Death on the Nile [Blu-ray]

Overview

Peter Ustinov began his long association with the Hercule Poirot character of murder mystery novelist Agatha Christie with this lavish but financially disappointing follow-up to the popular Murder on the Orient Express (1974). During a luxurious pleasure cruise down the Nile aboard a lavish vessel populated with wealthy passengers, widely despised heiress and home wrecker Linnet Ridgeway (Lois Chiles) is murdered. Also aboard is famed Belgian detective Poirot (Ustinov) and his taciturn traveling companion, Colonel Race (David Niven). Poirot undertakes an investigation into Ridgeway's killing. Among the colorful suspects are Salome (Angela Lansbury) and Rosalie Otterbourne (Olivia Hussey), Doctor Bessner (Jack Warden), Mrs. Van Schuyler (Bette Davis), Miss Bowers (Maggie Smith), and Jacqueline De Bellefort (Mia Farrow). As more bodies pile up, however, it appears that nearly everyone aboard has a motive. The script for Death on the Nile (1978) was adapted by Anthony Shaffer, the writer of Sleuth (1972) and the identical twin brother of Amadeus (1984) author Peter Shaffer.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/01/2020
UPC:	0738329249045
Original Release:	1978
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	2:20:00
Sales rank:	5,554

Special Features

Audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson; The making of Death on the Nile; Interview with Peter Ustinov; Interview with Jane Birkin; Theatrical teaser & trailer; 1920x1080p

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Peter Ustinov	Hercule Poirot
Bette Davis	Mrs. Van Schuyler
Mia Farrow	Jacqueline de Bellefort
Jane Birkin	Louise Bourget
Lois Chiles	Linnet Ridgeway
Jon Finch	James Ferguson
Olivia Hussey	Rosalie Otterbourne
George Kennedy	Andrew Pennington
Simon MacCorkindale	Simon Doyle
David Niven	Colonel Rice
Maggie Smith	Miss Bowers
Jack Warden	Dr. Bessner
Harry Andrews	Barnstaple
Sam Wanamaker	Rockford
Angela Lansbury	Actor
Nino Rota	Composer,Actor
I. Johar	Manager of The Karnak
Barbara Hicks	Schoolteacher
Celia Imrie	Maid
Andrew Manson	Egyptian
François Guillaume	Doublure lumière
Saeed Jaffrey	Actor
Reg Lye	Actor
Jack Cardiff	Actor
Anthony Schaffer	Actor
Simon McCorkindale	Actor

Technical Credits

Anthony Shaffer

Agatha Christie

John Guillermin	Director
Anthony Shaffer	Screenwriter
John Brabourne	Producer
Richard Goodwin	Producer,Producer
Agatha Christie	Screenwriter
John W. Mitchell	Sound Effects
John Richards	Sound Effects
Bill Rowe	Sound Effects
Nicholas Stevenson	Sound Effects
Joe Powell	Stunts
Norton Knatchbull	Producer
Ron Purdie	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Agatha Christie’s bombastic Belgian sleuth, the inestimable Hercule Poirot, returned to the screen after a four-year absence in this star-studded, lushly appointed, old-fashioned murder mystery. Following the surprise success of 1974’s Murder on the Orient Express, the first of the handsomely produced Christie adaptations, Nile found Peter Ustinov replacing Albert Finney as Poirot, a role he would reprise in several more sequels. Director John Guillermin (The Towering Inferno), no stranger to lavish productions and big-name casts, hewed closely to the formula: exotic locations, a dastardly murder, secretive suspects, multifarious motives, and the inevitable drawing-room climax exposing the killer. Anthony Shaffer’s script remains impressive in its wit, cleverness, and intricacy, while Ustinov's Poirot has just the right touch of condescending arrogance. On the basis of star power alone, this is clearly the best of the sequels. The players include Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith, George Kennedy, Jack Warden, Jon Finch, Olivia Hussey, and Jane Birkin. Ustinov discusses his interpretation of Poirot (among many other things) in a contemporaneous interview added to the DVD, which also includes a making-of featurette and an interview with supporting player Birkin. If you’re a fancier of traditional whodunits, Death on the Nile should be at the top of your DVD must-have list.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

A prototypical Agatha Christie adaptation, Death on the Nile is a classic mystery with an all-star cast of recognizable names and faces. Continuing in the vein of Murder on the Orient Express, a murder has occurred during a river cruise, making everyone onboard a suspect, and, as the eminent detective Hercule Poirot observes, everyone had either an opportunity or a motive to do the dastardly deed. Death on the Nile features Peter Ustinov in the role of Poirot and he gives an uncharacteristically subtle, low-key performance, leaving the histrionics to the rest of the cast which features David Niven, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith, and George Kennedy, among others. This is Ustinov's first appearance as Poirot and he seems to be feeling out the role and leaving the plot to carry the film. Like most works by Agatha Christie are on some level, the plot is somewhat formulaic. However, the mystery is well-constructed as one would also expect from a Christie story, but there is a lot of information to digest in order for the viewer to be able to participate in the solving of the crime and the resolution of the story. By necessity most of the action takes place on the ship, but the other Egyptian locations lend an exoticism to the film and set the period well.

All Movie Guide - Dan Friedman