Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

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.

The village is all of a buzz at the news that the Hall has been bought by American film star Marina Greg and her husband Jason Rudd. When Greg throws a garden party of the locals it ends badly whenever a local woman from the St John's suddenly falls ill and dies. The autopsy finds that she has been poisoned and that it most likely came from a drink – a drink intended for Marina Greg. With such a high profile murder on his hands, Superintendent Slack calls for help in the form of DI Craddock, who also happens to be the nephew of one Miss Marple. With her insightful mind and his detective work the future is bright but the ongoing threats against Greg shows that time is not on their side.

It is ironic that some fans of the BBC's Miss Marple don't rate this film as highly as some others because personally I think this is one of the more enjoyable ones I have seen recently, probably for the same reasons that others don't. It might be the presence of American accents, or the use of the film world as a backdrop or the use of humour within the plot and characters but somehow this film had more life and energy to it than some of the other films. The plot moves along quickly and we have the death within thirty minutes rather than the usual hour; this means we spent little time dawdling before the story starts. After this point it keeps up a good pace and is enjoyable from start to finish. The mystery itself benefits from the pace and avoids the trap of being deadly dull, becoming something that feels a bit lighter and more entertaining – although fans of CSI will still struggle with the rather sedentary pace it still has in common with the rest of the series.

The addition of comedy to the character of Miss Marple is welcome, as is the way she is a bit edgy and rude at times (well, by comparison anyway). Hickson takes to this well – playing off her housekeeper well and having a frustration that I hadn't seen before. Castle works well as her nephew and leads the investigation well as a sort of sidekick to her. The presence of Bloom and Newman add a bit of class to proceedings and by virtue of being American help to loosen the rather tight corset that this series always wore. I thought Gregory's (Fenn) accent was awful but when I found out he was American I realised that it must just be an all round bad performance rather a problem with accents. Support is roundly good and all do their bit to keep the film moving by never being too stiff or "English".

Overall this is not the film that will win fans of the MTV mystery series (CSI etc) but it is one of the lively films from the BBC Miss Marple series. The story, characters and tone all work together to produce a rather flowing story that has more interest and pace to it than I have seen in other Marple films and it made it more fun than usual.

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 her advanced years, has a carer/companion named Miss Knight, a feisty Scotswoman 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, and they translate well into this adaptation. Claire Bloom is particularly delightful as Marina Gregg. I firmly believe in her talent as a great actress in her later years (well, it's not exactly a stretch in reality, is it?), as she is such a beautiful, charismatic woman.

There are lots of old friends on display to bow out with, including Inspectors Craddock and Slack, Dolly Bantry, Sergeant Lake, Christopher Hawes, etc. It ends with such a sweet moment. My favorite scene has to be the village ladies discovering the marble bathrooms for the first time, which were no doubt rare at the time; their reactions are just wonderful. Miss Marple's frustrations with Miss Knight are so fun, too.

Such a shame they never adapted 'The Blue Geranium,' although I regularly enjoy the audio-book ready by Joan Hickson herself.

Some people have commented about Miss Marple suddenly being Craddock's aunt, I think it's meant more as a term of endearment, after a closeness between them developed over the years.

It's tale of tragedy and murder, with a couple of humourous subtleties thrown in. I like it very, very much, it remains superior to the Marple and the Hollywood film.

9/10.

Film megastar Marina Gregg is hosting a reception at her home in St Mary Mead. A fan is poisoned at the reception and it appears that the drink was meant for Ms Gregg. On the case is Detective Inspector Craddock...and, of course, Miss Jane Marple.

The final episode in the series that is the definitive Miss Marple one. Fittingly, it's a great one. An intriguing mystery, complete with a good twist.

Elevating the episode is the return of Robert Castle as Detective Inspector Craddock. Craddock was the detective in A Murder is Announced and the best detective in the series, Castle playing him with great gravitas, calmness and sense of authority. Slack (now a Superintendent) is still there, as is Sergeant Lake, so for the finale we have all the key Marple detectives in one place - a nice gesture.

It may not be the best of the bunch but it's still a good TV movie. A nice touch is the fact that we see several faces that we saw in Murder At The Vicarage an earlier movie of this series. There is Dolly Bantrey ( now a widow), there is the vicar ( he was not the vicar in Murder at the vicarage but seems to have made a promotion) and some more characters. This one is surely better than the movie with Liz Taylor and Angela Lansbury. This was the last one of the series and it's a shame they did not continue it with movies of some of the Miss Marple short stories. Hickson was - up till now - the best Miss Marple. Let's hope they 'll find another person just as good and still use the short stories!