Casting Coup Tuesday: And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None is one of Agatha Christie's most famous works -- I reckon Murder on the Orient Express and Witness for the Prosecution are the only other ones as immediately recognizable. It has been the basis for two stage plays, a mini-series, multiple films, and infinite spoof episodes on television (even Family Guy did a season premiere called "And Then There Were Fewer").

The 1945 film version

The plot: ten strangers are invited to an island by a mysterious U.N. Owen. A recording is played during dinner, accusing each of them of various crimes. Then they start dropping off one by one, their deaths aligning with a nursery rhyme called...well that depends on the latest publication. Current editions have it as "Ten Little Soldier Boys" ... for years it was "Ten Little Indians" ... first editions have it as "Ten Little N---ers", and that was quickly amended.

There are three famous film versions, all of which take their queue from Agatha's own stage adaptation. The 1945 version features an all-star cast that includes Academy Award Winners Barry Fitzgerald and Walter Huston, and Academy Award Nominees Mischa Auer, Roland Young and Judith Anderson. It adheres closely to the original work -- they're all English, they're on an island. The next two films would not.

The 1974 film version

In 1965, things got groovy and international. The new ensemble of ten came from everywhere -- a Bond Girl, an American pop star, an Israeli beauty queen -- but still a majority English, all gathered in a castle atop the Swiss Alps. The same producers remade the picture, practically word-for-word, in 1974, moving to a hotel in Iraq! The ensemble comes from Italy, Germany (2), Austria, France (2), the United Kingdom (3), Argentina.

The 2015 BBC version

Last year, the BBC presented a three-part mini-series that brought things back to the art deco island. It, too, was a starry cast that included Toby Stephens and Charles Dance, and focused much more on the effects of war. But frankly, I've always liked the idea of an international who's who getting bumped off one by one. And so I've used that approach when casting my own Ten Little...People.

After the jump...

Casting Coup: The French Connection

NOMINATIONS

Best Picture (WON)

Best Director - William Friedkin (WON)

Best Actor - Gene Hackman (WON)

Best Supporting Actor - Roy Scheider

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium - Ernest Tidyman (WON)

Best Cinematography - Owen Roizman

Best Film Editing - Gerald B. Greenberg (WON)

Best Sound - Theodore Soderberg / Christopher Newman

One of the reasons why I chose 1971 as my Retrospective year is this film -- I'd never seen it before, despite having heard a lot about it, and even reading William Friedkin's memoir where he discusses the making of it in detail. Obviously, that's been amended, and I can confidently say that the film is, indeed, pretty damn great.

And not that dated, either in execution or subject matter. Therefore, it's perfect fodder for a re-imagining -- indeed, the French side of the tale will be told this Summer in the film, The Connection starring Academy Award Winner Jean Dujardin. Which is a coincidence, because...well, why not read on?

Casting Coup Month: Topkapi

NOMINATIONS

Best Supporting Actor - Peter Ustinov (WON)

Topkapi is a fun film. It's a light caper flick, in which a couple of master thieves, Elizabeth Lippe and Walter Harper, plot the theft of the Istanbul emeralds from the Sultan Mahmud I statue at Topkapi Palace in Turkey. With the help of a mute acrobat, a German strongman, and a British electronics expert, they hatch the perfect crime -- until they engage bumbling amateur Arthur Simon Simpson as an unwitting accomplice. Complications, hilarity and some thrills ensue.

The Gold Rush: Part 2

You know you want to check out Part One of this conversation, if just for context. It's over at the March King's blog. It's our annual Oscar Conversation, The Gold Rush, a continuation of the conversations we had in his living room when we first started following Awards Season seriously.

 

SILVER SCREENER: So, on to the big stuff?

MARCH KING: Alrighty.

SS: Let's get Actor out of the way, because I haven't seen A Better Life yet.

Quien es?

 

MK: (chuckle) A Better Life... I guess I don't really get it. He was fine. But Best

Actor? Really? Anyway, my pick would have to be Gary.

SS: Oh, undoubtedly. There was no better moment on Oscar Nom Morning than when his name came up. It's quiet, it's layered, it's a beautiful thing.

MK: It's subtle, but somehow seems to explode at just the right moments. Something I would have liked to see George [Clooney] try. Not to knock George, I love George. But at this point in his career... between these two roles... Gary clearly trumps. And Brad [Pitt] did a good job as well. But he wasn't Gary.

SS: Though Brad really brought it, too. An old-fashioned Movie Star role that was just about perfect for his strengths.

MK: Love Brad. He's really trying these days. Even looking back at his questionable performances...like Troy...you can still see how hard he was trying. Like I can understand how he may have been misled by the idea of muscle over madness... something about his fitness preparation still screamed actor. Sadly the actual performance fell flat. Then fast-forward to Benjamin Button. He was really something in that. Brad's starting to click in all the right places. No question.

SS: I think he has been for a while.

MK: Yeah, it's fun to watch.

SS: And then, of course, there's the inevitable winner, Jean Dujardin.

MK: ...yeah...

SS: I'm down with that. Of this lineup, he's my close second.

MK: He's good. Not gonna deny that. I just would rather see Gary.

SS: Well, yeah, but of this specific lineup, I would be pleased for Dujardin, Oldman or Pitt if they got it. Full-on celebration.

MK: It's that kind of year man.

So can we back up for a second? I feel like we've skipped a few things. Documentary Feature, Animated Feature...

SS: Because who cares?

MK: Me?

SS: Fine. In both those categories, I've seen Puss in Boots and Rango. Rango's great, so is Puss. I think Rango gets it, but I'd be down with a Puss win, too

MK: See I'm thinking it's between Kung Fu Panda 2 and Rango. Something so beautiful about Kung Fu Panda 2. It’s in my top ten this year.

ANYTHING THIS ADORABLE DESERVES TO WIN IT ALL.