Evil Under the Sun

Hercule Poirot arrives at a luxury island hotel at an insurance company's request, to look into a fake diamond. At the hotel are a former stage star, her husband, her stepdaughter, a pair of writers, a publisher and a handful of rich people who know each other well. The woman is found dead on the beach and almost everybody has a solid alibi. Guy Hamilton directed. Peter Ustinov plays Poirot for the second time, with James Mason, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, Roddy McDowall and Colin Blakely in the cast. Anthony Shaffer wrote the screenplay from Agatha Christie's 1941 novel. The novel is set in Devon; the film moves it to an island in the Adriatic, in a fictional kingdom called Tyrania. It was shot in Majorca. Its most distinctive choice is the music: the whole film is laid over Cole Porter, arranged by John Lanchbery. The opening credits use artwork by Hugh Casson. Who it is for: viewers who like classical Christie adaptations and crowded star casts. Who it is not for: anyone wanting suspense. The murder is a pretext and the real pleasure is in the barbs the characters trade.