History Literature / EvilUnderTheSun

** Sir Horace Blatt is generally more likable in this version, and is not [[spoiler:a dope smuggler but simply a millionaire who had an affair with Arlena]].

--> '''Arlena:''' Kenneth, this is such a surprise! When you told me of an island owned by a quaint little landlady, I had no idea it was Daphne Castle.

--> '''Daphne:''' Years. Arlena and I were in the chorus of a show together. Not that I could ever compete. Even in those days, she could always throw her legs up in the air higher than any of us. And wider.

The story has been adapted twice for the screen, firstly as a 1982 film starring Peter Ustinov with an all star cast (that included Creator/JamesMason and Creator/MaggieSmith) and the music of Music/ColePorter, and secondly as a 2001 episode of the ''Series/{{Poirot}}'' series starring David Suchet. It was also adapted into a 2007 PC video game.

* SheCleansUpNicely: [[spoiler: After Christine gives up the ruse she's a hothouse orchid, she's absolutely ''stunning'', with haughtiness to match.]]

* LouisCypher: Patrick tells Poirot that as a music teacher, he enjoys telling his students that Guiseppe Verde's name in English is a pedestrian Joe Green. [[spoiler: It's a mistake, because Hercule notes that Patrick's last name, Redfern, in Latin is "Felix Ruber," a suspect in a murder case involving Ruber's wife, making him realize Patrick's name is a pseudonym.]]

* SarcasticClapping: The killer does this in the 1982 film, believing that Poirot has no physical evidence.

* SoreLoser: In the 1982 film, the killer concedes defeat by punching Poirot to the floor.
** In both the original novel and the 2001 episode, [[spoiler:he]] tries to strangle him.

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the 1982 film, Mrs Castle, originally nothing more than the rather strict hotel owner, is given the name Daphne and combined with the character of Rosamund, becoming Kenneth's love interest and Poirot's main assistant during the investigation. [[spoiler:She also helps him trap the killer at the end by taking his signature.]]
** Sir Horace Blatt is generally more likable in this version, and is not [[spoiler:a dope smuggler but simply a millionaire who had an affair with Arlena]].
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the 1982 film, unlike the original book, Arlena actively bullies and mistreats Linda, insulting her and shoving her out of the way, and her flirtation with Patrick becomes more shameless and disrespectful of her husband.
* AdaptationNameChange: The 1982 film changes Edward Corrigan's name to Felix Ruber, [[spoiler:Latin for "Red Fern", in order to introduce another linguistic clue to the killer's identity.]]

* BeneathSuspicion: The 1982 film addresses this point of the novel by giving ''all'' the suspects alibis.

* {{Camp}}: Loads of it in the 1982 film.
* CampGay: Rex Brewster in the 1982 film. Daphne even refers to him as a "fruit".

* CompositeCharacter: The 1982 film combines Mrs Castle and Rosamund Darnley into one character, Daphne Castle.
* DistinguishedGentlemansPipe: Subverted in the 1982 film version. One of the murder suspects, Patrick Redfern, is seen with a pipe throughout the film, but it's only at the end that [[spoiler:Poirot realises he's never actually been seen smoking it. The reason: he's hidden a stolen diamond in the bowl]].

* GenderFlip: Both screen adaptations do this:
** In the 1982 version, the spinsterish-but-athletic Emily Brewster becomes the flamboyantly effeminate Rex Brewster.
** In the 2001 version, the victim's teenaged stepdaughter Linda turns into a stepson Lionel.
* GrandStaircaseEntrance: Jane Birkin does a stylish one in the climax of the 1982 film, as [[spoiler:Christine no longer has to pretend to be the meek, mousy housewife]].

* JustOneLittleMistake: Drawn out in the 1982 film. [[spoiler:It seems that the killers will get away - complete with a grand exit and a final taunt - when Poirot suddenly reveals that Patrick made several mistakes: paying his hotel bill with a signed cheque, giving linguistic clues to his alter-ego's identity, and conspicuously having his pipe in his mouth without smoking it.]]
* LighterAndSofter: The 1982 film. Compared to both the original novel, and to the previous Ustinov Poirot film, ''Death On The Nile''.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: Mrs Castle is called Daphne in the 1982 film.

* NoPronunciationGuide: In the 1982 film, Horace pronounces Poirot (pwah-ROW) as POY-row. It's easy to imagine this as a jab at people with this issue in real life.

* PragmaticAdaptation: The 1982 film took assorted liberties with the plot, such as giving all the suspects alibis (to [[spoiler: cover up the fact that in the original novel, [[BeneathSuspicion only the murderers had one]]]]), beefing up the character of the hotel owner, making the American tourists theater producers (and turning the husband into a Brit played by James Mason), and changing the dowdy spinster into a gay man played by Roddy [=McDowall=].
* {{Ruritania}}: The 1982 film is set in the Adriatic kingdom of "Tyrannia" (apparently inspired by Albania). The book was set in Devon.

* WickedStepmother: Arlena in the 1982 movie. She is constantly rude and insulting to Linda, takes every opportunity to shove her out of the way so she can have people's attention all to herself, and at one point actually calls her Cinderella. [[AdaptationalVillainy None of this occurs in the original book.]]

* LouisCypher: Patrick tells Poirot that as a music teacher, he enjoys telling his students that Guiseppe Verde's name in English is a pedestrian Joe Green. [[spoiler: It's a mistake, because Hercule notes that Patrick's last name, Redfern, in Latin is "Felix Ruber," making him realize Patrick's name is a pseudonym.]]

* LouisCyphere: Patrick tells Poirot that as a music teacher, he enjoys telling his students that Guiseppe Verde's name in English is a pedestrian Joe Green. [[spoiler: It's a mistake, because Hercule notes that Patrick's last name, Redfern, in Latin is "Felix Ruber," making him realize Patrick's name is a pseudonym.]]

* HeyItsThatGuy: rare writer version. The 2001 ''Poirot'' adaptation was written by Anthony Horowitz - now better known as the creator of AlexRider (which might explain the Linda/Lionel GenderFlip) and FoylesWar.

** The story also uses a critical plot element from the MissMarple short story "A Christmas Tragedy": [[spoiler: The killer fakes an alibi by arranging for the "body" to be discovered before the murder has even been committed.]]

The story has been adapted twice for the screen, firstly as a 1982 film starring Peter Ustinov with an all star cast (that included Creator/JamesMason and Creator/MaggieSmith) and the music of Music/ColePorter, and secondly as a 2001 episode of the ''Series/{{Poirot}}'' series starring David Suchet.

** Sir Horace Blatt is generally more likable in this version, and is not [[spoiler:a dope smuggler but simply a millionaire who had an affair with Arlena.]]

* BusmansHoliday: Yet another one for Poirot.

** There's even more similarity with another Christie short story, "Triangle at Rhodes": [[spoiler: the supposed seductress is actually too stupid to be anything more than a victim, the "poor little wife" character was manipulating the entire thing and plotting with her lover to set up the situation, then kill the seductress.]]

A novel by Creator/AgathaChristie published in 1941, featuring HerculePoirot.

** Sir Horace Blatt is generally more likeable in this version, and is not [[spoiler:a dope smuggler but simply a millionare who had an affair with Arlena.]]

* AssholeVictim: Subverted. While Arlena is disruptive in the community and has personality issues, the worst of her actions are being [[spoiler:carefully staged by the killer and his accomplice. Poirot has already realised that her addiction to sex/romance/drama makes her vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation, not liable to perform it on others - she's not intelligent enough.]] The 1982 film brings the trope slightly closer to being PlayedStraight.

* DistinguishedGentlemansPipe: Subverted in the 1982 film version. One of the murder suspects, Patrick Redfern, is seen with a pipe throughout the film, but it's only at the end that [[spoiler:Poirot realises he's never actually been seen smoking it. The reason: he's hidden a stolen diamond in the bowl.]]

** There's even more similarity with another Christie short story, "The Triangle at Rhodes": [[spoiler: the supposed seductress is actually too stupid to be anything more than a victim, the "poor little wife" character was manipulating the entire thing and plotting with her lover to set up the situation, then kill the seductress.]]

* FingertipDrugAnalysis: Japp does this in the 2001 version, identifying [[spoiler:heroin.]]

* GrandStaircaseEntrance: Jane Birkin does a stylish one in the climax of the 1982 film, as [[spoiler:Christine no longer has to pretend to be the meek, mousy housewife.]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Linda believes she has killed Arlena [[spoiler:with the use of magic, leaving her vulnerable to Christine's manipulation.]]

** In the original novel, [[spoiler:he]] tries to strangle him.

* TilMurderDoUsPart: The killer did this prior to the beginning of the story. Averted in the David Suchet adaptation, where the victim was [[spoiler:his lover, not his wife.]]

* WickedStepmother: Arlena in the 1982 movie. She is constantly rude and insulting to Linda, takes every opportunity to shove her out of the way so she can have people's attention all to herself, and at one point actually calls her Cinderella. [[AdaptationalVillainy None of this occurs in the original book]].

* LighterAndSofter: The 1982 film.

* CampGay: Rex Brewster in the 1982 film. Dapgne even refers to him as a "fruit".

* CampGay: Rex Brewster in the 1982 film.

* AdaptationalNameChange: The 1982 film changes Edward Corrigan's name to Felix Ruber, [[spoiler:Latin for "Red Fern", in order to introduce another linguistic clue to the killer's identity.]]
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the 1982 film, Arlena is seen to actively bully and mistreat Linda, which she did not do in the original book.
* AssholeVictim: Subverted. While Arlena is disruptive in the community and has personality issues, the worst of her actions are being [[spoiler:carefully staged by the killer and his accomplice. Poirot has already realised that her addiction to sex/romance/drama makes her vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation, not liable to perform it on others - she's not intelligent enough.]]

* TilMurderDoUsPart: The killer has this as part of their backstory.

* WickedStepmother: Arlena, though only in the movie. She is constantly rude and insulting to Linda, takes every opportunity to shove her out of the way so she can have people's attention all to herself, and at one point actually calls her Cinderella.

* AsYouKnow: The 1982 film has some dialogue between the Gardeners about how Arlena quit their show.

* BeneathSuspicion: The 1982 film addresses this by giving ''all'' the suspects alibis.

* GrandStaircaseEntrance: Jane Birkin does a stylish one in the climax of the 1982 film, as Christine no longer has to pretend to be the meek, mousy housewife.

* PragmaticAdaptation: The 1982 film took assorted liberties with the plot, such as beefing up the character of the hotel owner, making the American tourists theater producers (and turning the husband into a Brit played by James Mason), and changing the dowdy spinster into a gay man played by Roddy [=McDowall=].