Evil Under The Sun (1982)

Evil Under The Sun - 1982

Our next film is 1982's murder/mystery "Evil Under The Sun", a film about murder, diamonds, sparkling blue seas, and an island in the Adriatic.

The film's cast includes Peter Ustinov, Jane Birkin, Colin Blakely, Nicholas Clay, James Mason, Roddy McDowall, Sylvia Miles, Denis Quilley, Diana Rigg, Maggie Smith, and Emily Hone.

A London insurance agency enlists the help of famed detective Hercule Poirot in tracking down a diamond that the company insures.  They currently have a fake copy.  The real diamond was given by Sir Horace Blatt to his mistress, the actress Arlena Stuart Marshall.  When the relationship ended, she gave him a fake one instead.  Now, it's up to Poirot to find the real thing.

He heads to a hotel on an island in the Adriatic.  The hotel was the former summer residence of the King of Tyrania and was a gift to his mistress, Daphne Castle, for "services rendered".

It seems everyone gathered at the hotel has some sort of connection with Arlena.  And we quickly find out that not everyone has a cozy relationship with her.

The hotel seems the ideal place to lie around and soak up some sun.  But, as Poirot says, "The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and yet you forget that everywhere there is evil under the sun."

Arlena goes off alone one day.  What she doesn't realize is that she won't be coming back.  She's found strangled on the beach later that day.

And the list of suspects is long.  First up, we have Arlena's own husband and stepdaughter.  The husband finds out his wife has been unfaithful, and the stepdaughter already has a hateful relationship with her.

There's a Broadway producer and his wife who need Arlena to do a show their producing.  Everything they have is riding on this, and they get very angry when Arlena refuses them.

There's also Patrick and Christine Redfern.  He seems to be outgoing, and she is shy and retiring.  Patrick also seems to know Arlena very well, to the puzzlement of the other guests.

Rex Brewster is an author who is writing a book about Arlena and needs her to sign a release so that it can be published.  He promises that she'll regret it when she doesn't do as he wishes.

Hotel owner Daphne Castle is an old Broadway rival of Arlena's.  There's definitely no love lost between them, especially as Daphne is a very good friend of Arlena's husband, Ken.

And finally, we have Sir Horace Blatt, the owner of the missing diamond and former lover of Arlena.  He'll do anything to get his jewel back.

Fortunately, Hercule Poirot is there.  After listening to all of their stories and alibis, he puts the pieces of the puzzle together and solves the case.

A funny moment in the film is when Arlena is singing "You're The Top".  Old rival Daphne can't resist stealing a little of Arlena's thunder, making as much noise as possible and on occasion joining in to Arlena's annoyance.

Another great moment in the film is when Monsieur Poirot decides to go for a "swim".  His outlandish bathing costume is hilarious, as is his swimming routine.

And, for me, one of the greatest things about this film is the area in which it was filmed.  The house and grounds are very beautiful.

Cast rundown:

   Peter Ustinov................................Hercule Poirot

   Jane Birkin...................................Christine Redfern

   Colin Blakely.................................Sir Horace Blatt

   Nicholas Clay................................Patrick Redfern

   James Mason................................Odell Gardener

   Roddy McDowall............................Rex Brewster

   Sylvia Miles..................................Myra Gardener

   Denis Quilley................................Kenneth Marshall

   Diana Rigg...................................Arlena Stuart Marshall

   Maggie Smith...............................Daphne Castle

   Emily Hone..................................Linda Marshall

And that's it for Evil Under The Sun.  As I mentioned, the film is set in some beautiful locations.  The exterior of Daphne's hotel was shot at the Raixa Estate in Majorca, Spain.  Of course, the real scene stealer here is the star of the show himself, Peter Ustinov.  He's perfect as the Belgian sleuth who needs to work to stimulate "the little gray cells".

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