The Murder at the Vicarage

I like this episode of "Marple," I really do. The novel is one of my favorite Christies, I love the Joan Hickson version and this version ain't at all bad.

If they left it as a simple adaptation it would have been just great. But "Marple" writers never can leave well enough alone and they present us with some very un-Christie and un-Marple flashbacks. It's one of those things that make Christie fans despair of them. Did they ever have any love or respect for the source material?

Derek Jacobi is particularly good (has he ever turned in a bad performance that you know of?--all employees should be as conscientious as he is about a job well done). But Herbert Lom (Inspector Clouseau's boss), while welcome, is looking old and off his game.

One of the best of the series.

One of a series of Agatha Christie "Miss Marple" adaptions well realized in this TV production, with a celebrated British cast. Geraldine McEwan is excellent as Miss Marple, bringing the right balance of sweet old lady and shrewd detective together. The nostalgic English country garden settings, with a nice feel for period, set the right rural atmosphere for the often complicated multi-suspect plot so favoured by Agatha Christie. There are usual red herrings and false leads, complete with the ever bumbling policeman. Full marks to the excellent casting and production values. Just shows that Agatha still rules in the detective/murder department, and it's Forensic Free. (Before DNA)

I loved Geraldine McEwan's performances over the years. Superb in a classic such as 'Mapp and Lucia' and even very much above average and underused in one certain Kenneth B.'s Shakespeare adaptation... Here she is just wasted. I may be biased. For me Joan Hickson *is* the Miss Marple for my generation (I'm 20-something). And my parents'. Margaret Rutherford played Miss Marple with her very own quirky departs from canon. It was still better than this. Production values are never an issue. They are excellent. And the script follows the book far more closely than dozens of others adaptations from Agatha Christie's work. And Geraldine(Dame Geraldine by now, surely) & Derek (Sir, ditto) manage to sparkle. Perhaps it's enough for what was basically 20th century pop-culture. 1930s, actually. But it leaves me longing for Joan Hickson, June Withfield(on BBC Radio 4) and that seems to render this new adaptation needless. Or perhaps just premature.

Still... 7/10

"Murder at the Vicarage" is another of the Geraldine McEwan Miss Marple mysteries. These films have several things in common: 1) they are beautifully produced, with great attention paid to photography, costumes, etc.; 2) they cast very good actors; 3) they don't pay a heck of a lot of attention to the original novel.

As I've said a million times previously, it's been ages since I've read these books, so the details are lost on me. I do know one thing: Agatha Christie never gave Jane Marple a past with a married soldier. There is a reference to someone named Lionel in the books and apparently Mummy put a stop to it. We can assume, I think, that Jane Marple had suitors, the most serious of which was Lionel, but she never had an affair with a married soldier. It just shows how little the writers know about such a famous character.

Everyone goes on and on about Joan Hickson. Okay, those adaptations were terrific, and she was a wonderful actress. But when I read the Miss Marple books, I pictured her as a sweet old lady. For me Hickson was very dry in the role. I go on record here (again) - I liked Helen Hayes and Julia McKenzie in the role. McEwan, who is a fabulous actress, is not quite right in her interpretation. She's too sophisticated and too much in peoples' faces. Miss Marple was a keen observer of human nature, having watched the citizens of St. Mary Mead. When murder occurred, some of the behavior would remind her of Mr. so and so and Miss so and so - and she'd put the thing together. It's just not that way in these scripts.

Anyway, Murder at the Vicarage is a strong story, about the death of Colonel Lucius Protheroe, a very hated gentleman in St. Mary Mead. His wife, Ann, is having an affair with a local artist, known for his somewhat risqué work. His daughter wasn't happy with his rules concerning her behavior. Pretheroe thought the vicar's assistant was stealing from the church. Jane has a sprained ankle and does a lot of observing from her window. And she very cleverly solves the mystery.

This film is a treat for baby boomers in that it features Jane Asher, Paul McCartney's old girlfriend. And talk about names - Derek Jacobi as Colonel Pretheroe and Janet McTeer as Anne - two huge stars of theater, and of course Jacobi has had quite the film career as well. The producers don't spare any expense, obviously. And Herbert Lom? Fantastic.

Despite some of its adaptation problems - I mean if it's not broke why are you fixing it - I guiltily admit this was a treat to watch. One way to enjoy these is just forget it's supposed to be Miss Marple and based on an Agatha Christie book.

Hickson, McEwan, McKenzie - they each brought their own take on the Miss Marple character and I like all three actors in the role. McEwan's is the most edgy and worldly of the portrayals. From the costumes to the sets to the music, the production values of this show are marvelous and, with the exception of those playing the young adults, the cast is outstanding especially Janet McTeer. When I first saw this show I had no idea who McTeer was but since her amazing performance in the Albert Nobbs movie, I have gained an appreciation for her considerable acting talent and she shines in this episode. Derek Jacobi plays Colonel Protheroe - a blowhard, nasty and arrogant character who is just begging to be murdered as indeed he is. Although I recalled the solution having read the book, the mystery was still riveting and the ending was quite shocking. The one jarring bit to the story was the revelation of Miss Marple's youthful affair during WW I; the love affair itself seemed possible and believable but that it was with a married man seems way too unlikely and added nothing to the story. Even so, this show was a winner.