Film / Evil Under the Sun

A 1982 film directed by Guy Hamilton and based on Agatha Christie's 1941 Hercule Poirot book of the same name. Starring Peter Ustinov in his second appearance as the famous Belgian Detective, four years after Death on the Nile (1978).

With an all star cast, alongside Ustinov, that included James Mason, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg and Jane Birkin and the music of Cole Porter. It would be the second of five films featuring Ustinov in the role.

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The film provides examples of:

• Adapted Out: Reverend Stephen Lane and Major Barry do not appear.
• Adaptation Name Change: Changes Edward Corrigan's name to Felix Ruber, Latin for "Red Fern", in order to introduce another linguistic clue to the killer's identity.
• Adaptational Heroism:
  • Mrs Castle, originally nothing more than the rather strict hotel owner, is given the name Daphne and combined with the character of Rosamund, becoming Kenneth's love interest and Poirot's main assistant during the investigation. She also helps him trap the killer at the end by taking his signature.
  • Sir Horace Blatt is generally more likeable in this version, and is not a dope smuggler but simply a millionaire who had an affair with Arlena.
  • A minor one for Christine, who does not try to convince Linda to commit suicide in this version (an act which definitely pushed her over the Moral Event Horizon in the novel.) She's still an active accomplice to multiple murders, though.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Unlike the original book, Arlena actively bullies and mistreats Linda, insulting her and shoving her out of the way, and her flirtation with Patrick becomes more shameless and disrespectful of her husband.
• Adaptational Villainy: Linda lies in order to deny Rex Brewster his alibi because she wants to see him go down for murder so he can't publish his book about Arlena, and only admits the truth when her father questions her. Granted, she's still a child (younger than in the book) and her acting out is somewhat understandable, since she has been on the receiving end of a higher level of sustained psychological abuse from Arlena than her novel counterpart was.
• The Alibi: In this adaptation, Odell Gardner seems rather proud of being the only guest without an alibi, having been reading quietly outside. However, unbeknownst to him, he does have one after all since he was seen through the window by Daphne Castle. The killers, meanwhile, created a fraudulent and seemingly unshakable two-handed alibi involving Clock Discrepancy.
• Asshole Victim: Slightly closer to being Played Straight with Arlena, in comparison to the book. However, Poirot still feels sad at the death of "poor, foolish, beautiful, gullible Arlena Marshall."
• Beneath Suspicion: Addresses this point of the novel by giving all the suspects alibis.
• Camp: Loads of it, with a Cole Porter soundtrack consisting of instrumentals of all his songs.
• Camp Gay: Rex Brewster, whose flamboyant mannerisms are reminiscent of Noël Coward. Daphne refers to him as a "fruit" at one point.
  Daphne Castle: I was wrong about cherchez la femme. Sorry about that. But it's just got to be cherchez le fruit!
• Composite Character: Combines Mrs Castle and Rosamund Darnley into one character, Daphne Castle.
• Deadpan Snarker: Daphne Castle. For example:
  Arlena Marshall: (arriving at outdoor buffet luncheon in swimming attire) I'm so sorry, are we late? Patrick insisted upon rowing me right round the island, and it's much bigger than I thought. Poor darling, he's absolutely exhausted.
  Daphne Castle: (dryly, knowing what they've actually been up to) I'm not in the least surprised.

  And after Poirot has signed his name in hotel register

  Daphne Castle: Oh, so you're the famous Hercule Poirot, eh?
  Hercule Poirot: Ah, you are too amiable, madame.
  Daphne: Perhaps. I hope you haven't come here to practice your sleuthing games on my guests; they've all got far too many skeletons in their cupboards to join in with enthusiasm.
• Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: Subverted. One of the murder suspects, Patrick Redfern, is seen with a pipe throughout the film, but it's only at the end that Poirot realizes he's never actually been seen smoking it. The reason: he's hidden a stolen diamond in the bowl.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Poirot immediately realizes that Christine was lying about having vertigo, when he goes to the cliff where she waved at Linda and finds that in order to do so one would have to have stood at the very edge, which would give anyone a fear of heights. In the original novel, Poirot makes this discovery about Christine not suffering from vertigo during a group outing for a picnic instead.
• Foreshadowing: Daphne tells her old rival Arlena to "have a good, long, peaceful rest" after checking her and her husband in. Guess who ends up dead?
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: Just before Poirot signs the hotel register, the camera pans over the names of previous guests just long enough to read. One of those names is that of Cole Porter, who wrote the film's score.
• Gender Flip: The spinsterish-but-athletic Emily Brewster becomes the flamboyantly effeminate Rex Brewster.
• Grand Staircase Entrance: Jane Birkin does a stylish one in the climax, as Christine no longer has to pretend to be the meek, mousy housewife.
• Irony: Daphne pegs Patrick and Christine as the murderers, only for Poirot to tell her they have alibis. Turns out they were the murderers.
• Idiot Ball: Poirot turns his back on Patrick to brag long enough for the latter to land a serious punch on him. When you consider that Patrick was about to go down for two murders, Poirot was rather lucky that all he got was a punch and not a knife through the ribs.
• Informed Flaw: Shrinking Violet Christine claims she has serious vertigo and can't even go down steps without feeling a little dizzy. That contradicts how she could possibly wave to Linda in the bay, when doing so would have forced her to stand at the very edge of a cliff a hundred feet high at the very least. It gives Poirot dizziness to replicate it.
• Just One Little Mistake: Drawn out. It seems that the killers will get away - complete with a grand exit and a final taunt - when Poirot suddenly reveals that Patrick made several mistakes: paying his hotel bill with a signed cheque, giving linguistic clues to his alter-ego's identity, and conspicuously having his pipe in his mouth without smoking it.
• Large Ham: Everyone. Every single star of the film exaggerates their famed personalities just for this production, it seems.
• Lighter and Softer: This film is very light-hearted compared to the original novel, as well as to the previous Ustinov Poirot film, Death on the Nile. Among other things, this version of the story removes the drug-smuggling subplot and Linda's attempted suicide.
• Louis Cypher: Patrick tells Poirot that as a music teacher, he enjoys telling his students that Guiseppe Verdi's name in English is a pedestrian Joe Green. It's a mistake, because Hercule notes that Patrick's last name, Redfern, in Latin is "Felix Ruber", a suspect in a murder case involving Ruber's wife, making him realize Patrick's name is a pseudonym.
• Mama Bear: A mild case with Daphne Castle, who doesn't take kindly to Arlena's abuse towards Linda. After Arlena cruelly (and against her father's wishes) banishes Linda from the cocktail party, Daphne retaliates by passive-aggressively sabotaging her song.
• Mr. Fanservice: Nicholas Clay as Patrick Redfern. Only two or three of the male characters strip down to a bathing suit, despite everyone being guests on an island resort with several beaches. However, while all the other bathing suits seen are period-typical one-pieces (which look like a tank top attached to a pair of short-shorts), Patrick Redfern swaggers around in a pair of tiny (for the day) briefs (which can't entirely cover his ass) and nothing else.
  • This may even be a bit of subtle Foreshadowing: Patrick's casual display of his good looks is a hint that instead of being "that poor, stupid man" falling for the charms of maneater Arlena, it's actually the other way around; he's a lethal Casanova who is an expert at using his good looks to seduce women.
• Named by the Adaptation: Mrs. Castle is called Daphne in this version.
• Passive-Aggressive Kombat:
  • Daphne Castle (Maggie Smith) and Arlena Marshall (Diana Rigg), to hilarious effect.
    Daphne Castle: Arlena and I are old sparring partners.
    Arlena Marshall: Hello, Daphne.
    Daphne: Oh, it's been years.
    Arlena: A little time, yes.
    Daphne: Years. Arlena and I were in the chorus of a show together. Not that I could ever compete. Even in those days, she could always throw her legs up in the air higher than any of us. And wider.
    Arlena: Kenneth, this is such a surprise! When you told me of an island run by a quaint little landlady, I had no idea it was Daphne Castle.
    Kenneth Marshall: (embarrassed) Er, yes, quite. Daphne, I wonder if we could go to our rooms. It's been a long journey.
    Daphne: Oh, certainly. (rings the bell, and calls out) Andreas! (no response)
    Arlena: If you're short-staffed, Kenneth can easily carry the bags.
    Daphne: They'll be brought up in a minute! Do have a good, long, peaceful rest, Arlena.
    • Later, during that evening's cocktail gathering:
    Arlena: (making a grand entrance) Oh my, I'm the last to arrive!
    Daphne: Have a sausage, dear. You must be famished, having to wait all that time in your room.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: Took assorted liberties with the plot, such as giving all the suspects alibis (to cover up the fact that in the original novel, only the murderers had one), beefing up the character of the hotel owner, making the American tourists theater producers (and turning the husband into a Brit played by James Mason), and changing the dowdy spinster into a gay man played by Roddy McDowall.
• Ruritania: Set in the Adriatic kingdom of "Tyrania" (apparently inspired by Albania). The book was set in Devon.
• Sarcastic Clapping: The killer does this in the climax, believing that Poirot has no physical evidence.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: After Christine gives up the ruse of being a hothouse orchid, she's absolutely stunning, with haughtiness to match.
• Shrinking Violet: Christine, who expresses her frustration at being cuckolded by Arlena and not able to do anything about it to Poirot. Poirot is entirely sympathetic. Too bad it's all an act.
  Christine: How I wish I could do that, just lie in the sun.
  Poirot: Mais pourquoi, madame? Look at them lying in rows, like corpses at the morgue! They are not men and women. Nothing personal about them. They're just bodies, butcher's meat, steaks grilling in the sun.
• Smug Snake: Both Patrick and Christine become incredibly smug when they think they've gotten away scot free.
• Sore Loser: The killer punches Poirot to the floor.
• Spanner in the Works: From the killer's point of view, Poirot is the first obvious example, but another significant one is Rex Brewster whose presence in Gull Bay at noon ultimately destroys Christine's false alibi, and who furthermore witnesses the dumping of the bottle of sun-tan lotion into the sea.
• Stylish Sunhats: Almost every female member of the cast sports one of these at some point in the film. Arlena's red, Chinese-style hat ends up playing a role in her murder.
• Title Drop:
  Poirot: The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and yet you forget that everywhere there is evil under the sun.
• Two Dun It: One of Christie's favorite tropes, and this is a classic example with Patrick and Christine. Is theirs a broken marriage, with Patrick openly flaunting his infidelity in Christine's face? No, they are partners in crime who conspired to murder Arlena.
• Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: This trope comes into play somewhat as a result of the story being given Lighter and Softer treatment, while the main villain, Patrick Redfern, remains the same cold-blooded serial seducer and killer of naïve women that he was in the novel. For her part, at least Christine's attempts to drive Linda to suicide are omitted.
• Wicked Stepmother: Arlena. She is insulting and abusive to Linda, takes every opportunity to shove her out of the way so she can have people's attention all to herself, and at one point actually calls her Cinderella. None of this occurs in the original book.

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