While it certainly seems that Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None' (ATTWN), also known as 'Ten Little Indians', was influenced by this nine (9) years earlier work, it may or may not be so. Almost everyone is inspired by something seen or heard which later germinates. Christie may or may not have seen the film in question or read the book, who can know. As 'The Ninth Guest' only ran for a dismal 72 performances on Broadway, Christie surely did not see the play. One could propose the same theory of indirect influence regarding the American authors who seemingly plagiarized Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote 'A Study in Scarlet' first and which had some similar themes.
I also disagree with some of the comments in the TRIVIA (SPOILER) section: "Though it runs just over an hour, nearly every element of the film's plot was replicated in Christie's 'Ten Little Indians'":
1) "A coward who offers to collude with the murderer in return for his life being spared" - Totally inaccurate description of the relationship between Dr. Armstrong and Justice Wargrave in ATTWN.
2) "A male character managing the tension by drinking to excess" - Not in ATTWN.
3) "An uneasy romance between two of the characters who suspect each other despite their growing attraction" - In the original rather bleak novel ATTWN (later lightened up for stage, film and television productions), the relationship between Vera Claythorne and Philip Marlowe cannot accurately be described as a romance. Neither loves the other (Marlowe is not even capable of love) and the relationship never gets physical --- aside from
And Then There Were None (2015), the latest adaptation of the thriller, which was rewritten and added an orgy scene involving 4 characters --- although as the last two surviving guests the two do form a brief alliance until it is violently destroyed.
4) "The two would-be lovers unraveling the solution to the mystery before they can be killed" - Not in ATTWN novel. Original bleak ending changed later for stage, film, and TV productions.
5) The 1930 work in several instances relies on elaborate electronic devices, more appropriate to the late 20th century or to the 21st century, which are used to constrain victims and inject poison - Christie's work has nothing of that sort.
6) The characters, some of whom know each other intimately, targeted for death in 'The Invisible Host'/'The Ninth Guest' are guilty of such serious but not capital crimes as conspiracy, corruption, and bigamy, and the killer is seeking revenge on those who directly impacted his life, whereas in Christie's ATTWN, each and every guest to the island is a stranger to each other (except the married couple of servants) and each guest (except the one, who will, ironically, kill the others) has evaded justice after being responsible for causing the death of (an)other human being(s).
7) In 'The Invisible Host'/'The Ninth Guest', one completely innocent person is killed (later revealed as the electrician hired by the killer to wire the apartment so a high-voltage charge ran through the metal gate that was the only way to leave), and the fate of the two butlers is not known to those who haven't seen the film or read the book. Moreover, the killer admits to the two innocents and would-be lovers, who leave the apartment before the grim ending, that the whole point of the evening was to get revenge on Margaret, Sylvia, and Cronin. So why invite and kill/try to kill the rest, including the woman he loves? Illogical.
Serious differences. Also, far more tellingly, there is no record of any accusations, much less lawsuits, filed by either Owen Davis and/or Gwen Bristow & Bruce Manning, for plagiarism or any similar such offense against Christie and her publisher, which, based on the above, would have been relatively easy to prosecute, presumably with a good chance of success based upon the superficial evidence.
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