Evil Under the Sun 4K 1982 Ultra HD 2160p

The title clearly indicates that this is a film adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel. Hercule Poirot (Ustinov) is investigating a case in a beautiful, sun-drenched resort, unraveling the complex alibis of his clients. This beautifully and skillfully made film features a cast of top-tier stars. At the time, the film was broadcast on television.

User Review

Since I haven't read the novel of the same name by Agatha Christie, the queen of detective fiction, I can't say how accurately the spirit of the book has been conveyed. However, when viewed as a standalone work (and I must admit that I am convinced that this is the only way to view film adaptations, as they are intended for the widest possible audience), Guy Hamilton's film makes an extremely positive impression. Firstly, because it features a magnificent cast; secondly, because the director masterfully maintains the intrigue; and finally, because of the wonderfully recreated retro atmosphere. The plot unfolds somewhere in a seaside resort on the Adriatic, where a motley crew of vacationers gathers in a small hotel located on a picturesque island, in the best traditions of detective stories. Among them are an elderly married couple, New York producers, who are courting a famous actress in order to get her to join their new project; the diva herself, who is having an affair right under her new husband's nose; her husband with his teenage daughter; a young couple who constantly quarrel out of jealousy; a tabloid reporter trying to get permission from the actress to publish her biography (with all the juicy details of her life), and finally the hotel owner herself, an eccentric lady with a dubious reputation as the former mistress of a local millionaire. While the vacationers play tennis, swim in the sea, ride catamarans, and sunbathe, completely relaxed under the rays of the sun, evil makes its presence known—suddenly, during a boat trip, the actress is found lying lifeless on the beach. The cause of death is quickly established: the vivacious woman was cold-bloodedly strangled. Not wanting any unnecessary fuss and the inevitable publicity that would follow if the vacationers went to the local police, the owner of the establishment resorts to the services of the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who happens to be staying at her hotel. He, of course, takes on the investigation of this complicated case, which is further complicated by the fact that absolutely all of the island's guests had ironclad alibis for the alleged time of the murder. Of course, the cunning perpetrator will not get away with it this time either, because, as the Belgian himself likes to say, if Hercule Poirot takes on a case, you can rest assured that it will definitely be solved! How did he manage to figure out the murderer's name this time? If you want to know the answer, you'll have to watch the movie, because it's a detective story, and a classic representative of the genre at that, and I have no desire to reveal anything more about the further developments on the resort island.

However, I can confidently talk about the actors involved in the production. Peter Ustinov and Jane Birkin met again on the set of the Poirot film (they starred together in the previous film, Death on the Nile ), although the latter plays a completely different role here—this time she plays Christine, the jealous wife of a womanizer who has taken a fancy to the actress herself. In addition to them, Maggie Smith deserves special mention for her role as the resort owner, Miss Daphne Castle, who fussily ensures her guests have a comfortable stay and is constantly scolding her negligent staff—a truly funny and unforgettable character. I also liked James Mason in the role of Mr. Gardner, an elderly producer with a cynical sense of humor. Young Emily Hawn was surprisingly natural on screen in the role of Linda, the daughter of Kenneth Marshall and stepdaughter of the murdered Arlene Stewart. The unhappy married couple, in turn, were played by Dennis Keeley and Diana Rigg. The latter, by the way, was perfectly suited to the role of the femme fatale and movie star. But most of all, I was personally surprised by Roddy McDowell in the role of the sly hack Rex Brewster. And it wasn't his acting that surprised me, but the fact that in his snow-white captain's cap he looked incredibly like... our Oleg Menshikov in the role of Ostap Bender in The Golden Calf!

The author of the screenplay adaptation, Anthony Shaffer, is not the first to bring Agatha Christie's novel to the screen, working carefully and confidently with the classic text. For example, he introduced the intrigue with a diamond that had been replaced with a clever forgery, which is why Hercule Poirot ended up at that ill-fated resort. Those who have read the novel assure us that there was no storyline in the detective story involving Arlene's former suitor, the respectable millionaire Horace Blatt, who, according to the film's script, hired the famous detective to investigate the case of his impersonation. So Poirot came on vacation, not expecting to get involved in another cunning murder. But in my opinion, the conflicts related to the substitution of the precious jewelry and the search for the real stone are very harmoniously linked to the investigation of the actress's murder and the exposure of a dangerous criminal who has infiltrated the vacationers.

The delightful nature of the resort paradise and the excellent work of the set designers and prop masters transport the viewer back to the 1930s, allowing them to feel as if they are on vacation with the other characters in the story. I must admit that after watching Guy Hamilton's film, I suddenly wanted to go to the Adriatic myself — the main thing is that there are no similar murders, because detectives with an analytical mind like Monsieur Poirot can only exist in detective novels and their film adaptations...

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (84.7 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Info Audio

#English: FLAC 2.0
#French: LPCM 2.0
#German: LPCM 2.0

Info Subtitles