Mystery Movie Review - Death on the Nile 1978

Death on the Nile (Sept 1978) 2:20 minutes

This presents the 1978 adaptation of the Agatha Christy novel.  At the end I will compare it to the 2022 Kenneth Branagh version.  But I heartily believe the 1978 adaptation is the better movie.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway, a controlling and spoiled heiress, has been shot through the head. She was young, obsenely wealthy, stylish, and beautiful.  Hercule Poirot is on vacation and proceeds to question suspects.  All of the passengers had reason to murder her. Poirot must solve the original and subsequent murders while on a steamboat on the Nile.

Rating: PG

Director: John Guillermin

STARRING

• Peter Ustinov as Hercules Poirot (humanizes Poirot without changing Christie's vision)
• Mia Farrow as Jacqueline De Bellefort-very different than the 2022 character, she is more a love-struck girl at the beginning who is dissillusioned and a shell through the rest.
• Angela Lansbury (Jessica Fletcher-Murder She Wrote) as Mrs. Salome Otterbourne alcohol-soaked erotic novelist
• Bette Davis (Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte) as Mrs. Van Schuyler stuffy and overbearing Washington socialite
• Maggie Smith (Professor McGonegal-Harry Potter) is Miss Bowers as Van Schuyler's bitter companion
• David Niven (The Guns of Navaronne, The Pink Panther) as Colonel Race perfectly plays nobility and has easy chemistry with Poirot
• Jack Warden (The Replacements) as Dr. Bessner, a hysterical Swiss physician
  

• Simon MacCorkindale as Simon Doyle the newlywed husband of Lois
• Olivia Hussey (Romeo & Juliette 1968) as Rosalie Otterbourne, daughter to the lascivious author
• I.S. Johar as Manager Of The Karnak I.S. Johar provides some comic relief as the manager of the ship
• George Kennedy (Cool Hand Luke, The Dirty Dozen) as Andrew Pennington
• Lois Chiles as Linnet Ridgeway shows the calculating and vendictive side far better than the 2022 version
• Jon Finch as Mr. Ferguson, Marxist spouting young man who likes Rosalie
• Jane Birkin as Louise Bourget 

Bette Davis and Maggie Smith are great in their bickering and snappish dialog.  Angela Lansbury as a lascivious romance writer is humorous and a very different role than you think of for her.  Olivia Hussey (who played the ultimate Shakespear's Juliette in my opinion) brings dramatic intensity to a sweet character.

REVIEWS

"Death on the Nile is a clever, witty, well-plotted, beautifully-produced and splendidly acted screen version of Agatha Christie’s mystery. It’s old-fashioned stylized entertainment with a big cast and lush locations. Peter Ustinov is the fourth actor to play Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot." Variety Dec 31, 1977

 "Its a fun, if somewhat slow-moving murder mystery that favors glamor and drawing room banter over suspense, like a lavish version of a British TV mystery set in the 1930s."  Sean Axmaker - Stream on Demand

"The way the investigation plays out is more dynamic than that in Orient Express, with less of a focus on interrogation only and more twists and turns to come, and the ending is very satisfying." Kieron Moore - Starburst

THOUGHTS

Peter Ustinov is particularly good and captures a subtle dry humor in Poirot. He manages Poirot's complete awareness of his being the greatest detective and his being eccentric.  More approachable than other Poirot adaptations and even the books just in his manerisms and expressions. 

Poirot gives the audience how each suspect could have committed the murder which is brilliant.  Then he pulls out how it really happened, which is classic Poirot.  

Anthony Powell (whose costumes really transport you back to luxurious 30s) won an Oscar for the costumes in this movie!  He also did the costumes for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. 

Excellent use of camera work of the era for suspenseful effect.

Music (mysterious and forboding) was the same composer for the first two Godfather movies.

Filming locations: Hotel Pullman Cataract, Sharia Abtal El Tahrir, Aswan, Egypt as well as on a boat on the Nile.  I believe shooting the film on location made a big difference in the film.

INTERESTING TIDBITS (mostly from IMDB)

• Agatha Christie was inspired to write the film's source novel while on an extended 1937 Egyptian vacation, and the hotel scenes in ''Death on the Nile'' were shot at the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan where Christie stayed. 

• After the success of "Murder on the Orient Express", EMI studios picked "Death on the Nile" for the follow up movie rather than one of the 32 other Poirot books because the 70s had a resurgence of Egyptian fascination due to the tour of the "Treasures of Tutankhamun" to museums around the world.  Death on the Nile opened in theaters to coincide with Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY's Tut opening.

• Seven of the cast members account for a total of twenty-eight acting Oscar nominations with eight wins.

• During World War II, Major David Niven's batman (personal attendant) was Private Peter Ustinov.

• David Niven, who played MI5 agent Colonel Race, was author and British MI5 agent Ian Fleming's choice to portray James Bond. Niven was himself involved in British Intelligence operations during World War II, where he worked with Fleming on some projects.

• The character of Colonel Race, one of Agatha Christie's recurring characters, appeared in four novels: "The Man in the Brown Suit", (1924), "Cards on the Table" (1936), "Death on the Nile" (1937), and "Sparkling Cyanide" (1945).

• Colonel Race (David Niven) boards the S.S. Karnak wearing a straw boater hat with a "Royal Green Jackets" hat band. Later in the movie, he wears a "Royal Green Jackets" necktie. The Royal Green Jackets, formed in 1966, were descendents of David Niven's wartime regiment, the Rifle Brigade.

• The location shoot in Egypt went for seven weeks, of which four were spent on the steamer riverboat "S.S. Karnak" and three filming in places such as Luxor, Cairo, Aswan, and Abu Simbel.

• Filming had to be stopped every day at noon for around two hours because temperatures reached around 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Make-up calls were scheduled for 4 a.m., and filming started at 6 a.m. Bette Davis once quipped, "In the older days, they'd have built the Nile for you. Nowadays, films have become travelogues, and actors stuntmen."

• Albert Finney was initially asked to reprise his role as Poirot from Murder on the Orient Express (1974). However, he had found the make-up he had to wear for the first movie very uncomfortable in the hot interior of the train, and on realizing that he would have to undergo the same experience, this time in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, he declined the role.

• This was the first of Peter Ustinov's six performances as Hercule Poirot.

• Cybill Shepherd turned down the role of Linnet Ridgeway.

• Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, and Angela Lansbury all shared a small steamboat cabin as dressing room. While one actress dressed in the center of the cabin, the two others would lie on one of the beds on the left or right side.

• The only working collaboration of Peter Ustinov and Angela Lansbury despite the two having been in-laws - Ustinov was married to Lansbury's half-sister: stage actress Isolde Denham, from 1940 to 1950 - and they were longtime friends.

• This is Angela Lansbury's first appearance in an Agatha Christie murder mystery. She would play Miss Jane Marple in The Mirror Crack'd (1980). Both films gave her an image in the murder mystery genre, which led her to be cast in Murder, She Wrote (1984), where Lois Chiles and Olivia Hussey appeared as guest stars.

• Murder, She Wrote: Death 'N Denial (1995), which is set in Egypt, had a character called "Sally Otterburn".

• The film adapts the character of romance novelist Salome Otterbourne from the original novel. Salome is a thinly disguised version of real-life novelist Elinor Glyn (1864 - 1943) who wrote racey material for the time.  She was one of the most famous women screenwriters in the 1920s. She has 28 story or screenwriting credits, three producing credits, and two credits for directing.

• Maggie Smith appeared in Christie's Evil Under the Sun (1982). She also appeared with David Niven in Neil Simon's Murder by Death (1976).

• The interior scenes set at Linnet Ridgeway's mansion were shot at Compton Wynyates, a Warwickhire country estate.

TRAILER

COMPARED TO 2022 VERSION

The 2022 version made significant changes to the characters and story details from the book.

The 2022 beginning changes much of the story.  1978 version begins with the backstory of Linnet, Simon, and Jackie rather than the contrived beginning of 2022 movie. 

Even though there is a different actor from the 1974 Murder of the Orient Express, Peter Ustinov manages to stay true to the original Poirot while making the character more approachable. 

Whereas Kenneth Branagh is creating an entirely different character that only shares the same name.  Poirot has no scar on his face that he uses the mustache to cover, there is no tragic past love story etc.

Bouc isn't originally in this second story at all, he is used instead of the character Colonel Race.  So he and his mother are added and push out others.   Salome Otterbourne becomes a jazz/R&B singer rather than the shocking novelist which also changes a lot.  There were so many changes, in fact, I was concerned the 2022 version wouldn't even have the same killer and motive.  

Kenneth Branagh added more social/cultural correctness with representation of a gay couple, and more people-of-color which isn't a bad thing.  But he changed so much it almost isn't Christie's story anymore.  Branagh also makes the story darker (which he did to Orient Express too.)  Even the clothing is subdued and everything darker compared to 1978 version.

1978 movie was filmed on location, heat and all.  But the 2022 version, inspite of nearly 2x the budget than Orient Express, was filmed in Longcross Studios in Surrey, with only a few background scenes shot in Morocco and Egypt.  A life-size replica of the Abu Simbel temple and SS Karnak were all in Surrey and the Nile scenes were shot in Cotswold Water Park.  And it is obvious in some instances that green screens were used.  

It seems the most 2022 version had going for it was Gal Gadot and Dawn French, in my humble opinion.

Have you seen both versions?  Which do you like better?  Share your thoughts.

Spotlight - First Bite

A new clean cozy mystery featuring a quirky vampire.  Here is the debut novel of the Accidental Vampire PI mystery series.

What's a positive thought girl to do when she finds herself one of the undead? Recite plenty of affirmations and use those new toothy skills to assist her PI boss, of course.

In 24 hours, Misty Summers had the worst date of her life, was bit by a vampire, and her PI boss may close his business as he goes through a divorce. Looking on the sunny side, she decides to use her new vampire assets and become the investigator to keep her job and income. She doesn’t know what her future holds, but it can’t be any worse! When she starts following up on a missing woman’s case, she finds herself in the middle of murder. Even with her positive thinking and affirmations, she is finding her new reality daunting. But she vows to take a bite out of crime in her small lake resort town.

If you like Duffy Brown, Nancy Warren, Nova Nelson, Dionne Lister, Trixie Silvertale, and Leighann Dobbs, then you'll love this series with a quirky intelligent sleuth, small town lake setting, and tantalizing mysteries. Misty Indigo Summers is a positive thinking kind of gal and a most unlikely vampire and PI. Buy these fun and clean cozy mysteries and start enjoying Misty's adventures today!

  

It is available now, so get your copy of this most unlikely of vampires who is cleaning up her lake resort small town.

Kindle || Nook || Kobo

Here is the book trailer:

Two advance reviews are in!

"First Bite (Accidental Vampire PI #1) by Avery Daniels is a very well-written book with an enticing cover image that hints at the alluring vampire mystery story within. I have to say that I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. Normally vampire tales end up being either gory or teen-oriented, but this book avoided both of those stereotypes perfectly. I enjoyed the way the author kept the book clean while still having a suspenseful murder mystery case for Misty Summers to solve. I enjoyed the way Misty developed as both a character and a vampire throughout the plot and I can’t wait to see how she will continue to grow as a character in the next book!" Sefina Hawk-Reader's Favorite

"Author Avery Daniels spins an intricate murder mystery tale full of vampires, witches, and talking cats that keeps you entertained from start to finish. Moving at a brisk pace, the plot takes wild twists and turns, keeping you guessing until the end. The characters are vibrant and colorful, with spirited personalities you can't help but find yourself attached to. The narrative follows Misty, an immensely likable young woman who wants to help others even at the cost of her own convenience. Her bubbly and optimistic personality is incredibly infectious and makes you root for her. I thoroughly enjoyed First Bite and heartily recommend it to vampire fans or readers who love paranormal sleuth stories." Pikasho Deka-Reader's Favorite

Review - The Impossible Imposter

I began with the first book in this series and it quickly became one of my favorite historical mysteries.  We are up to the seventh in the series now and Veronica never has a dull moment.

1. A Curious Beginning (click here)

3. A Treacherous Curse (click here)

4. A Dangerous Collaboration (click here)

5. A Murderous Relation (click here)

6. An Unexpected Peril (click here) 

Author: Deanna Raybourn

Copyright: Feb 2022 (Berkley) 334 pgs

Series: 7th in Veronica Speedwell Mysteries

Sensuality: Innuendo, mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth

Main Character: Veronica Speedwell is an amateur entomologist 

Setting: 1889, London England

Obtained Through: Netgalley, publisher for honest review

Book Blurb: "London, 1889. Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian beau Stoker are summoned by Sir Hugo Montgomerie, head of Special Branch. He has a personal request on behalf of his goddaughter, Euphemia Hathaway. After years of traveling the world, her eldest brother, Jonathan, heir to Hathaway Hall, was believed to have been killed in the catastrophic eruption of Krakatoa a few years before.

But now a man matching Jonathan’s description and carrying his possessions has arrived at Hathaway Hall with no memory of his identity or where he has been. Could this man truly be Jonathan, back from the dead? Or is he a devious impostor, determined to gain ownership over the family's most valuable possessions—a legendary parure of priceless Rajasthani jewels? It's a delicate situation, and Veronica is Sir Hugo's only hope.

 Veronica and Stoker agree to go to Hathaway Hall to covertly investigate the mysterious amnesiac. Veronica is soon shocked to find herself face-to-face with a ghost from her past. To help Sir Hugo discover the truth, she must open doors to her own history that she long believed to be shut for good."

Veronica is highly intelligent with a sharp tongue and wit that is put to the test in this book.  Stoker (Mr. Ravelstoke Templeton-Vane) is her sleuthing partner.  He is cranky and reclusive but perfect for her.  This outing will test both Veronica and Stoker.  

My Thoughts:  Hathaway Hall is the location for part of the mystery, the rest of the story is in and around London.  The man who reappears as Jonathan is definitely hiding something and Veronica is caught in the thick of things.  When they return to London danger follows them.  Veronica's past comes back to bite her and we learn more of her back story which disrupts the domesticity she has found with Stoker.  The plot moves quickly with complications and twists.  The climax is perilous with suprises.  The wrapup drops another surprise that will reverberate into the next book.  This is a book has significant events occur impacting Veronica and Stoker!

Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list

My Musings - Favorite Historical Mystery Series Pt 2

I am continuing my series on historical mysteries loosely divided by era in today's and the next few week's posts.  I love historical mysteries and if you've been looking for a new series, or wanted to jump into this subcategory of mystery perhaps this will help.  This is in no way a comprehensive listing, that would be quite an undertaking.

In part one I covered up to the Regency era mysteries (click here). Now I am sharing the Victorian era mysteries.  

Victorian 1837-1901

Rosalind Thorne Mystery series by Darcie Wilde 

    Rosalind is the daughter of a baronet and minor heiress, but she was nearly ruined after her father abandoned the family. To survive in the only world she knew, high society and the nobility, she began to manage the affairs of some of London society’s most influential women, who have come to rely on her wit and discretion.  Now it's murder and her discretion and investigations skills are needed.

1)  A Useful Woman  (click here)

2)  A Purely Private Matter (click here)

3)  And Dangerous to Know (click here)

4)  A Lady Compromised

5)  A Counterfiet Suitor

Mayfair 100 Mystery series by Lynn Brittney 

With the blessing of London’s Chief Commissioner, Chief Inspector Beech, a young man invalided out of the war, assembles a crew of sharp, intrepid, and well-educated women to investigate.

1)  Murder in Belgravia (click here)

2)  A Death in Chelsea (click here)

3)  The Body in Berkley Square

Lady Darby mystery series by Anna Lee Huber 

A young society woman, who is a brilliant artist, is married off to a doctor who forces her to draw his disections for a medical book. The husband dies and she is an outcast, considered "unnatural." But when murder happens, she can use what she has learned to assist the investigator.

1)  The Anatomist's Wife (click here)

2)  Mortal Arts (click here)

3)  A Grave Matter (click here)

4)  A Study in Death (click here)

5)  As Death Draws Near (click here)

6)  A Brush with Shadows (click here)

7)  An Artless Demise (click here)

8)  A Stroke of Malice (click here)

9)  A Wicked Conceit

10)  A Periless Perspective

The Lady Sherlock Series by Sherry Thomas  

With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society.  Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, challenges society’s expectations and matchs wits against an unseen mastermind. This turns the story of the renowned Sherlock Holmes upside down.

1)  A Study In Scarlet Women (click here)

2)  A Conspiracy in Belgravia (click here)

3)  The Hollow of Fear (click here)

4)  The Art of Theft  (click here)

5)  Murder on Cold Street (click here)

6)  Miss Moriarity, I Presume? (click here)

Madam of Espionage series by Carol Carr

When Sir Archibald Latham of the War Office dies from a heart attack while visiting her brothel, Madam India Black is unexpectedly thrust into a deadly game between Russian and British agents who are seeking the military secrets Latham carried.  An unconventional sleuth who has a knack for investigating.

1)  India Black

2)  India Black and the Widow of Windsor (click here)

2.5) India Black and the Rajah's Ruby-Novella

3)  India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy (click here)

3.5) India Black in the City of Light-Novella 

4)  India Black and the Gentleman Thief (click here)

The Agency Mysteries by Y.S. Lee (grade 7 and up)

Mary Quinn, a scrappy 12-year-old orphan and accomplished thief in Victorian London, is saved from the gallows by a stranger and taken to Miss Scrimshaw's Academy for Girls.  At 17, she is recruited by the mistresses of the school to join a covert group of female spies known as The Agency. 

1) A Spy in the House (click here)

2) A Body at the Tower

3) The Traitor in the Tunnel

4) Rivals in the City

Countess of Harleigh Mysteries by Dianne Freeman

Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, enjoys more freedom as a widow than she did as a wife.  But no sooner has Frances begun her new life than the Metropolitan police receive an anonymous letter implicating Frances in her husband’s death. This is a lighter historical cozy and very enjoyable. 

1)  A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder (click here)

2)  A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder (click here)

3)  A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder (click here)

4)  A Fiancée's Guide to First Wives and Murder

5)  A Bride's Guide to Marriage and Murder

Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery by Maia Chance

Miss Ophelia Flax is a Victorian actress who knows all about making quick changes and even quicker exits. After being fired from her latest variety hall engagement, Ophelia acts her way into a lady’s maid position. But when her new job whisks her off to a foreboding castle straight out of a Grimm tale, with the suspected remains of Snow White’s cottage, along with a disturbing dwarf skeleton. Then her millionaire boss turns up dead—poisoned by an apple—the fantastic setting turns into a once upon a crime scene.  This gives historical setting for the fairtyales and has a cunning heroine.

1) Snow White Red-Handed (click here)

2) Cinderella Six Feet Under

3) Beauty, Beast, and Belladonna (click here)

Victorian Bookshop mysteries by Kate Parker 

Antiquarian bookseller Georgia Fenchurch, who doubles as a private investigator for the secret Archivist Society.  Georgia owns her own business in a time when women, even working class, weren't so priviledged.  The Archivist Society is a network of people who solve crimes.  This is a delightful series but hard to find all the books since the publisher discontinued and only two have been self-published. 

1) The Vanishing Thief (click here)

2) The Counterfeit Lady (click here)

3) The Royal Assassin (click here)

4) The Detecting Duchess

5) The Conspiring Woman (click here)

Inspector Faro Mysteries by Alanna Knight

Edinburgh, Scotland 1870. Because of a promise to a dying woman and his own misgivings, Inspector Faro decides to privately look into a closed case murder. A man has been hanged for two murders. He readily admitted to one but vehemently denied the second. That is the one that Inspector Faro looks into.   Author also write the Rose McQuinn historical mystery series.

1) Enter Second Murderer

2) Blood Line

3) Deadly Beloved

4) Killing Cousins

5) A Quiet Death

6) To Kill a Queen

7) The Missing Duchess

8) The Coffin Lane Murders

9) The Bull Slayers

10) Murder by Appointment

11) The Evil that Men Do

12) The Final Enemy

13) Death at Carasheen

14) Murder in Paradise (click here)

Please share your favorite Victorian era mysteries in the comments.

Review - Silence in the Library

This is the second outing for the new Lily Adler Mystery series.  I read the first in the series, A Body in the Garden (click here) and fell in love with the characters.  Let's see how the crucial second book held up.

Author: Katharine Schellman

Copyright: July 2021 (Crooked Lane Books) 349 pgs

Series: 2nd in Lily Adler Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical cozy, historical amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Lily Adler, still grieving society widow

Setting: 1815 London, England

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "Regency widow Lily Adler didn't expect to find a corpse when visiting a family friend. Now it's up to her to discover the killer in the charming second installment in the Lily Adler mysteries.

Regency widow Lily Adler has finally settled into her new London life when her semi-estranged father arrives unexpectedly, intending to stay with her while he recovers from an illness. Hounded by his disapproval, Lily is drawn into spending time with Lady Wyatt, the new wife of an old family friend. Lily barely knows Lady Wyatt. But she and her husband, Sir Charles, seem as happy as any newly married couple until the morning Lily arrives to find the house in an uproar and Sir Charles dead.

All signs indicate that he tripped and struck his head late at night. But when Bow Street constable Simon Page is called to the scene, he suspects foul play. And it isn't long before Lily stumbles on evidence that Sir Charles was, indeed, murdered.

Mr. Page was there when Lily caught her first murderer, and he trusts her insight into the world of London's upper class. With the help of Captain Jack Hartley, they piece together the reasons that Sir Charles's family might have wanted him dead. But anyone who might have profited from the old man's death seems to have an alibi... until Lily receives a mysterious summons to speak with one of the Wyatts' maids, only to find the young woman dead when she arrives.

Mr. Page believes the surviving family members are hiding the key to the death of both Sir Charles and the maid. To uncover the truth, Lily must convince the father who doesn't trust or respect her to help catch his friend's killer before anyone else in the Wyatt household dies."

My thoughts:   Lily Adler is a delightfully intelligent, witty, and independent young widow taking her life into her own hands. In this addition to the series, she faces a few emotional issues head-on.

Lily's father, George Pierce is a male chauvenist and has always been critical of Lily.  He moves in as if the house is his to command and instantly attempts to reorder her life.  He sends her to represent him in a congratulatory call to an old friend who has remarried, which he disagrees with so he refuses to meet the bride. I usually don't like such family characters because the heroine typically acts too submissive, but in this case Lily stands up for herself often with her horrible father.  

Captain John (Jack) Hartley challenges prejudices as he is half Indian from New Delhi, which furthers angers Lily's father.  Jack is growing fonder of Lily with each day, but is conflicted since she is the widow of his dear friend.  

Lily's friend Ofelia is back from her honeymoon to an influential society man.  She presents herself as the quintessential era well bred lady.  Therfore, Lily's father likes her better than his own daughter.  

The Bow Street Runner, Mr. Page, would rather keep Lily out of the investigation but admits she gets information from society members when he can't.  

I have to give particular kudos for including a character who is on the autistic spectrum and demonstrate how misunderstood the condition was and how families were ashamed of such an afflicted.  

Jem, an industrious messenger boy who Jack pays to be his eyes and ears, is a favorite and makes several appearances.  

The mystery can be read as a standalone, but it does continue with character threads from the first book like any good series.  It is a well plotted mystery with some twists that kept me up reading.  The characters are well rounded and their thoughts, actions, and dialogue are natural and entertaining.  This is a slow-burn and developing romance, which I particularly like.  The setting is primarily the homes of the wealthy and influential, which works for this outing.  This is on the lighter side of the historical mysteries which I especially enjoy.  I highly recommend.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Here is the virtual book launch for your viewing pleasure: