It uses a carefully constructed system of death imagery to set the tone. I’m not just talking about storms, flickering lights, and ghostly shadows. The most brilliant aspect of this gradual unveiling of her character is ***slight spoiler*** that she may be the most deranged criminal of them all.Īnd Then There Were None weaves an intensely foreboding atmosphere. As each guest is presumably guilty, the audience pushes back against the belief that Vera committed such a terrible crime. Vera appears the most relatable character in And Then There Were None. Despite having an ensemble cast at her disposal, Phelps brilliantly centers the revelations around the character of Vera Claythorne (Maeve Dermody), a former nanny seeking new employment. It weaves a dreamlike narrative to gradually construct each character’s past while pushing forward with clinical precision to detail their ultimate fates. This is hardly a new story, yet the highest compliment that can be paid to it is how fresh and unique the production felt.ĭirected by with an assured hand by Craig Viveiros from a screenplay by Sarah Phelps ( EastEnders), And Then There Were None gradually unfolds in two styles. That’s part of the reason this modern interpretation knocked me for a loop. The central story – that of the systematic butchering of an assembled group of party goers at a remote island mansion – has a resonance and popularity that has permeated our culture since original publication (as, I swear, Ten Little N****** before it settled into its slightly more socially acceptable name of Ten Little Indians) back in 1939. Positioned as a Downton Abbey meets Friday the 13th, And Then There Were None is a delicate, fine-tuned handling of the well-trodden material. It’s one of the best Limited Series of the Emmy year and deserves recognition and to compete as such. For some arcane reason, the series will only be considered for International Emmys, which is a terrible shame (and bizarre given War & Peace‘s placement in this year’s US-based Emmy race). Consider me, then, to have been blown away by the quiet brilliance of Lifetime/BBC’s sterling production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Norrell, or don’t and take my word for it). Maybe I’m an easy lay, but it’s far more likely to be crushingly disappointed (see: Jonathan Strange & Mr. It’s not as if television were completely devoid of quality, but quite a bit of what I come across manages to meet my already high expectations. It’s always a good thing, of course, to be so pleasantly surprised. It happens on occasion, although extremely rare, that a television event will strike you in unexpected ways. It should be considered for the Primetime Emmys Awards, but it’s not… And Then There Were None is an Emmy-worthy modern classic of elegant suspense layered with subtle explorations of the nature of evil.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |