Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Evil Under the Sun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 5, 2020

Guy Hamilton's "Evil Under the Sun" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage making of featurette, promotional materials, as well as an exclusive new audio commentary by by critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thomson. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

When a young woman is found dead in the British countryside, Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov, Death on the Nile, Lola Montes) is hired by an insurance company to solve the case. He is also asked to inspect a fake diamond which a wealthy industrialist (Colin Blakely, Nijinsky, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes) wants insured for £50,000.

Soon after, the eccentric Belgian detective travels to the South of France where he meets the industrialist and discovers that some time ago he gave the original diamond to Arlena Marshall (Diana Rigg, Julius Caesar, Theatre of Blood), a sophisticated but rather capricious actress with whom he fell madly in love. They met in New York and decided that she would come back to Europe with him. Before they left, he bought her the diamond from Tiffany’s. However, halfway across the Atlantic the actress changed her mind and ran off with another man - but kept the diamond. When later on they met again she returned the diamond, but when the industrialist tried to insure it he discovered that he had a fake. Having recently learned that the actress will be vacationing on a beautiful Mediterranean island, the industrialist asks Poirot to travel with him and prove that his former lover cheated him. Poirot agrees, but shortly after he arrives on the island someone kills the beautiful actress.

Completed in 1982, Guy Hamilton’s Evil Under the Sun is unquestionably the least exotic of the three films in The Poirot Collection. A good portion of the film feels like a straightforward melodrama rather an exotic period thriller full of colorful characters hiding juicy secrets. However, this is hardly a bad thing because the distracting pomposity from Murder on the Orient Express is completely eliminated.

Ustinov’s relaxed performance gives the film its identity. Instead of consistently trying to impress with intelligent remarks, most of the time Poirot looks like a curious outsider who has just as much trouble guessing the motives of the mysterious killer as the rest of the guests on the island. As the film progresses it is easy to see that he is a lot more intelligent than everyone else, but he remains a human being capable of mistakes. As a result, it never feels like one is viewing an old-fashioned period play whose characters interact with each other simply because they have to.

The mystery is resolved quickly and convincingly. Poirot gathers all of the wealthy guests and in a familiar fashion reconstructs the murder of the beautiful singer. There are a few minor twists that add some flavor to the case, but they feel right for a film in which Agatha Christie’s famous character is expected to be a few steps ahead of everyone else.

Unsurprisingly, the supporting cast is quite big, but it is not difficult to remember the different names and the possible motives that make each character a suspect. Jane Birkin and Nicholas Clay are the handsome couple Christine and Patrick Redfern. Maggie Smith is the bubbly Daphne Castle, who owns the lavish hotel on the exotic island. Sylvia Miles and James Mason are the wealthy producers Myra and Odell Gardener. Denis Quilley is Arlena’s husband, Kenneth Marshall, while a young Emily Hone is his daughter, Linda. Finally, Roddy McDowall is the eccentric critic and writer Rex Brewster.

Evil Under the Sun was lensed by British cinematographer Christopher Challis (Stanley Donen’s Arabesque, Peter Yates' The Deep).

Evil Under the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Evil Under the Sun arrives on Blu-rayc courtesy of Kino Lorber.

In 2017, StudioCanal produced this release of Evil Under the Sun, which was sourced from a brand new 2K master. I expected this release to offer an identical presentation, but it does not, and I am unsure why.

The film again looks very fresh and healthy, but on this release its entire color scheme is warmer. The balance between the primaries and supporting nuances, particularly in highlights and darker areas where shadow definition is a factor and affects the perception of depth, is superior as well. I can see that some of the difference can be traced back to the gamma settings on the Region-B release, but there are color values that are actually not identical. How noticeable is the difference while viewing the film? In darker areas it is immediately recognizable, though I must say that you will have to have both releases to be able to tell. Furthermore while comparing the two releases I thought that this release had a slightly more pleasing organic appearance, but there are no traces of problematic digital work on the Region-B release. Image stability is excellent. All in all, while not by a lot, I think that this release offers a slightly better and ultimately more convincing technical presentation of Evil Under the Sun. My score if 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Evil Under the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. The audio is clear, sharp, and stable. The music score easily adds to the drama (and humor) and there are no balance issues.

Evil Under the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Evil Under the Sun. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spots - a few vintage radio spots for Evil Under the Sun. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Making of - this archival featurette contains raw footage from the shooting of Evil Under the Sun as well as clips from archival interviews with director Guy Hamilton and cast members. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thomson.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Death on the Nile
  2. Evil Under the Sun
  3. Witness for the Prosecution
  4. Endless Night
  5. Ordeal by Innocence
  6. Ten Little Indians

Evil Under the Sun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I believe that Guy Hamilton's Evil Under the Sun will appeal primarily to folks who have seen John Guillermin's Death on the Nile and enjoyed Peter Ustinov's Hercule Poirot. He is even more convincing in this film. The story is more casual, but this actually helps the film because it is easier to believe that the main characters are real people. StudioCanal remastered Evil Under the Sun a few years ago and were the first to release it on Blu-ray, but Kino Lorber's technical presentation is superior. RECOMMENDED.