Barnes & Noble

Agatha Christie’s bombastic Belgian sleuth, the inestimable Hercule Poirot, returned to the screen after a four-year absence in this star-studded, lushly appointed, old-fashioned murder mystery. Following the surprise success of 1974’s Murder on the Orient Express, the first of the handsomely produced Christie adaptations, Nile found Peter Ustinov replacing Albert Finney as Poirot, a role he would reprise in several more sequels. Director John Guillermin (The Towering Inferno), no stranger to lavish productions and big-name casts, hewed closely to the formula: exotic locations, a dastardly murder, secretive suspects, multifarious motives, and the inevitable drawing-room climax exposing the killer. Anthony Shaffer’s script remains impressive in its wit, cleverness, and intricacy, while Ustinov's Poirot has just the right touch of condescending arrogance. On the basis of star power alone, this is clearly the best of the sequels. The players include Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Mia Farrow, Maggie Smith, George Kennedy, Jack Warden, Jon Finch, Olivia Hussey, and Jane Birkin. Ustinov discusses his interpretation of Poirot (among many other things) in a contemporaneous interview added to the DVD, which also includes a making-of featurette and an interview with supporting player Birkin. If you’re a fancier of traditional whodunits, Death on the Nile should be at the top of your DVD must-have list. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Peter Ustinov began his long association with the Hercule Poirot character of murder mystery novelist Agatha Christie with this lavish but financially disappointing follow-up to the popular Murder on the Orient Express (1974). During a luxurious pleasure cruise down the Nile aboard a lavish vessel populated with wealthy passengers, widely despised heiress and home wrecker Linnet Ridgeway (Lois Chiles) is murdered. Also aboard is famed Belgian detective Poirot (Ustinov) and his taciturn traveling companion, Colonel Race (David Niven). Poirot undertakes an investigation into Ridgeway's killing. Among the colorful suspects are Salome (Angela Lansbury) and Rosalie Otterbourne (Olivia Hussey), Doctor Bessner (Jack Warden), Mrs. Van Schuyler (Bette Davis), Miss Bowers (Maggie Smith), and Jacqueline De Bellefort (Mia Farrow). As more bodies pile up, however, it appears that nearly everyone aboard has a motive. The script for Death on the Nile (1978) was adapted by Anthony Shaffer, the writer of Sleuth (1972) and the identical twin brother of Amadeus (1984) author Peter Shaffer. Karl Williams

Product Details

• UPC: 031398104827
• Source: LIONS GATE
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 2:20:00
• Sales Rank: 9,970

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Agatha Christie's Mysteries Collection

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