History Literature / AndThenThereWereNone

* FanHater: You are not allowed to like the play's ending ''or'' the Lombard/Vera pairing. ''Ever.'' [[TrueArtIsAngsty Because true art is angsty.]]

* /HeroicSociopath: Philip Lombard, to some degree.

* MagnificentBastard: [[spoiler: The murderer.]]

* MisaimedFandom: Let's just say that if the internet had existed when the book was first published, or if Agatha Christie had lived long enough to see the internet, she would have done a ''lot'' of [[WallBanger head-desking]] at the discovery of how fans found some of her most intentionally despicable murderers to be sympathetic.
** Christie was fond of having a sympathetic character turn out to be a murderer, because these types of characters tend not to be suspected by the reader. However, the notion that fans would ''still'' find these characters sympathetic after their guilt had become clear beyond a doubt would certainly make her mind boggle.
** Philip Lombard seems to be gaining himself a bit of a fandom in recent years, if the artwork pairing him up with a Mary Sue on DeviantArt is any indication. Hmm...[[DracoInLeatherPants Lombard in leather pants, maybe?]]
* MisBlamed: Rene Clair, director of the 1945 film version, received a lot of criticism for changing the ending of the book. A lot of people did not realize that the film's ending came from Christie herself, having changed it upon adapting the novel for the stage in 1943.
* MoralEventHorizon: Arguably, what all the guests' crimes basically are. [[HolierThanThou Emily Brent]] is the one fans vilify the most for her crime. Agatha Christie possibly knew about this and made her even ''more'' horrifying in the play by giving her a monologue where she admits she [[BreakTheCutie completely and totally broke poor Beatrice down]] [[CompleteMonster by more or less implying she's a slut whom no one will ever take in and that the father of her child would never dream of marrying her.]] Even [[{{Yandere}} Vera Claythorne]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards is horrified]], and ''that's'' saying something, considering what ''she'' did. Interestingly enough, [[MisaimedFandom fans don't give her as hard of a time as they do Miss Brent,]] as she is [[SympatheticMurderer mildly sympathetic]], but of course, [[YourMileageMayVary not everyone feels the same way.]]
** And then there's Philip Lombard, who is something of an AntiHero in the book regardless of what he did. The Russian film version, however, changes that. He ceases to be even a semi-likeable character when [[spoiler: he ''rapes'' an already mentally unstable Vera Claythorne, and it is subtly implied this plays a part in her [[DrivenToSuicide breakdown]] at the end.]]
* {{Narm}}: Anthony Marston singing the poem in TheMovie.
** [[spoiler: His death scene]] in the game also warrants an honourable mention. The cherry on top of said scene would have to be [[spoiler: Dr. Armstrong saying in a completely deadpan tone, "This man is dead." He may as well have said, [[SouthPark "Oh no, they killed Anthony. The bastards!"]] ]]
** The Harry Alan Towers adaptations are regarded to be NarmCharm at their [[SoBadItsGood absolute best]].

* RomanticPlotTumor: Averted in the original novel, and to a certain degree in Agatha Christie's stage version and the 1945 movie as well, but the Harry Alan Towers adaptations put much more focus on the romantic subplot between [[spoiler: the two survivors]] than on the actual mystery itself.
** [[LoveTriangle And the game. Dear Lord, the game...]]

* Emily Brent, a dour and [[HolierThanThou staunchly religious]] woman. Accused of causing the death of her maid Beatrice by firing her and turning her out of the household when she became pregnant and thus [[Main/DrivenToSuicide driving her to suicide]].

* Main/AcquittedTooLate: The TropeNamer, but not actually an example of the trope.
* Main/AdaptationDecay: The book undergoes this with nearly every film adaptation. The 1945 version is [[AdaptationDistillation fairly well regarded]], but the three versions by Harry Alan Towers -- especially the 1975 version -- are all considered to be messes.
** And then there's the game which added a new character for the sake of gameplay, created a love triangle between said character, Vera Claythorne, and Philip Lombard, changed a few character's deaths, ''and'' [[spoiler: the culprit's identity.]]
*** Averted in the Russian version, taking only two major liberties: [[spoiler: A scene between Lombard and Vera that can be interpreted to either be all-out rape or [[RapeIsLove a seriously twisted 'love' scene]], and instead of a MessageInABottle at the end, the killer has an internal monologue and commits suicide.]] Whether this is Adaptation Decay or PragmaticAdaptation [[YourMileageMayVary varies with the viewer.]]
* Main/AssholeVictim: ''None'' of the victims is exactly an innocent, though a few [[SympatheticMurderer are sympathetic to varying degrees.]]
* Main/AnyoneCanDie: And they ''do.'' [[spoiler: Subverted in Main/TheMovie, where the last two remaining characters barely survive, and Main/ThePlay where they actually have a rather cosy happy ending.]]
* Main/AxCrazy: [[spoiler: Vera, and to a lesser extent Wargrave.]]
* Main/BewareTheNiceOnes: [[spoiler: Vera, just...Vera.]]
* Main/BrainlessBeauty: Anthony Marston.
* Main/CensoredTitle: Originally titled ''Ten Little Niggers''; later versions were changed to ''Ten Little Indians'' or ''And Then There Were None''. ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desyat_Negrityat Desyat Negrityat]]'', the Soviet movie version, actually kept the original title and translated it into Russian despite being produced in 1987.
* Main/ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler: The hook on the ceiling in Vera's room.]] To a lesser extent, the rhyme when it is first introduced may also count.

* Main/TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:The killer with an elaborate Xanatos Roulette.]]

* [[Main/CrowningMusicofAwesome Crowning Music Of Awesome]]: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcQ-E0BS0UM The opening theme to the game.]] Whether you love or hate the game, hell, even if you hate it, you can't deny that the theme does an excellent job of capturing the creepy atmosphere.
* Main/DeadPersonImpersonation: A plot twist not in the book but in the many movie versions reveals [[spoiler: "Philip Lombard" is really Charles Morley who came in Lombard's place after the real Lombard committed suicide upon receiving U.N. Owen's letter.]] And in the game, [[spoiler: you have ''two'' dead person impersonators; one is Morley, the other is Gabrielle Steel masquerading as Emily Brent, whom she did away with earlier as part of her plan.]]
* Main/DownerEnding: There's a reason why only the Russian movie adaptation uses it. Highlight the spoiler in AnyoneCanDie.
* Main/DrivenToSuicide: Beatrice Taylor (Emily Brent's 'victim') and also [[spoiler: Vera Claythorne.]]

* Main/EmpathicEnvironment: The worsening weather coincides with the worsening situation on the island.
* Main/FanHater: You are not allowed to like the play's ending ''or'' the Lombard/Vera pairing. ''Ever.'' [[TrueArtIsAngsty Because true art is angsty.]]
* Main/FanService: In the 1965 adaptation, Shirley Eaton, in the role of Vera, gets quite a few scenes in her underwear and at least one [[Main/ModestyTowel modesty towel.]] In the Russian version, Vera also gets a scene in her [[Main/BlackBraAndPanties black]] underwear, which is followed by [[spoiler: a [[SexyBack bare back shot]] minutes later with Lombard...[[FanDisservice as he begins to rape her.]] Er, yeah...]]
* Main/FingertipDrugAnalysis
* Main/GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In the play, Emily Brent makes various comments on Vera Claythorne not wanting to appear flashy to her hostess right before making a nasty comment on how tight her dress appears (with Vera, of course, being [[NaiveEverygirl utterly naive]] as to what she ''really'' means). And then there are the various instances of Lombard flirting with Vera, which include Lombard's line about being regretful he and Vera did not wake up at the same time because they could've gone down to the ocean to "have a bathe" together.
* Main/HangingJudge: Wargrave.
* Main/HeroicSociopath: Philip Lombard, to some degree.
** Also [[spoiler: Wargrave, who basically describes himself as someone who ''likes'' killing and inflicting pain, [[Main/LawfulEvil but only does so to those he feels they deserve it by law.]].]]
* Main/HolierThanThou: Emily Brent.
* Main/HotterAndSexier: The 1965 version changed the elderly spinster character to a glamorous actress solely to allow another beautiful woman to be cast (a change that would be retained in both the 1975 and 1989 versions). It was also the first adaptation of a Christie work to contain a sex scene (which had not been present in the original novel). Christie was not pleased.

* Main/IronicNurseryTune
* Main/KarmaHoudini: ''Cruelly'' subverted with the victims. [[spoiler: Played straight with the murderer though, depending on whether or not you think the murderer's actions are justified.]]
* Main/KillEmAll
* Main/KnightTemplar: [[spoiler: Wargrave, who was a borderline psychopath, but still retained ''some'' morals and preferred to [[Main/LawfulEvil use the law and what he considered justice]] to get what he wanted.]].
* Main/LargeHam: ''Every'' actor who has portrayed the Anthony Marston equivalent in the Hollywood adaptations. Mischa Auer in particular could be said to the worst offender.
* Main/LighterAndSofter: The play and 1945 movie version fall under this, as do the Harry Alan Towers adaptations.
** In contrast, the Russian version is [[Main/DarkerAndEdgier darker and edgier.]] The first victim ''crashes through a plate and gets the glass stuck in the face'' for crying out loud!
* Main/LockedRoomMystery: [[spoiler: All that is left at the end is a bunch of dead bodies on an island.]] The times and manners of death are completely contradictory and baffle the police.
* Main/MagnificentBastard: [[spoiler: The murderer.]]
* Main/MessageInABottle: Discovered at the end.
* Main/MindRape: The "mundane" version, that is. ''Every'' single victim goes through it, thanks to [[spoiler: Wargrave]], and the one who takes the worst part is Vera Claythorne.
* Main/MisaimedFandom: Let's just say that if the internet had existed when the book was first published, or if Agatha Christie had lived long enough to see the internet, she would have done a ''lot'' of [[Main/WallBanger head-desking]] at the discovery of how fans found some of her most intentionally despicable murderers to be sympathetic.

** Philip Lombard seems to be gaining himself a bit of a fandom in recent years, if the artwork pairing him up with a Mary Sue on DeviantArt is any indication. Hmm...[[Main/DracoInLeatherPants Lombard in leather pants, maybe?]]
* Main/MisBlamed: Rene Clair, director of the 1945 film version, received a lot of criticism for changing the ending of the book. A lot of people did not realize that the film's ending came from Christie herself, having changed it upon adapting the novel for the stage in 1943.
* Main/MoralEventHorizon: Arguably, what all the guests' crimes basically are. [[Main/HolierThanThou Emily Brent]] is the one fans vilify the most for her crime. Agatha Christie possibly knew about this and made her even ''more'' horrifying in the play by giving her a monologue where she admits she [[Main/BreakTheCutie completely and totally broke poor Beatrice down]] [[Main/CompleteMonster by more or less implying she's a slut whom no one will ever take in and that the father of her child would never dream of marrying her.]] Even [[{{Yandere}} Vera Claythorne]] [[Main/EvenEvilHasStandards is horrified]], and ''that's'' saying something, considering what ''she'' did. Interestingly enough, [[Main/MisaimedFandom fans don't give her as hard of a time as they do Miss Brent,]] as she is [[Main/SympatheticMurderer mildly sympathetic]], but of course, [[Main/YourMileageMayVary not everyone feels the same way.]]
** And then there's Philip Lombard, who is something of an Main/AntiHero in the book regardless of what he did. The Russian film version, however, changes that. He ceases to be even a semi-likeable character when [[spoiler: he ''rapes'' an already mentally unstable Vera Claythorne, and it is subtly implied this plays a part in her [[Main/DrivenToSuicide breakdown]] at the end.]]
* Main/{{Narm}}: Anthony Marston singing the poem in TheMovie.

** The Harry Alan Towers adaptations are regarded to be Narm at their [[Main/SoBadItsGood absolute best]]... but are also regarded to be Main/AdaptationDecay, especially at their worst.
* Main/ObfuscatingDisability: Some stage versions place [[spoiler: Judge Lawrence Wargrave]] in a wheelchair, leading to a dramatic reveal of the murderer.
* Main/OldDarkHouse
* Main/ThePerfectCrime
* Main/PoeticSerialKiller
* {{Main/Pride}}: Miss Brent is consumed by it.
* Main/PsychoLesbian: The 1989 adaptation had [[spoiler: Emily Brent]] replaced by Marion (Brenda Vaccaro), [[spoiler: an actress who killed her lesbian lover when she started blackmailing her.]]
* Main/PsychologicalThriller: The book has elements of this. The Russian movie version expands on this [[Main/AdaptationDistillation and it works very, very well.]]
* Main/RedHerring: Referred to in the poem; one character points it out, but with the wrong interpretation.
* Main/RedHerringMole: While every single character is a suspect (right up until they die), the one who gains the most suspicion in the latter half of the book is [[spoiler:Doctor Armstrong]], who of course turns out to only have been a pawn in the serial killer's game.
* Main/RevisedEnding: When AgathaChristie adapted her own novel for the stage, she felt that the ending wasn't dramatically satisfying for the stage, so she altered it so [[spoiler: the novel's most sympathetic characters were innocent, survived, and fell in love]]. In turn, the ending was used for nearly all the adaptations. This was surprisingly averted in both the Russian move version and Kevin Elyot's 2005 stage adaptation, both of which kept the novel's original ending.
* Main/RomanticPlotTumor: Averted in the original novel, and to a certain degree in Agatha Christie's stage version and the 1945 movie as well, but the Harry Alan Towers adaptations put much more focus on the romantic subplot between [[spoiler: the two survivors]] than on the actual mystery itself.
** [[Main/LoveTriangle And the game. Dear Lord, the game...]]
* Main/SerialKiller
** Main/SerialKillerKiller
* Main/ShipTease: The 1945 Hollywood adaptation...just...the 1945 Hollywood adaptation.
* Main/TenLittleMurderVictims: TropeNamer, obviously.
* Main/TheyJustDidntCare: All three Harry Alan Towers films changed the locale of the story, as well as most of the character names, for no identifiable reason.

* Main/TrueArtIsAngsty: So say the fans who prefer the novel's ending, though this can be somewhat justified in that many of the adaptations [[Main/AdaptationDecay did not handle the play's ending very well.]] It does get fairly annoying when daring to admit you ''like'' the play's ending.

* Main/UriahGambit: [=MacArthur=]'s method of killing his wife Leslie's lover.
* Main/{{UST}}: [[spoiler: Lombard and Vera]] in the book, [[spoiler: but gets resolved in the play and many movie adaptations.]] The Russian film version also resolves it...[[Main/RapeIsLove in a much more disturbing way.]]
* Main/VigilanteExecution
* Main/VigilanteMan: U. N. Owen.
* Main/WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: In TheMovie:

* Main/WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Or wasps and bees, in Miss Brent's case.
* Main/WouldntHitAGirl: Played straight with Philip Lombard and Vera Claythorne [[spoiler: with disastrous results, as she shoots him to death.]]
* Main/XanatosFuneral
* Main/XanatosRoulette [[spoiler: Which works in the book... but fails with the final two characters surviving in Main/TheMovie and Main/ThePlay]]
* Main/YamatoNadeshiko: Vera Claythorne completely ''deconstructs'' it, becoming a...
** Main/{{Yandere}}: Less in the movie adaptations, but ''very'' much in the book.

* Main/YouLookFamiliar: Herbert Lom played Dr. Armstrong in the 1975 version and General [=MacArthur=] (renamed General Romensky) in the 1989 version.

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* Main/{{Darwinist}}: Philip Lombard.

* Main/CensoredTitle: Originally titled ''Ten Little Niggers''; later versions were changed to ''Ten Little Indians'' or ''And Then There Were None''.

Written by AgathaChristie in 1939 and then adapted into a play in 1943 by the author herself, with a RevisedEnding. Several [[FilmOfTheBook film versions]] have been made, most of which use the play's ending rather than that of the book (which makes sense once you know the book's ending). Four English language films have been produced, in 1945, 1965, 1975, and 1989, the latter three all produced by Harry Alan Towers. A Russian film was produced in 1987, which is notable for being the only major adaptation to use the novel's original ending. There also was a videogame featuring an additional character as an investigator that has MultipleEndings, one of them the same as the play, as well as the original ending as lockable content after finishing the game.

Written by AgathaChristie and later made into several play and film adaptations, all of which revised the ending. (Which makes sense once you know the book ending.) There also was a videogame featuring an additional character as an investigator that has MultipleEndings, one of them the same as the movie, as well as the original ending as lockable content after finishing the game. The original title was actually ''Ten Little Niggers,'' (!) which was later renamed to ''Ten Little Indians'' (in the UK) or ''And Then There Were None'' (in the US). So it goes.

Trope namer for TenLittleMurderVictims. Partial inspiration for the game and film {{Clue}}.

* Main/AdaptationDecay: The book undergoes this with nearly every film adaptation. The 1945 version is fairly well regarded, but the three versions by Harry Alan Towers -- especially the 1975 version -- are all considered to be messes.

-->''"U.N.Owen...is one of us." * cue dramatic thunder and lightning* ''

* Main/FanService: In the 1965 adaptation, Shirley Eaton, in the role of Vera, gets quite a few scenes in her underwear and at least one [[Main/ModestyTowel modesty towel.]] In the Russian version, Vera also gets a scene in her [[Main/BlackBraAndPanties black]] underwear, which is followed by [[spoiler: a [[SexyBack bareback shot]] minutes later with Lombard...[[FanDisservice as he begins to rape her.]] Er, yeah...]]

* ContrivedConincidence: The storm that ''just happened'' to show up and prevent any would-be escapee from swimming away from the island.

* Vera Claythorne, a young former governess, now gym teacher and secretary. Accused of causing the death of her lover Hugo's little nephew, Cyril, by encouraging him to swim out to sea alone and drown, so that Hugo could inherit his brother's (Cyril's father's) estate. [[spoiler:Hugo actually adored the kid like a son; he broke up with Vera and almost went insane with pain and guilt, [[Main/DrowningMySorrows finding solace in booze]].]]

* Judge Lawrence Wargrave, a retired HangingJudge with a no-nonsense attitude. Accused of causing the death of an accused murderer by steering the jury into sentencing him to death, despite evidence supporting his innocence; he claims that the preponderance of the evidence pointed toward the ''guilt'' of the accused, and he only kept the jury focused on the facts of the case.

-->"Ten little Indian boys went out to dine;
-->One choked his little self and then there were nine.
-->Nine little Indian boys sat up very late;
-->One overslept himself and then there were eight.
-->Eight little Indian boys traveling in Devon;
-->One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.
-->Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks;
-->One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
-->Six little Indian boys playing with a hive;
-->A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
-->Five little Indian boys going in for law;
-->One got into Chancery and then there were four.
-->Four little Indian boys going out to sea;
-->A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
-->Three little Indian boys walking in the zoo;
-->A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
-->Two little Indian boys were out in the sun;
-->One got all frizzled up and then there was one.
-->One little Indian boy left all alone;
-->He went and hanged himself [[TitleDrop and then there were none."]]

* Main/ValuesDissonance: The controversy resulting from the original title.

Trope namer for TenLittleMurderVictims. Partial inspiration for the game and film ''{{Clue}}''.

Written by AgathaChristie and later made into several play and film adaptations, all of which revised the ending. (Which makes sense once you know the book ending.) There also was a videogame featuring an additional character as an investigator that has MultipleEndings, one of them the same as the movie, as well as the original ending as lockable content after finishing the game. The original title was actually ''Ten Little Niggers,'' which was later renamed to ''Ten Little Indians'' (in the UK) or ''And Then There Were None'' (in the US). So it goes.

Partial inspiration for the game and film ''{{Clue}}''.

Any serious mystery fan knows this one by heart: Ten people, strangers to each other, are summoned to an island. There, a mysterious recording accuses each one of being the cause of another's death, and one by one, murders start cropping up among them, each one executed in a fashion similar to those in the "Ten Little Indians" rhyme. The remaining ones come to the only possible conclusion: the murderer(ess?) must be one of them. Paranoia and suspicion run high, as each person tries to outwit the killer at his or her game. Which one of them cannot be trusted? And how long will it be before the next Indian is offed...?

Partially inspired ''{{Clue}}''.

*** Averted in the Russian version, taking only two major liberties: [[spoiler: A scene between Lombard and Vera that can be interpreted to either be all-out rape or [[RapeIsLove a seriously twisted 'love' scene]], and instead of a MessageInABottle at the end, the killer has an internal monologue and commits suicide.]] Whether this is Adaptation Decay or [[AdaptationDistillation Adaptation Distillation]] [[YourMileageMayVary varies with the viewer.]]