Autumn in August seeks some shade from Evil Under the Sun

Welcome back to Autumn in August for another round of Agatha  Christie style killer cocktails via 1982’s Evil Under the Sun.

Peter Ustinov once again plays Hercule Poirot (his second time portraying that particular character onscreen; he did at least four films as that iconic detective) who winds at an island resort on the behalf of a jilted millionaire wanting to reclaim a valuable piece of jewelry from a potential fiancé.

That woman in question is the infamous stage actress Arlena Stuart(Diana Rigg), who quickly dropped one rich man for another more vulnerable one;widower Kenneth Marshall(Denis Quigley) and is taking their honeymoon at a remote island resort run by Daphne Castle(Maggie Smith).

Daphne clearly has a bit of a crush on Kenneth, a regular visitor to the resort(and is certainly nicer to his daughter Linda than Arlena is). As it turns out, Daphne and Arlena were chorus girl rivals back in the day and the torch is lit for that diva feud to strike up again:

In fact, Arlena is pretty much surrounded by people who can’t stand her such as Rex Brewster(Roddy McDowell) a celebrity biographer who Arlena refuses to allow to publish a book about her, the Gardiners(James Mason and Sylvia Miles), husband and wife Broadway producers who Arlena ran out on during a major production and want her to make up to them by starring in a new show.

Most importantly, Christine Redfern(Jane Birkin) has very good reason to despise Arlena as her husband Patrick(Nicholas Clay)is carrying on a very blatant affair with the now Mrs. Marshall right under their mutual new spouses noses.

In fact, Arlena arranged for the handsome yet low wage earning Latin teacher to be on the island with his sickly and cross bride, which certainly raises a few eyebrows there!

However, when Arlena is found dead on a secluded beach, just about everyone has an alibi for the murder. Especially the Redferns, which has Poirot puzzled to be sure. Nevertheless, his little grey cells find a way to solve the case and reclaim that missing diamond brooch to boot.

While Evil Under the Sun is not as intense as Death on the Nile, there is plenty of fun to be found.

Maggie Smith is delightfully amusing at times whether she’s engaging in bitchy comments with Diana Riggs or trying to play amateur detective with Poirot(most of her theories come from crime novels). It’s a charming supporting character performance that displays the talents of the future Dowager Duchess at Downton Abbey perfectly.

Ustinov has a lighter touch with Poirot in this film and it makes his scenes all the more enjoyable. He attempts to amuse the understandably dour Linda with a magic trick, annoy the resort staff with his finicky food requests and his idea of taking a swim has to be seen to be believed:

All in all, Evil Under the Sun is a beach book kind of movie; a lively romp that will make you long for summer in the depths of winter and yet still feel new to you whenever you take it up again.

A nice touch right from the start are the opening credits which showcase a set of sketches (similar to the ones that a character uses to set up their alibi) that give the story a subtle bookish air. Too bad that device wasn’t used for the end credits as well but it still ends nicely there:

Please join us next time for Autumn in August when our Agatha Christie sleuth is Miss Jane Marple in The Mirror Crack’d.

It’s going to be quite the all star event as we not only have Angela Lansbury on deck but the likes of Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis and the great lady herself, Elizabeth Taylor as a once acclaimed movie star who might possibly be the target of a murder plot. Popcorn must be properly popped for this one!: