And Then There Were None

Continuing in my quest to read the novels and short story collections of Agatha Christie, I've just finished reading And Then There Were None . Originally published in the U.K. in 1939 with the absolutely inappropriate title Ten Little Niggers , it has also appeared under a third name - Ten Little Indians . All three titles make reference to a children's counting song, which serves as a major element of the plot. In the edition I've just read, the song is given as Ten little Soldiers .

According to the wikipedia article linked to above, the novel is the world's best selling mystery with over 100 million copies sold and one of the top selling books of all time.

The ten people brought to the island are alleged by the mysterious "Mr. Owen" to have committed murders that have gone unpunished. Mr. Owen intends to rectify that.

Upon finishing the novel, I watched the 1945 film version at ok.ru. Without giving away any secrets, I want to compare the film version to the 1939 novel.

In many ways, the film follows the novel, although there are differences. In the film, the character Tony Marston is no longer English, but is a Russian prince, Nikita Starloff. The character Justice Wargrave was changed to Judge Francis J. Quincannon while the retired World War I hero, General MacArthur is given the new name, Gen. Sir John Mandrake. I suppose the General's name was changed in respect for Gen. Douglas MacArthur who played a prominent place in the news of 1945.

Among the better known stars of the film were Barry Fitzgerald as Judge Quincannon and Walter Huston as Dr. Armstrong.

In the novel, all ten of the individuals brought to Soldier Island are guilty. However, in the film, two of the people brought to Indian Island are innocent and manage to escape, thereby giving the film a "happy ending" which isn't in the novel. The mysterious "Mr. Owen" is the same person in the film and the novel, although the film version of his comeuppance is less complicated than it was in the book.