by Janna Wong
I distinctly remember the day, decades ago, when I began working for a novelist. He saw I had a book in my hand, noticed it was a mystery, and said, “Whatever you do, don’t read Agatha Christie.” I heeded his advice for 40+ years.
And then I fell in love with Aidan Turner.
I was a huge fan of Aidan’s landmark television series, Poldark. And because I loved the show and his extraordinary (but vastly underappreciated) performance as the titular character, I wanted to know more about his other projects. So I embarked on a mini-Aidan Turner Watchathon. I enjoyed his performance as vampire Mitchell in Being Human and was entertained by his uber-sexy portrayal of Dante Gabriel Rossetti in Desperate Romantics. I even sat through all four Hobbit films. With time, I exhausted his catalogue. But then he signed on to costar in the BBC’s new rendition of Agatha Christie’s novel, And Then There Were None. Not only was I thrilled beyond words, there was one thing I knew I had to do: I had to put down my former boss’ admonition about Christie’s work and read the novel.
The Novel
And Then There Were None (it has had several different names; this is its most well-known) was published in 1939, long after Christie became the “Duchess of Death” for creating her two most viable detectives: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. This standalone book, even 82 years later, remains one of the best-selling and popular crime novels of all time, selling more than 100 million copies. The international success of this book transformed the “Mistress of Mystery” into a best-selling novelist. The book has been translated into a multitude of different languages and has had adaptations for screen (both large and small), radio, and theater (albeit with a different, less grim ending). By the way, this Christie novel that has been adapted more times than any other of novel written by the Queen of Crime.
In case you’re not familiar with the story, And Then There Were None is a well-written, well-crafted locked-door mystery that never stops the suspense until the final page. The plot is sinister but also simple: eight people and two servants, who are all strangers to each other, are asked to convene on a desolate island – the reason why is a mystery to all of them. In every case, each person (including the servants) has been the catalyst for a dramatic and mysterious situation in his/her past life. In a terrific slow burn, we learn about each person’s reason for being called to the location.
Slowly, they are murdered, one at a time, and by different methods. It doesn’t take long before they realize that the deaths are mimicked from those found in the children’s nursery rhyme, “Ten Little Indians.” So the survivors try to outwit the murderer by using the rhyme as a way to avert the next murder…to no avail. The executions continue as planned…but we don’t know by whom or why until the very end. (I won’t spoil that part of the story for those uninitiated.) But I will say this: I regret waiting so long to read this masterful piece of crime fiction. (Available anywhere where books are sold.)
The Audiobook
While some people (myself included) love the visceral act of reading a book, I also adore the audiobook artform, especially when the narrator is a good one. And I can attest to the excellence of Dan Stevens as a narrator. He not only is an award-winning narrator (who would guess this is the very same man who portrays Matthew in Downton Abbey), but his voice is easy to listen to and very clear. It seems impossible but he manages to make every single character in this audiobook sound different, so you are never at a loss as to who is doing what. Believe me: this is rare…narrators often have a difficult time reading a plethora of different characters and the listener is the poorer for it as we cannot always tell who is speaking. Not so with Dan Stevens. You are never confused. Even if you are familiar with the book, I urge you to give the audiobook a listen. You will not be disappointed. I was on tenterhooks the entire time I was listening and was completely and totally satisfied by the listening experience when it was over. (Available on Audible.)
The Three-Part Adaptation
Once I finished the book, I was ready to view the adaptation of the book by the BBC. Created by Mammoth Screen as a three-part miniseries, the writer (Sarah Phelps) did an extraordinary job maintaining the tension while keeping the show’s 1939 setting. The ensemble cast is superb and populated with well-known names and faces, including Charles Dance, Maeve Dermody, Toby Stephens, Burn Gorman, Miranda Richardson, Sam Neill, Noah Taylor, Douglas Booth, Anna Maxwell Martin and, of course, a simmering Aidan Turner.
In Phelps’ script, every character is allowed to shine as we see not only their back stories but how they handle the anxiety brought forth by the deaths. Each performance is taut and mysterious, a credit to Viveiros’ direction. Together, Viveiros and Phelps bring Christie’s novel to brilliant life.
All tech credits are exemplary, with a special shoutout to cinematographer John Pardue, production designer Sophie Becher and editors Mike Phillips and Sam White. The production crew created a beautiful set and made the time period credible and stunning to look at. Their hard work encapsulated a specific time and place, which made the mystery so engaging.
To put it mildly, the 2015 adaptation knocked my socks off and I’m not the only one who loved the miniseries. Its initial viewing enraptured 6 million viewers. If you haven’t had a chance to watch this most recent adaptation of Christie’s novel, what’s keeping you?! (Available to stream on Amazon Prime; Blu-ray and DVD are available at all retailers.)
Are you a fan of the book? Have you listened to the audiobook narrated by Dan Stevens? What did you think of the most recent adaptation? Post your thoughts below.
