Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Ten Little Indians Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 22, 2020

Alan Birkinshaw's "Ten Little Indians" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

This isn't the type of fun we came for

I tend to agree with the popular opinion that Alan Birkinshaw’s film is the weakest cinematic adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic novel. The exotic setting definitely has a negative impact on the suspense that is supposed to make the film engrossing, and in the second half the character arcs quite simply do not look very convincing. But I am unsure if I would characterize the film as a major misfire.

Jackson Hunsicker and Gerry O’Hara’s screenplay sends ten tourists on a safari somewhere in Africa. Almost immediately after they land there and head toward their camp, however, they realize that the trip may not be as exciting as advertised because their hired servants unceremoniously abandon them and then destroy the only rope bridge they can use when they decide to go back. At the camp the group is also informed that their host, Mr. O’Brien, is missing. Soon after, the trip becomes a real nightmare, as an elusive killer begins killing the tourists.

The film was produced by Harry Alan Towers and this might be the main reason why it looks and feels so different from previous cinematic adaptations of Christie’s novel. Towers had the reputation of a man who had a soft spot for exotic action and during the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s financed a massive number of projects that reflected a very particular vision of filmmaking -- the exotic was always a crucial element of the narrative. (By the way, this is the very reason why Towers and cult Spanish director Jess Franco had a very good business relationship. Their creative views aligned exceptionally well). Predictably, in this film the exotic is again a crucial element of the narrative and as the drama intensifies it is even used to shape up the suspense. For example, the area where the camp is set provides various distractions that make it very difficult to build up the intimate atmosphere that is present in George Pollock’s film. Also, in and around the camp the characters just look like completely random strangers rather than intriguing individuals with dark secrets, so the Victorian element that typically makes Christie’s work attractive is simply lost.

The casting choices are a mixed bag as well. With the exception of Donald Pleasence, who gives his character the right energy and presence and looks good throughout the entire film, the rest of the actors are quite underwhelming. Brenda Vaccaro and Herbert Lom for instance look like good choices, but their performances simply lack the quality that is needed to impress. Frank Stallone also looks like he was booked to play a part in entirely different adventure film. Unsurprisingly, the film can be very uneven and at times even underdeveloped.

What keeps the film somewhat intriguing is the manner in which the script alters Christie’s classic story. This is actually an awkward ‘quality’ to point out, but some of the changes that were made are quite unexpected and as they emerge it is interesting to speculate how they might affect the evolution of the character arcs.

*Kino Lorber’s release of Ten Little Indians is sourced from a new 2K master that was prepared exclusively for it.

Ten Little Indians Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ten Little Indians arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a gorgeous new 2K master. Excluding a few tiny flecks and a couple of darker scenes where superior shadow definition should reveal better ranges of nuances, I think that it is as good as it could have been. It has fantastic depth, wonderful clarity and sharpness, and very solid fluidity. The master is also beautifully graded, so there are plenty of terrific primaries and equally nice supporting nuances. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. Image stability is excellent. My score is 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).

Ten Little Indians Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not detect any technical issues or anomalies to report in our review. The audio is very clean, sharp, and nicely balanced. It has a very solid range of nuanced dynamics as well, which is a bit surprising because it is very easy to tell that the film was not shot with a huge budget.

Ten Little Indians Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a remastered trailer for Ten Little Indians. I English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

Ten Little Indians Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ten Little Indians is a Cannon Group production funded by the legendary producer Harry Alan Towers, which is why it is not quite as good as the other cinematic adaptations of Agatha Christie's classic novel. Is it a disaster? I don't think so because all films funded by Towers that I have seen to date do some very particular things in order to be attractive, and they don't really produce the type of quality that 'serious' films do. This is just the truth. As soon as I saw Towers' name in the opening credits, I knew exactly what type of film I will be seeing, and I wasn't disappointed. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a gorgeous new 2K master, but the only bonus feature on it is a remastered vintage trailer. RECOMMENDED to fans of the film.