When I was in a production of And Then There Were None in 1982 in the seaside resort of Southwold — I played the housekeeper who (spoiler alert!) dies in the opening scene — it was still going under its politically incorrect title of Ten Little Niggers. Even at the time we thought that was a bad idea, but the producer of this seaside rep was insistent.
I very much enjoyed watching the BBC’s giallo-inspired, and star packed, dramatisation of And Then There were None, released in the UK over the Christmas break. A superior piece of storytelling, the production was praised for re-invigorating the Christie formula, stripping back the fustiness to let the sheer bloodthirstiness of the piece shine through.
The series made me wonder whether “the golden age” of detective fiction as popularised in the 1920’s and 30’s in itself deserved something of a re-appraisal. Although extremely popular, the particular brand of English country house detective story epitomised by And then There Were None, has never enjoyed critical approval.
As Raymond Chandler put it in his classic essay on The Simple Art Of Murder, “the classic detective story, has learned nothing and forgotten nothing”. While some authors may be better stylists than others, the same cast of…
Source: Agatha Christie and “cosy” crime | The Badger’s Sett
This is so cool…
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Glad you think so, Rajiv.
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You played the housekeeper in 1982? Surely you weren’t old enough for that part then. Still, I suppose that shows off your acting skills.
xxx Hugs Galore Sarah xxx
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No, I wasn’t the right age but when weekly rep (which it was) was current, they cast ‘as is’ from the pool of actors employed for the season so neither I nor the audience had a choice! I had better parts during the rest of the season. However, I was seriously miscast in Gaslight as Mrs Manningham. As my mother said, I’d have called the gas board long ago! Hugs. xx
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So hurry up and send it over here! Can’t wait to see it.
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I’m going to have to buy it on iTunes if it becomes available.
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Thanks for this. Such a great cast. So many incredible shocks too. And what cinematography.
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Even more reason for me to see it!
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That is such a shame getting killed off so quickly. The Christmas version was excellent. I enjoy the classic detective format. It is what it is.
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Clearly, seeing it is a must!
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I loved it and watched the three episodes in one go. Wonderful to have personal memories of it.
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There was more corpsing than anything else, Olga. The original stage play is a clunky monstrosity!
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I am so pleased to read that it was good. I saved all three episodes on the PVR to watch it in one hit, (like Olga) and almost deleted it yesterday, as it got so-so reviews. I will now look forward to seeing it.
I would like to have seen you play the housekeeper, even for the short time before you met your demise.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Not in the production I did, you wouldn’t! Trust me. 🙂
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Wow you have so many talents!!
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I didn’t write this post, though I’m an actress by profession!
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That is what I thought!
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I saw this series too…the best “Agatha’ I ever saw ( and I am quite a fan…) Love this post! xo Johanna
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I’ve got to see it! I’m glad you enjoyed the reblog, Johanna.
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Reblogged this on ' Ace Friends News '.
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