Miss Marple: The Moving Finger

I couldn't agree more with Mike. My local PBS station here in the US is currently broadcasting the new Miss Marple series one evening a week, while showing the original Joan Hickson Miss Marple as a daily series at 1:00 PM. There is NO comparison. Even Agatha Christie, some years before her own death, predicted that Joan Hickson would be the perfect Miss Marple. She knew her character, and the right actress to play her. The new series struggles far too hard to be "trendy" and puts far too much present-day "politial correctness" into the plots. Geraldine McEwan's Miss Marple has become nearly as much a caricature as Margaret Rutherford's movie portrayal.

Jim.

Oh dear, poor Ted, he seems, from his email address to be in Education, and one would suspect that his academic speciality is "Mystery Writers". A pity, excessive analysis over the years appears to have rather distorted his power of judgement. I was lucky enough to have been brought up in 1950s England, and I have never seen a series which more accurately reflects the life and people I remember then, less the murders of course! The real problem Ted has with the whole series is revealed in this comment: "At least this one emphasizes the obnoxious, mousey character of Jane more than the others." He just doesn't like Joan Hickson's characterisation. Well, sorry old chap, I knew many friends of my grandparents who were extremely similar to this Miss Marple, intelligent ladies of the Raj who had returned to England or daughters of the prewar middle class coping with the new society that was being shaped. They were used to a 'certain standard' in all things. Behind the fierce formal exterior, though, there was a twinkle, although often buried quite deeply. If Ted doesn't like this Joan Hickson characterisation, then I'm pretty sure he would have not have got on with Agatha Christie either. Probably Erle Stanley Gardner's more his type! This episode is up to the standard of the rest of the series, and it was directed by Roy Boulting, who would also remember this time well since it was his heyday at Shepperton Studios, producing classics like 'I'm alright Jack'. Hence the accuracy of the period feel. If you want to see Miss Marple really messed up, then check out the new 2004 series featuring Geraldine McEwan, whom I admire in the right part (Mapp and Lucia for example). But she is NOT Miss Marple, Miss Hickson IS.

This is one of my favourite Christie books, along with The Pale Horse, The ABC Murders, Sleeping Murder, By The Pricking of My Thumb and Nemesis. all these are great books, well told and with a dark story.

Hickson is Marple. This is the best of two adaptations - ignore the ITV at all costs!!. The ITV writers are all amateurs who rewrite the story - even the endings to suit themselves, as if they can do better. The BBC have tended to stick to the story here.

This adaptation is truer to the book and portrays the characters just as Christie wrote them. I love the fact that the awkward and shy Megan is transformed into an elegant, lovely lady. Something she wasn't allowed to do under her mother's care. I do think that it should have been three or four episodes to allow the story and characters to unfold. I suppose that was the BBC budget in those days - now they have so much money they can engage John Malkovich as Poirot!

Hickson as Marple is a joy to watch. She is just as Christie described her (with no pink cardigan/shawl in this book). A gentle, unassuming elderly lady that no one would take any notice of, until her sharp brain gets to work.

The Moving Finger sees Miss Marple sort out the unpleasant events in the small idyllic village of Lymstock. The identity of a writer of spiteful poison pen (PP) letters is revealed, and a killer is unmasked.

There is a quality that ran through this series, and The Moving Finger is a particularly good offering. Joan Hickson gives the usual immaculate performance which cements her as the quintessential Spinster detective, and the accompanying cast do a great job.

The story is so full of spite and malice, a great book is very much brought to life, as a mystery you'll be kept guessing right until the end (if you've not read the book of course.) You get a true taste of the effects of the PP letters on the community, mistrust and gossip galore.

I especially like the performances of Andrew Bicknell and Sabina Franklyn, they do a great job as the unsuspecting Burtons, but it's the performance of Michael Culver (Symmington) that I most enjoy. Hilary Mason is also well cast as the vinegary Miss Barton.

THE PREMIUM version of The Moving Finger, 9/10

I have to agree with Mike. I have no idea what Ted was watching. Miss Marple 'obnoxious" huh? Joan Hickson nails her completely and is charming. She also is able to bring across just how intuitive and intelligent Miss Marple is. I, too, like McEwan as an actress, but her portrayal of Marple is vile. she is better suited to series like "Mulberry". As for Rutherford, she doesn't bother me as Marple because I don't take her seriously in them. It's more like a charming parody of the character. Remember both Lansbury and Hayes also had a crack at Jane and while both very talented could not come close to Joan Hickson. She manages to be both steely and soft, no small feat! Ted's comments show a lack of knowledge about the mystery genre. There is no such thing as just mystery; there are numerous subcategories as well. So, comparing Gardner to Christie is akin to comparing Chandler to Conan Doyle.