Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder

What a film! Watching 'Sleeping Murder' scared me more than any other Miss Marple film, mainly due to the suspense. The version with Joan Hickson was much, much better than that with Geraldine McEwan, mainly because the director stuck to the plot and didn't add a silly romance between the protagonist and her aide to supposedly warm the hearts of the audience. I thought that the house used was just right, and the gradual tension brought about by new discoveries (some gruesome) added a thrill to the plot. The main actress came across as a genuine damsel in distress and her husband loyal and devoted. One of the few films to make me frightened.

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.

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 is one of my favourite Agatha Christie books, I will warn you though I find it very creepy. As an adaptation, this version is surprisingly faithful, much more faithful than the Geraldine McEwan adaptation; that started off well but was ruined by some unnecessary plot changes. This 1987 adaptation looks wonderful, with some beautiful photography and lovely scenery and costumes without being too fancy. A number of scenes gave me nightmares when I first saw it, especially the ending. The book had real nervous edge and left some really haunting imagery inside your head, and the adaptation did very well in that aspect. The script is good, the pace isn't that slow, the music was haunting and beautiful and the acting was solid. Joan Hickson as usual is terrific in the title role, and Geraldine Alexander, like Sophia Myles in the recent version, was entirely captivating as Gwenda. Frederick Treves despite the shaky Scottish accent is quite effective as Kennedy, but John Moulder-Brown is rather wooden as Giles. All in all, a very effective adaptation of an excellent book. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Currently we are enjoying a spate of Joan Hickson's Miss Marple series on our free to air channel. I have watched the other adaptations of Agatha Christie's novel with Geraldine McEwan and while they were fine performances (story lines got a bit muddled) the JH ones are bringing back the original plots and stories. Only one thing is grating me is that the character of Gwenda supposedly from New Zealand is speaking with the most dreadful "Stryne" (Australian) accent. Good grief, the producers only had to go down to Earls Court and pick out a few Kiwis to hear the difference. Also, I get the picture that Gwenda was from a more refined family ( upper middle class) in which her accent would have been more cultured with a hint of "fush & chips" in it. Other than that I'm very much enjoying JH version.