[.ca] Evil Under the Sun (Widescreen)

From Amazon.com:
Mostly for Poirot completists and admirers of then-trendy, all-star ensemble casts from the 1970s and early '80s, Evil Under the Sun finds Peter Ustinov in his second outing as Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective (three years after 1978's Death on the Nile). As the title promises, the action this time takes place on an Adriatic island (though Christie fans will surely balk at the switch from the novel's setting on the English coast), where a famous stage star (Diana Rigg) is murdered, and the list of likely suspects is unusually high. The parade of legendary performers--Roddy McDowall, James Mason, Sylvia Miles, Maggie Smith, Jane Birkin--plus Ustinov's energetic performance keep things hopping. But Anthony Shaffer's lazy screenplay and director Guy Hamilton's superficial approach nudge everything (action, characters, tone) toward campy, near-parody, with bitchy sniping, tacky costumes, and an obligatory soundtrack of Cole Porter tunes. It's only in the last lap that the film transcends such obviousness and finds its way back to the glories of detective fiction. --Tom Keogh

Peter Ustinov returns a second time as "Poirot".:
This is the second film with Peter Ustinov as Belgian Detective, Hercule Poirot, since his first, DEATH ON THE NILE (1978). Once again, an all-star cast and a mystery who-done-it. I won't reveal any of the plot. But the delightful Maggie Smith (Murder By Death \o1976\c, California Suite \o1978\c, Death On The Nile \o1978\c) plays a resort hotel owner on an island of Spain where she banters with Diana Rigg with dislike. It makes the film much more enjoyable. The cast also includes: Jane Birkin, Colin Blakely, Nicholas Clay, James Mason, Roddy McDowall, Sylvia Miles, Denis Quilley and Emily Hone. Other films followed with Ustinov as "Poirot", Thirteen At Dinner (1985-tv), Dead Man's Folly (1986-tv), Murder in Three Acts (1986-tv), Appointment With Death (1988). This DVD also includes the Theatrical trailer, a 16-minutes featurette "The Making of...", and Talent Bios. For a lighter comedy, may I suggest MURDER BY DEATH (1976).

Mystery galore...:
Agatha Christie's Evil under the sun with it's all star cast keeps your interest to the end. My wife and are especially caught up with Peter Ustinov's character mixing in with all of the rest to make this video a must for all mystery buffs.

Murder is 'just one of those things':
Agatha Christie's murder mystery, 'Evil Under The Sun' is brought gloriously to life, in this movie from the early 80's. It features Peter Ustinov in his second showing as the legendary Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot along with a cast of actors who camp it up for all they are worth. The plot follows the classic Christie template (see Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express) of a group of people gathered together, with one being particularly nasty and unlikeable and (surprise, surprise!!) is murdered, with all of the remaining characters having a motive for putting this person out of the way. While this movie doesn't move too far away from the template, it rewards the viewer with an intriguing yet fun couple of hours. The performances from all of the actors on board are excellent - yes they are over the top (especially Roddy McDowell's bitchy Rex Brewster and Sylvia Miles's droning Myra Gardener) but that makes them all the more endearing. Maggie Smith is obviously having loads of fun as the hotel proprieter, Daphne Castle, and her scenes with Ustinov have great energy. However Diana Rigg all but steals the film as the "ageing" actress, Arlena Marshall, a prize and completely ostentatious vamp. Ustinov is again on fine form as Poirot and relishes the chance to add his stamp to a character already memorably portrayed on screen by Albert Finney. This film offers a great opportunity to actors out of their normal milieu (the aforementioned Smith and Rigg, as well as the luminous Jane Birkin) and is almost worth watching for that alone. Added to that is a great soundtrack of Cole Porter numbers which indelibly places this movie in the 1930's. While it does deviate from the setting and characters of Christie's source novel, that doesn't detract it from being an superb addition to the canon of Christie films.

Most buy!!!!!:
This is one of most fav muder film of all time. The cast is brillant, the bichness between maggie smith+diana rigg is so funny. The location is amazing and would to go there. The film has a good thick plot and full of twist. Please buy this film. Paul

Camp evil:
Campy characters, a Mediterranean hotel, and a sparkling murder mystery -- what more could this big-screen Agatha Christie thriller need? "Evil Under the Sun" is both goofy and highly enjoyable, although the martini-swilling, sunny atmosphere make the murder feel rather too... relaxing. An insurance goof and a stolen gem send Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) to "Daphne's Place," a palace-turned-hotel in a small Mediterranean country. He arrives on the same boat as famed stage actress Arlena Marshall, formerly Stuart (Diana Rigg) and her new husband and stepdaughter. Arlena turns out to be having an affair with boytoy Patrick (Nicholas Clay) -- and then she suddenly turns up, strangled on a remote beach. There are suspects galore: her betrayed husband, resentful stepdaughter, the old rival who is attracted to Mr. Marshall, a pair of ugly American producers whom she's bankrupting, a flaming gossip writer who has written a steamy tell-all, and her boytoy's mousy wife. But no one had the opportunity -- everyone has an alibi. So Hercule Poirot exercises the "little gray cells," unravelling the clues of a discarded bottle, a midday shower, a cannon, and perfume in a cave. Don't expect "Evil Under the Sun" to be any more faithful to its book than Arlena is to Marshall -- it's totally different from the book. Characters are changed, deleted or added in, whole subplots are added, and the sense of darkness is exchanged for a rhinestoned camp quality. The clothes say it all -- both Rigg and Maggie Smith wear faux jewels on silver lame, and American Myra resembles a Christmas tree with fur. That said, "Evil Under the Sun's" campy quality is part of what makes it so much fun. Lots of catty, witty dialogue ("She always could throw her legs up in the air higher than the rest of us... and wider..."), sniping characters with plenty of motives, and a delightfully loathsome victim. You'll want Arlena dead by the time she tells her daughter to go play with the jellyfish, and then you'll want to know who could possibly have done the impossible. Peter Ustinov has the right combination of smarts and comedy to play Poirot, the Belgian sleuth who saves the day and drives the hotel staff crazy. Maggie Smith also turns in a wonderful performance as the razor-tongued maitresse-en-titre-turned-hotelier, and Rigg is wonderfully catty, nasty and glamorous. The supporting cast also does a wonderful job, particularly the two who play the murderers -- and are the last ones you'd expect. The one flaw is that all the humor, glitz and wit detract a little from the dark atmosphere one expects from a murder mystery. Instead, "Evil Under the Sun" is a campy comedy that happens to have a murder in it.