AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

I adore this dark new take on Agatha Christie's classic about strangers slowly being picked off while trapped on a mysterious island estate. The story is supposed to be dark and scary, and this British TV version makes good on that with a stellar cast and unsettling moods and visuals. Even better if you haven't read or seen this story before. IMO, the best version of this story put to screen.

**No Spoilers in this part of the review**I have to admit - the main reason why I wanted to watch this was because of the great actors and actresses who star in the mini series. I have never read any Agatha Christie novel, as I am not that much of a fan of murder/mystery books. Once I saw the trailer for this though, and read some of the non-spoiler reviews, I knew I needed to read the book. (Even though this isn't a review of the book, I just want to say I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it! I highly recommend reading the book! ) The way this is shot is fantastic. With the dark gloomy atmosphere on the island, a haunting reminder of the peril they are in, while the house and interior shots are light and refreshing, giving you the deceiving notion that it's safe. All of the actors and actresses did a phenomenal job of getting the personalities and little quirks down. You are left in such suspense the entire time! After it finished, I was left wanting more! I would highly suggest giving this a chance, especially if you enjoy mystery/detective type shows.***SPOILERS***The only complaints I have:As I didn't read any of the spoilers or watch the play at all, I didn't realize that they had a separate plot line different from the book for Vera and Philip. I am not opposed to this change though, as I feel for TV it makes a bit more sense to add a love plot line for viewers. In that situation, with emotions flying and being on edge al the time, your feelings would be out of sorts so I do understand that this could be a feasible outcome. I also believed the chemistry for the actors, so that was nice not having to endure a forced attraction between two people who clearly have nothing there. I was also surprised at how the reveal of the killer came to be. I get that certain things need to be done in order to make it tie together for the TV and I think that Charles Dance gave an exceptional performance as the Judge. You get a better understanding of his disdain for dishonorable people and need for justice as he gives his monologue to Vera. However, I enjoyed having to put the pieces together myself when I read the book.

When I first saw the ending of this TV series I actually shot up in my seat and cried "WHAT?" I was watching with my daughter, who had read the book shortly before and said, "Mom, this is the ending in the book!" I was thunderstruck, because I "knew" the ending from a favorite movie of mine, the 1945 B&W movie with Walter Huston, And Then There Were None.This TV version has not supplanted the 1945 movie in my affections, but it is very good 4.4 stars, rounded down to 4. It isn't 5 stars for me because it is a bit long-winded. I think they could have safely cut scenes without losing energy or tension.And talk about tension! Even the title is chilling, and this is a brilliant plot. It starts in London, August 1939, when Miss Vera Claythorne is offered a job as personal secretary at an isolated house on Soldier Island, off the barren Devon coast. As Isaac Morris, of the Skilled Persons [Employment] Bureau tells Vera, "Mrs. Owen is expecting a lot of guests."Miss Claythorne, the butler and his wife, and seven guests. That's ten people in all. Each person's room has a framed nursery rhyme on the wall, beginning,"Ten little soldier boys went out to dineOne choked his little self and then there were nine."Ten people alone – and there is no Hollywood ending.I really recommend Bonus Feature #3 on the BluRay/DVD. It's an interview with Sara Phelps, screenwriter. She is fascinating as she discusses the tone and underpinnings of Christie's story.Agatha Christie's novel was first published in England in November 1939, using an objectionable word in the title and poem, taken from a British song. When the book came out in America a month later, the title was changed to "And Then There Were None" and the nursery rhyme was changed to "Ten Little Indians". Current versions use "Ten Little Soldier Boys." The figurines in this TV series are kind of odd cubist soldiers.This adaptation of "And Then There Were None" first aired in December 2015, in three episodes totaling 177 minutes. The BluRay/DVD presents the show in 16:9 widescreen and 5.1 surround sound. English SDH subtitles are available on the episodes and the first three Bonus Features.Bonus Features. There is some repetition of conversation snippets:....1. "And Then There Was Something: The Making of 'And Then There Were None' " (43 minutes) Eighteen cast and crew talk about the book, the script and Agatha Christie. Hilary Strong (CEO Agatha Christie Ltd) says, "Our dream was to re-create 'And Then There Were None' as it was written.... In its time, [it] was a deeply scary book. It was terrifying."....2. "On Agatha Christie" (20 minutes) Fifteen people talk about the author herself. Noah Taylor (who plays the butler) says, "My favorite writer, Michel Houellebecq [pronounced WHELL beck], has absolutely nothing in common with Agatha Christie – their books couldn't be more different. but he ... mentions her in a lot of his novels and he rates her as his favorite writer."....3. "On Bringing 'And Then There Were None' to Life: with Sara Phelps" (15 minutes) The screenwriter, Phelps, had never read an Agatha Christie mystery before taking this job. After reading "And Then There Were None", "I was incredibly sort of shocked by its brutality, and felt that, when I came to adapt it, it would absolutely be set in that place. It would absolutely be on an island so that you can't see the mainland. You'd be absolutely alone, because I think that's what she's written the book about – that you're alone with the things you've done and judgement is coming and it's going to be brutal."I've made fun of generic "Greek Tragedies" in my day, but Phelps gives an example of their power and similarity to Agatha's book.....4. Photo Gallery (2 minutes)TRIVA: Christie probably wrote the novel with Burgh Island in mind. It's an island off the coast of Devon (western end of England's southern coast) with an Art Deco hotel that was very swanky when the book was written. The real hotel and island star in the David Suchet "Poirot" episode, "Evil Under the Sun.""People don't just vanish. Not on an island this size."Recommended!Happy Reader