Death on the Nile

Peter Ustinov plays the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, making his first appearance as the character in this 1978 film. He is supported by a widely acclaimed cast including Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, and David Niven. The movie takes place almost entirely aboard a luxury river steamer traveling down the Nile.

The film keeps the core mystery and Egyptian setting of Agatha Christie’s original novel intact, but it slightly streamlines the narrative for pacing. It also adds major action sequences, such as a fight scene involving Jacqueline de Bellefort, that were not present in the source text. Overall, it remains one of the most faithful and celebrated adaptations of Christie's work.

Both films are standalone adaptations of the exact same 1937 Agatha Christie novel, but they belong to completely different franchises. The 1978 version features Peter Ustinov as Poirot, while the 2022 version is directed by and stars Kenneth Branagh. They have entirely different casts, visual styles, and slight variations in how the mystery unfolds.

Despite its setting, only a few second-unit shots were filmed near the actual Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. The vast majority of the movie, including all the scenes on the river steamer, was shot on soundstages at Shepperton Studios in England. The production relied heavily on detailed studio sets and practical effects to recreate Egypt.