Agatha Christie (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) is one of the best crime novelists of all time. Her works have sold over two billion copies. She is the second best-selling fiction writer ever, second to William Shakespeare. Her stories are great for adaptations. Christie’s films have been adapted in several different countries, in varied languages. Here is a list of the top 10 Agatha Christie movie adaptations.
10. Murder Most Foul (1964)
Murder Most Foul is a black-and-white murder mystery based on Christie’s novel of the same title. Margaret Rutherford plays the role of Miss Marple. She believes that a man about to be convicted is innocent, so she delves deeper into the case to find out the real murderer. Her investigation leads her to join a theater where an actor is found dead. The more she gets closer to the case, the more she finds herself in danger.
9. Evil Under The Sun (1982)
Based on the novel of the same name, Evil Under The Sun is a Hercule Poirot story. The film stars Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot and Maggie Smith as Mrs. Castle, the owner of the hotel. The film follows Poirot as he investigates a murder mystery of an unpopular actor. It takes place at a resort hotel as Detective Poirot interviews everyone at the resort trying to solve the case.
8. Murder At The Gallop (1963)
Murder At The Gallop is based on Christie’s 1952 novel After The Funeral. This film is a sequel to Murder, She Said. Even though the original story focuses on Hercule Poirot, the film adaptation is a light comedy with Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford). The story commences with the demise of a wealthy recluse. Her sister believes that he was murdered. Miss Marple investigates the murder while at a riding school operated by the heirs.
7. Murder, She Said (1961)
Murder, She Said is Dame Margaret Rutherford’s first appearance in her iconic role as Miss Marple. Marple witnesses a woman strangled on a train, and she starts investigating, as the police rebuffsheld her because of the lack of evidence. Her investigation leads her to getting a job at the estate where she later finds the woman’s body in a horse stable.
6. And Then There Were None (1945)
The story centers on ten people who have traveled to a hotel in the Iranian desert and they are accused of murder. They also find a framed copy of “Ten Little Indians” in each of their rooms as well as a sculpture of 10 people in a circle in the dining room. The group can’t be held accountable due to the lack of evidence. Things escalate when one of the ten dies and a figurine goes missing. The cast includes Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Roland Young, and June Duprez among others.
5. Desyat Negrityat (1987)
This Soviet adaptation is notable among the And Then There Were None adaptations. Desyat Negrityat uses the novel’s ending of the story rather than the stage play. The story revolves around ten people who are compelled to confront their dark history after they get invited to an isolated island. Directed by Stanislav Govorukhin, the cast includes Vladimir Zeldin, Tatyana Drubich, Alexander Kaidanovsky, and Aleksei Zharkov among others.
4. Shubho Mahurat (2003)
Directed by Rituparno Ghosh, the Bengali film Shubho Mahurat is an adaptation of the 1962 novel The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side. The protagonist is a film producer who has recently arrived in India. When an actress she casts dies, the husband of the actress immediately becomes the suspect who is accused of an affair with another woman. Miss Marple (not the protagonist) is the aunt of a journalist who becomes heavily involved in the production of the movie. The cast includes Sharmila Tagore, Rakhee Gulzar, Nandita Das, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Anindya Chatterjee, Moumita Gupta, and Rajesh Sharma. The film won two National Film Awards.
3. Death On The Nile (1978)
Death on the Nile is Peter Ustinov’s first appearance as Hercule Poirot. The film begins with a honeymooner being killed on a boat with her husband and his ex-lover still on the boat. Other passengers may have their reasons for killing the victim but the walls begin to close in on both as the other passengers start to die. The cast includes Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Jane Birkin, David Niven, George Kennedy, and Jack Warden.
2. Witness For The Prosecution (1957)
Directed by Billy Wilder, Witness for the Prosecution is based on Christie’s short story of the same name. The film stars Tyrone Power as Leonard who is accused of murdering a widow. Charles Laughton plays the character of a lawyer who believes Leonard is innocent despite some evidence scratching the surface of his guilt. This film received six Academy Award nominations.
1. Murder On The Orient Express (1974)
Murder On The Orient Express follows renowned detective Hercule Poirot in his journey on Orient Express which soon turns into a murder investigation. The only Hercule Poirot actor to receive an Academy Award nomination is Albert Finney. The ensemble cast includes Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, and Vanessa Redgrave. Agatha Christie was quoted as saying the movie was “well made,” but the only mistake was Finney’s tiny mustache.
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