Agatha Christie's Marple: Series 1
by Andy Wilson, Charles Palmer, John Strickland
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christina Cole, Emily Bruni, Geraldine McEwan, Jane Asher, Julie CoxDirector: Andy Wilson, Charles Palmer, John Strickland
Brand: MCEWAN,GERALDINE
Producer: Anthony Dominici
Writer: Agatha Christie
Writer: Kevin Elyot
Writer: Stephen Churchett
Writer: Stewart Harcourt
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.77:1
Running Time: 376 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-05-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Acorn Media
Movie Reviews of Agatha Christie's Marple: Series 1
Movie Review: Absolutely engrossing!
Summary: 5 Stars
You have to respect the producers of this series - they had the nerve to take a character as beloved as Miss Marple and not only make necessarily-abridged television versions of her adventures, but also to occasionally stray from Agatha Christie's original plotlines. It was a risky gamble, to be sure, but in my opinion the result could not have been better.
I found these 4 episodes (although I object to that term - they really seem more like 4 separate movies) to be utterly addictive. The mysteries themselves are uniformly interesting - they are fun and engaging without being too byzantine, and the solutions are always surprising. The production values are also top-notch - the action always takes place against some glorious 1950s English backdrop (Miss Marple's sleepy village of St. Mary Mead in "The Murder At The Vicarage", a palatial seaside resort in "The Body In The Library"), and the costumes are also absolutely gorgeous. However, what truly sets this series apart is the acting. As Miss Marple, Geraldine McEwan is my favourite portrayal, bar none. She's absoutely charming, she twinkles, she's keen and observant, and she commands the audience's attention without coming across as a ham. I know how beloved the Joan Hickson adaptations are, and although I greatly enjoyed Hickson's portrayal, I feel that McEwan adds a much-needed twinkle or spark that Hickson's oh-so-prim Miss Marple was lacking. The supporting actors, who vary with each episode, are also always inspired choices - a particular favourite of mine was the brassy Joanna Lumley as Dolly Bantry in "The Murder In The Library."
I feel as if I must address the most common criticism of this series - that the creators took too many liberties with Christie's original storylines. While changes have been made, I did not find it at all problematic. I should mention that I've read very few Miss Marple books, and so I'm not particularly wedded to the original plotlines, but I view these adaptations as separate entities from the novels, anyways. Like any book-to-screen adaptation, certain things have to be changed. Some things that work in print don't work on screen, and certain aspects of Christie's novels had to be compressed in order to make the storyline work in a 90-minute format. The best book-to-screen adaptations (one of my favourites, Emma Thompson's "Sense and Sensibility", comes to mind) may change small plot mechanics, but they stay true to the spirit of the original work. In this respect, these new adaptations are a resounding success, for they contain all of Christie's sly wit, humorous commentaries on British society, fully-drawn characters, and of course, thrilling mysteries. I love Agatha Christie's work as much as anyone (I've read many of the Hercule Poirot books, for instance), but I don't think the creators of this series are disrespecting her at all with these adaptations - I think they should be commended for trying to bring Miss Marple to a new audience.
Because of the intricate, engaging storylines and the sunny English settings, these episodes are great to watch in the dead of winter when it's cold and gray, and you just want to curl up on your couch and escape somewhere else for a while. I applaud both the creators and Geraldine McEwan for creating such an engrossing series, and I eagerly await the arrival of my series 2 DVDs in the mail!
Summary of Agatha Christie's Marple: Series 1
The amateur, elderly detective Miss Marple solves cases that baffle the police.Genre: Television
Rating: NR
Release Date: 24-MAY-2005
Media Type: DVD
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