Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder

A slow ponderous tale, the last full-length Miss Marple to be published. It had in fact been written during the forties and Christie had intended it to be published after her death. It has the usual surprise twists and turns that we have come to expect from Dame Agatha, but this substandard television production lacks pace and the invasive music ruins any sense of atmosphere. The acting is equally uninspiring, however, John Moulder-Brown appears to be perfectly cast as the vacuous male lead.

'Sleeping Murder' keeps rolling around on afternoon BBC television, and I have been drawn into the story twice so far. I don't like Miss Marple, so perhaps that is why I find this a decent story - I can't compare it to the books, and the world's oldest detective only crops up every now and again to explain the plot to the newlywed couple. I love the idea of Gwenda subconsciously buying a house from her past, and the details she uncovers, such as the pattern of the wallpaper in the cupboard and the steps in the garden. The history in the house, and the subsequent family tree research, had me hooked. The 'whodunnit' wasn't exactly taxing - just look for the most dubious character, battling with a bad case of pantomime villain - but the unravelling of the clues kept me interested (just about - at times this felt like an epic, instead of an installment of a detective series). The setting, period detail, and characters were all evocative of a storybook version of an era gone by. Perfect Sunday afternoon fodder.

The 1980s adaptations starring Joan Hickson are on the slow side by modern standards. This was in fact the last golden age of television before it was ruined by too many channels and the advent of the MTV attention span -- which has sadly affected us all, I fear. This version is lovingly crafted with delightful period details.

Although, in its slowness, this version fails to build up the various suspects as sufficiently menacing, it is a good version which keeps quite faithful to the book. Geraldine Alexander is excellent as Gwenda and to my ears does a super New Zealand accent. John Moulder-Brown is a let-down as her unconvincing animatronic husband, beautifully dressed in the gent's outfitters styles of the period, but far too mannered in his perfect elocution. Joan Hickson does her stuff very well as usual.

It is interesting (if depressing) to compare this with the travesty version starring Geraldine McEwan, where the plot has been mangled -- and garbled -- beyond recognition.

A young couple are looking for a home. The wife is from New Zealand and reared by relatives after her parents die. They locate a home and begin to remodel. As they do, the woman begins to feel like she's been there before identifying features of the house that were long ago removed. Most significantly, she suddenly recalls seeing a woman being strangled in the house. A woman named Helen...

This was the last of the Marple mysteries published and (to my mind) thankfully, Christie didn't kill off her detective (as she eventually does with Poirot). But the mystery is nothing special to be honest but the couple is attractive, and as they revisit the past, they stir up a murderer who strikes again and then comes after the young wife (nicely played by Geraldine Alexander) in a fairly suspenseful climax (for a Christie-based film).

P. S. One odd thing about this episode. We briefly meet Miss Marple's nephew Raymond and his wife, Joan (played by Amanda Boxer). For some reason, the writers create unspoken hostility between Joan and Miss Marple. It's never explained and once the mystery gets going it's never referred to again. Puzzling.

Giles and his beautiful wife Gwenda return to the UK to settle and build a life. Whilst driving through the sleepy village of Dilmouth, they spot house which Gwenda falls in love with, the couple quickly snap it up. Gwenda has a sense of déjà vu and memories of the house begin to return, small things at first, but one memory is too much to bare, murder!

Sleeping Murder is one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels; it has some really dark elements to it, and it's very captivating with real-life and intriguing characters. I think the production team did an excellent job making it; the characters seem like real people, and nobody is too over the top; the story is not too way out.

There are several scenes that stand out. Firstly, the Duchess of Malfi play, Jacobean drama, is particularly heavy, but those words 'cover her face, mine eyes dazzle; she died young' have such an impact. Gwenda's reaction is wonderfully sincere, and the whole staging of the scene is brilliant. The unveiling of the murderer scene is also brilliant-so creepy and sinister.

It's such a good production, it is very well made. There is lots of tension; they succeeded in creating a definite sense of unease, and the music is really spot on; it fits perfectly. The English countryside looks so beautiful too.

The acting, as always, is spot on; not a single weak link in the chain. Joan Hickson is, as always, bang on the money. John Bennett, Frederick Treves and John Moulder Brown are all great, but I've always thought that Geraldine Alexander brings something extra, her performance is so sincere.

It's a wonderful production, a must for any fan of murder mysteries. Plus there's the added bonus of seeing Jane Marple play the hero.

9/10.