Death on the Nile

"A murderer strikes on board the luxury Nile steamer Karnak – and Hercule Poirot faces his most baffling case."

1978 2h 20m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 960

Mystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board and every elegant passenger becomes a prime suspect.

“A murderer strikes on board the luxury Nile steamer Karnak – and Hercule Poirot faces his most baffling case.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Peter Ustinov
Hercule Poirot
Jane Birkin
Louise Bourget
Lois Chiles
Linnet Ridgeway Doyle
Bette Davis
Marie Van Schuyler
Mia Farrow
Jacqueline de Bellefort
Jon Finch
James Ferguson
Olivia Hussey
Rosalie Otterbourne
I.S. Johar
Mr. Choudhury

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Guillermin
Writers: Anthony Shaffer
Languages: German, English, French, Arabic
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, English, French, Arabic.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Guillermin, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nino Rota. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Malcolm Cooke shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Peter Ustinov and Jane Birkin and Lois Chiles carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A murderer strikes on board the luxury Nile steamer Karnak – and Hercule Poirot faces his most baffling case.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Guillermin directs. Jack Cardiff behind the camera. Nino Rota scores. Malcolm Cooke cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in German, English, French, Arabic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

148 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, English, French, Arabic.
3Part of the "Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by John Guillermin, shot by Jack Cardiff. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nino Rota. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Malcolm Cooke shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Peter Ustinov and Jane Birkin and Lois Chiles carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A murderer strikes on board the luxury Nile steamer Karnak – and Hercule Poirot faces his most baffling case.".
9IMDB entry: tt0077413 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 14 themes, including "egypt", "based on novel or book", "paddleboat", "pyramid".
11Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack Cardiff
Original score: Nino Rota
Editing: Malcolm Cooke
Production design: Peter Murton
Costume design: Anthony Powell
Makeup / hair: Ramon Gow
Runtime: 140 min · 2h 20m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,920,000
Box office: $14,560,084
Return: 184% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Death on the Nile (1978)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Costume Design

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) Collection

Hercule Poirot series starring Peter Ustinov.

Also by

John Guillermin

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-04
★ 8/10
This a corker of a whodunnit - and what chance you could ever get a cast like this together again without it being a computer generated festival of egos? Mia Farrow, Jane Birkin, a scene-stealing Angela Lansbury, George Kennedy, Maggie Smith and an incomparable Bette Davis are all likely suspects as a fabulously wealthy Lois Chiles is bumped off in her cabin aboard a luxury cruise down the Nile. Luckily, though - for us, and them - Peter Ustinov and David Niven are on hand to resolve this mysterious crime. As the films develops you realise just how odious and horrid the murdered woman was - I found that I wanted to kill her too!! Great fun with a superb Nina Rota score that really makes this a diamond of a film. I read, with trepidation, that Sir Kenneth Branagh is to remake this in 2020 - hmmm!!!

Production companies