Far too ''light''
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MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(April 07, 2013 12:29 AM)
Well, in that case, why was there so much film noir released during that time period? Why were mystery radio plays so popular? I came across a whole bunch of Ellery Queen radio plays, for example, played in the early forties.
If people didn't want wartime mysteries, they could have gone to musicals. The fact that film noir and mystery radio plays were so popular indicates that there was an audience for crime, even during wartime.
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Jim Hutton: talented gorgeous hot hunk; adorable as ElleryQueen; SEXIEST ACTOR EVER -
telegonus — 12 years ago(April 07, 2013 10:00 AM)
Yes, dark films were all the rage back then, but maybe Clair wanted to cut against all that, for reasons of his own. I can't come up with a better reason for the film's light mood. Counterintuitive on the director's part maybe. Who knows? One thing's for sure: it does stand out.
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MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(April 07, 2013 11:51 AM)
This is one of those stories which needs a truly faithful adaptation. I've seen the Russian version, and they still managed to (sort of) botch up the ending. At least they capture the right mood. I found the actors of the Russian version to be far more memorable than the actors of this version.
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Jim Hutton: talented gorgeous hot hunk; adorable as ElleryQueen; SEXIEST ACTOR EVER -
MsELLERYqueen2 — 12 years ago(April 06, 2013 12:45 PM)
They turned a mystery-horror story into a lighthearted comedy. I'll stick to the book and its REAL ending, thank you very much.
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Jim Hutton: talented gorgeous hot hunk; adorable as ElleryQueen; SEXIEST ACTOR EVER -
LadyN1 — 11 years ago(August 10, 2014 11:36 AM)
I think it's meant to look light though to add to create a sense of juxtaposition. Here you have the light beautiful house in which these ghastly murders are taking place. I think it makes the situation more jarring. You think that one's light try the 1960s Bollywood version of this. They have an opening 1960s twist number and a love song on the beach. It's an interesting version though there's a song in it which I guess replaces the And Then There Were None rhyme which is very atmospheric and spooky.
beauty
freedom
love
truth -
Agnelin — 11 years ago(September 22, 2014 03:08 PM)
I enjoyed the comedy parts and laughed out loud several times. But I know what you mean and that light tone makes this movie not a very good adaptation -it's a nice movie on its own right, but it totally betrays the spirit and the tone of Christie's novel.
I think that light-heartedness is something we owe to the time in which the movie was made -it was probably something that the audiences back then would enjoy and be thankful for, given the socio-political context. -
HarlowMGM — 9 years ago(April 19, 2016 02:11 PM)
There is way too much comedy in this film which kills the tension and the suspense. I'm very surprised how highly rated this film is by most critics and movie buffs, I'm guessing because Rene Clair was such a great director (usually!!) they overrated this one.
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gory_reer — 9 years ago(October 18, 2016 01:47 PM)
While I agree with the OP that the film could have benefited from less literal light, I completely disagree with anyone who feels there was "too much comedy".
I actually think I was more tense due to the lightheartedness: thanks to the fun they brought I didn't wanna see Fitzgerald, Huston or Young be murdered, nor be revealed as the murderer (and knowing that most would probably meet their end was awkward for my loyalties). Had the film been more dramatic there'd have been nothing to counteract the characters' selfish survival instincts, thus I doubt I'd have cared what happened beyond curiosity.
Spoilers
As it panned out I was both glad to see Fitzgerald hadn't been killed AND glad he gets his comeuppance for killing other characters I liked!