Death On The Nile
(1978)
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A deluxe version of Agatha Christie's favourite mystery story, published in 1937, and a thematic follow-up to her Murder on the Orient Express. Set aboard a steamship cruising down the Nile, an extremely unpopular heiress is murdered and everyone on the ship is suspect. The passengers include the eminent detective Hercule Poirot (Ustinov), who cuts short his vacation in order to solve the mystery. The cast features the cream of '70s Hollywood and even includes classic-era stars Davis and Niven. |
The biggest mystery here is how director John Guillermin managed to take a splendid Agatha Christie novel, some stunning scenery and a stellar cast and produce such a disappointing film. Admittedly, setting the scene and establishing the characters is a vital part of any whodunnit. But the only thing fatal about this picture's first half is its pace. Peter Ustinov clearly enjoys his first outing as the fastidious Belgian super-sleuth Hercule Poirot, and there's some delicious overplaying by Maggie Smith and Angela Lansbury. Yet David Niven and Bette Davis are wasted, and George Kennedy and Lois Chiles are simply dreadful.
Halliwell's Film Guide
A pleasant thirties atmosphere and the travel poster backgrounds are the chief assets of this rather hesitant whodunnit which plays fair enough with the audience but gives its popular cast too little to do, while its constant repetitions of the crime beco