This isn't the best film adaptation of an Agatha Christie mystery or even in the top five. Those would probably be Murder on the Orient Express, Evil Under the Sun, Witness for the Prosecution, the Judith Anderson version of And Then There Were None and Murder, She Said with Margaret Rutherford but this does have some pleasures to be found within.
Chief among those pleasure is the cast. Guy Hamilton, who followed this up with Evil Under the Sun, managed to corral a great deal of high quality talent. Angela Lansbury makes an okay Miss Marple but her obvious makeup detracts from her being completely believable in the part. Geraldine Chaplin is also fine as Taylor's assistant although her part doesn't offer much depth. Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson team well giving off that old time movie star glamour, this was Rock's second to last theatrical feature and the last time he looked really well on the screen, but it's not their story that really sets off sparks on screen. The real scene stealer who walks off with every second she's on view is Kim Novak in an absolute gem of a comic performance. She looks sensational and the barbed dialog she and Liz share is worth the price of admission itself.
The only real drawback is that the story is an obvious ripoff of Gene Tierney's personal tragedy and from that angle, since it sticks so close to the details, it is in rather bad taste. However the story was widely known so could have been considered in the public domain.
Overall a well made, pleasant entertainment.
Chief among those pleasure is the cast. Guy Hamilton, who followed this up with Evil Under the Sun, managed to corral a great deal of high quality talent. Angela Lansbury makes an okay Miss Marple but her obvious makeup detracts from her being completely believable in the part. Geraldine Chaplin is also fine as Taylor's assistant although her part doesn't offer much depth. Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson team well giving off that old time movie star glamour, this was Rock's second to last theatrical feature and the last time he looked really well on the screen, but it's not their story that really sets off sparks on screen. The real scene stealer who walks off with every second she's on view is Kim Novak in an absolute gem of a comic performance. She looks sensational and the barbed dialog she and Liz share is worth the price of admission itself.
The only real drawback is that the story is an obvious ripoff of Gene Tierney's personal tragedy and from that angle, since it sticks so close to the details, it is in rather bad taste. However the story was widely known so could have been considered in the public domain.
Overall a well made, pleasant entertainment.