial run for 20th Century Fox. It was filmed entirely on 20th Century Fox soundstages and backlots in Los Angeles.