Evil Under the Sun [Blu-ray]

Overview

When a successful but extremely narcissistic Broadway actress is murdered while visiting a Mediterranean island resort, the famed sleuth Hercule Poirot is called to find the culprit. Poirot must find the killer amongst a wide variety of potential suspects, all of whom have good reasons for wanting the victim dead.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/01/2020
UPC:	0738329249052
Original Release:	1982
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	1:57:00

Special Features

Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson; The Making of Evil Under the Sun; Radio Spots; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Peter Ustinov	Hercule Poirot
Maggie Smith	Daphne Castle
Diana Rigg	Arlena Stuart Marshall
James Mason	Odell Gardener
Colin Blakely	Sir Horace Blatt
Jane Birkin	Christine Redfern
Nicholas Clay	Patrick Redfern
Roddy McDowall	Rex Brewster
Sylvia Miles	Myra Gardener
Denis Quilley	Kenneth Marshall
Emily Hone	Linda Marshall
John Alderson	Police Sergeant
Paul Antrim	Police Inspector
Cyril Conway	Police Surgeon
Barbara Hicks	Flewitt's Secretary
Richard Vernon	Flewitt
Robert Dorning	Concierge
Dimitri Andreas	Gino
Cole Porter	Composer,Actor
Anthony Shaffer	Actor
Walter Henry	le serveur
Eric Kent	Actor
Guy Standeven	Actor
Christopher Challis	Actor
Guy Hamilton	Actor
John Brabourne	Actor
Richard Goodwin	Actor

Technical Credits

Anthony Shaffer

Agatha Christie

Barry Sandler

Guy Hamilton	Director
Anthony Shaffer	Screenwriter
John Brabourne	Producer
Richard Goodwin	Producer
Agatha Christie	Screenwriter
Barry Sandler	Screenwriter
John W. Mitchell	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
John Richards	Sound Effects
Bill Rowe	Sound Effects
Nicholas Stevenson	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

The financial and critical success of Murder on the Orient Express inspired a spate of all-star Agatha Christie adaptations, but none were able to equal Murder. Evil Under the Sun is mildly enjoyable, a case of a film in which its whole is somehow less than the sum of its parts. Certainly the cast is not to blame. While they have a tendency to go over the top, most of them do so in a rather delicious way, and Diana Rigg and Maggie Smith in particular make scenery chewing seem the most natural way of acting in a movie. (Riggs' performance of "You're the Top" -- constantly interrupted by Smith -- is particularly memorable.) Although physically miscast, Peter Ustinov is certainly enjoyable, if a bit too amiable; he seems afraid to let the character's grouchiness and imperiousness have the freedom they needs. The photography makes good use of the exotic, often-stunning locations, and the costumes and soundtrack are period-perfect. Perhaps the film doesn't totally satisfy because the screenplay concentrates so wholeheartedly on its plot, with the result that the characters - as witty as they may be -- come across strictly as types. The fact that the resolution is extremely convoluted --even for Christie -- also damages the film, as does Guy Hamilton's adequate but uninspired direction. The viewer watches the film, eager for it to reach out and grab him -- but it never quite manages to do that.