sanddragon939 Having seen all the four British adaptations of Agatha Christie's bestselling novel 'And Then There were None' AKA 'Ten Little Indians', I decided to turn my attention to the Soviet adaptation of this great work-'Desyat Negrityat'. For me, the biggest lure of this film was the fact that, unlike the English adaptations, it retained the dark and disturbing ending of the original work.As I had expected, this film WAS a much more faithful adaptation of the book than any other, in EVERY respect. And therein lies one of its faults. With virtually every scene in the novel included, the pacing off this film suffers, especially in the first half; there are long stretches of expository dialogue which, while informative vis a vi the plot, leaves the viewer yearning for action. Where the film succeeds however, is firstly, in the setting-the sheer modern simplicity of the house on Indian Island belies the horrifying deaths which occur within its walls one after the other, a juxtaposition which is chilling indeed. Secondly, unlike any of the other adaptations, this film does a great job exploring the inner torment and psychological conflicts of the characters under siege...the character of 'Vera Claythorne' in particular; adding a depth to the story lacking in previous theatrical renditions.On the whole, 'Desyat Negrityat' has its flaws, but it is a great watch nonetheless...and leaves one hoping for an English adaptation of the novel that is nearly as faithful!

iconians This is not the type of movie that a typical moviegoer will seek, so, instead I will give some other insight.This was the only movie that ever gave me nightmares when I was a kid. Mostly, I think it's because the movie achieved a rare feat of actually transforming not only the book and it's characters to the screen but also the atmosphere.Many people will not watch this movie just based on it's original name, but I can assure you, the name conveys no negative information. That leads to believe that it's P.C title, is just a cop-out.As far as adaptations done, there are no better versions of any ever made.10/10

Robert J. Maxwell There are, that I know of, three other film adaptations of Agatha Christie's novel and this is the grimmest and truest of them. Ten people -- two servants and eight guests, all strangers to one another -- are invited to a weekend on an isolated island. This is the bleakest, jaggedest, rockiest island you ever saw, even though it was filmed on some headland, not an island at all. After dinner, a record player addresses the trapped ten, one by one, accuses each of them of a murder, and announces that they will pay for their crimes.The guests are a varied lot -- a doctor, a private detective, a secretary, an explorer -- but no matter who or what they once were, they are toast now. They are picked off seriatim -- shot, poisoned, crowned, drowned, chopped up, and hanged. The boat that will arrive in another day or two will find ten corpses on an isolated clump of rocks.I won't give away any more of the plot because the whole thing is plot. To give away more would empty the coffer. The characters don't count for much, except for that pouty young secretary, Miss Claythorne, which the subtitles render "Klaisern," there being no voiceless "th" in Russian. Some of the men are almost indistinguishable, although two look alarmingly like James Carville.Well -- it's not exactly light hearted. Next to this, "Boris Gudonov" seems like comedic froth. Hardly anyone smiles. No one laughs. There is no charm, either in the setting or the characters. The most amusing moments come from reading the English subtitles. A terrified Miss Klaisern, thinking she is about to be murdered, is pointing a trembling gun at Mr. Lombard. He leaps at her and shouts, "Now listen to me attentively!" (Bang.) There isn't much of a musical score but Dr. Armstrong bangs out a neat "My Baby Just Cares For Me" on the piano before getting into Hoagy Carmichael. The thematic music leads us to expect to see the Huns attacking Alexander Nevsky and his small band.I haven't seen the 1974 version with an immodest Elke Sommer for years. But this version is an improvement over the version with Hugh O'Brien on the mountaintop, even though that has Shirley Eaton simmering in oestrus. In many ways, the most enjoyable treatment of the novel is the original 1945 film with people like June Duprez, Walter Huston, and the unforgettable Barry Fitzgerald as the magistrate who is all he seems to be. They're all cop outs, of course, compared to this Russian work, but I can't help thinking that Dame Agatha might have preferred a bit of gaiety and comic irony. She was never one to cry over spilt blood.It's the only version that sticks to Agatha Christie's original and somewhat bleak novel. We will leave it at that.

ddconey As a film unto itself, this adaptation stands as a well made movie. The production values compare quite favorably with western mystery films (not being much a Russian film buff this was a concern of mine before getting the DVD). Taken as a film this is a well made, well acted and 'good looking' effort. I didn't even mind the subtitles (which usually drive me to distraction). The one 'compliant' I would offer is that the subtitle translations are a little stiff (for lack of a better term). The language is very stilted and often humorous, but they are done well enough that you get the gist of what the actors are saying --- especially if you have read the original book or seen any of the earlier versions of the story.Regarding the inevitable comparisons to the earlier adaptations of Christie's story (I have only seen the 10 Little Indians from the 60's and And Then There Were None from the 40's), this version is much closer to the original story. This is a much darker adaptation then these earlier efforts and hence not as 'fun' to watch. This film demands more work from the viewer than those earlier, lighter versions. Where those earlier films provided some comic relief (in the person of the bumbling, drunken butler in And Then There Were None and the ham handed sexual relationship in 10 Little Indians) this film has none of that. This is a serious mystery with serious portrayals.One caveat I might offer (especially in this age of political correctness) is that the statues in this versions are of black children. I mention this only because some may find offense in this aspect of the film.Other than this I would highly recommend this film to any serious mystery buff or follower of Dame Christie's work.