chris-4016 The Rover P4 taxi driven by Inch, is unlikely to have had a 1979 model Motorola car radio, in the 1950s

Paul Evans Arthur Bantry has passed away, Dolly Bantry has sold Gossington Hall to legendary film icon Marina Gregg, and moved to a small lodge on the site. Marina has moved to St Mary Mead for a quieter life, along with husband Jason Rudd and servants. Marina agrees for Gossington Hall to host its annual fête, she is introduced to the locals, one she meets in particular seems to have a profound effect on her, Heather Badcock, a woman of modest means from the new development site and St John's Ambulance volunteer. During the rather dull conversation about a meeting many years previous, Marina is frozen to the spot, a look described as being likened to The Lady of Shalott 'Doom came upon her etc.' Heather, not a drinker, takes a drink (a daiquiri) intended for Marina, not used to alcohol suddenly dies, alarm bells raised and Marina descends into a terrified state, who had intended to poison her? Miss Marple, now in advanced years has a carer/companion Miss Knight, a feisty Scots woman who attempts to encourage Miss Marple to take it easy, but the Detective in her sets out to unravel the mystery.As a novel I think it's one of the easiest Agatha Christie stories to read, the characters are beautifully created, they translate well into this adaptation. Claire Bloom is particularly delightful as Marina Gregg, I firmly believe in her being a great actress in her later years (well it's not exactly a stretch in reality is it?) such a beautiful, charismatic woman.Lots of old friends on show to bow out with, Inspector's Craddock and Slack, Dolly Bantry, Sergeant Lake, Christopher Hawes etc, it ends with such a sweet moment.Favourite scene has to be the village ladies discovering the Marble bathrooms for the first time, no doubt rare at the time, their reactions are just wonderful. Miss Marple's frustrations with Miss Knight are so fun tooSuch a shame they never adapted The Blue Geranium, I love the audio-book ready by Joan Hikson.People have commented about Miss Marple suddenly being Craddock's aunt, I think it's meant more as a term of endearment, a closeness developed over the years.9/10, a tale of tragedy as well as a murder, with subtle elements of humour woven in. I like it very very much. It's ultimately superior to the Hollywood film.

robertconnor And so the fabulous BBC productions of the Miss Marple stories draw to a close... perhaps not the best of Christie's stories, but it still offers many delights as a piece of television, including the reappearance of a host of familiar characters from previous outings. It would appear this was Watford's last screen appearance before her death in 1994, and watching her recreate Dolly Bantry is therefore bittersweet. The timing, intonations and tiny details she brings to the part are delicious (as they were in The Body In The Library), and all her scenes with Hickson are quite wonderful. The story is probably a tad convoluted, yet it really is the small details that make it another triumph - Dolly and friends' reaction to the marble bathrooms; Mrs. Brogan's hilarious 'buttering' (totally authentic); Hickson's disapproval of Miss Knight's fussing. Slightly confusing that Castle's clever depiction of D.I. Craddock has now become another of Jane Marple's nephews (they weren't related in A Murder Is Announced), but it's still a joy to see him return in another cloud of cigarette smoke.So, all this and one last brilliant, expertly crafted portrayal of "the Marple woman" by Joan Hickson. Now all we need is for someone to revisit Ms. Hickson's career and issue some of the many films she appeared in on DVD.

tedg Commenting on film is in the long run a matter of advising on who you can trust and who you might want to avoid.I can tell you that one person who to avoid is the adapter of this, Bowen. He's been involved in other Christie adaptions and is so brutal in how he handles the core mechanics of what Christie created, he's so evil in his intent he murders the thing.So either you can avoid this, supposing what you want is a good mystery after the fashion that Christie created so wonderfully...or you can watch it and try to deduce why Bowen murdered it so, what there was about his intent that made this happen. The mystery at this level is quite fascinating, especially if you look at the other Christie screenplays he's done. Its a metadetective narrative: why did he do it? What's the motive?Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.