L'affaire Protheroe

I have never thought that Margaret Rutherford was the perfect actress to portray Christie's famous lady detective.Angela Landsbury,who portrayed her in "the mirror cracked" was not an ideal choice either.Joan Hickson was Miss Marple as I see her ,discreet ,insightful,mischievous,terribly observant.She and the detective inspector make a funny pair,like Poirot and Japp. Unlike Poirot,Marple does not really investigate.She never questions the suspects (some of whom even use her as their alibi)but has a rare talent for observation.

"Murder at the vicarage" is a classic Christie novel:it happens in Jane Marple's village where a wicked colonel nobody likes -and thus has a reason to kill him of course- is murdered.It even involves the priests who are suspects too.Good job by all the cast.

French title (of the novel and the movie):"L'affaire Prothero" .

It is difficult to understand ITV's decision to remake the Miss Marple series, because in Joan Hickson we have the definitive interpretation of Agatha Christie's amateur sleuth. This particular story, Miss Marple's first fictional outing,dates from 1930, but the writer, T.R. Bowen has skilfully updated it to the 1950s. The script is witty and the cast is endowed with such acting stalwarts as Paul Eddington and Rosalie Crutchley. If the plot does not seem so original now it is because Christie's work was so often copied, and what must have seemed innovative in 1930 now appears to be hackneyed. All that said it is a story well told and worth a couple of hours of anyone's time.

Joan Hickson was the embodiment of Miss Marple. Many actresses have played Miss Marple but none of them have surpassed Joan Hickson's portrayal. This is the first story of Miss marples debut not counting the short story that was previously published. I think if Agatha Christie was alive when this was out she would have been pleased. Excellent who done it. I miss those days.

Colonel Protheroe is a resident of St. Mary Mead and a loathsome man-a magistrate who is forceful, opinionated, and tyrannical. It comes as no surprise when he's shot dead, with plenty of suspects, including his adulterous wife, her lover, his ex-wife, and a local petty criminal. Hailing from the same village, it comes as no surprise that local sleuth Jane Marple is first on the scene, much to the annoyance of Detective Inspector Slack.

This is the first Miss Marple story that Christie wrote, and it features a classic plot-one that could have been delivered in a too heavy-handed way, with the killer seeming obvious. However, the production team managed to divert attention and keep the viewer guessing.

Plaudits to the casting director, who did an exceptional job, primarily with the pairing of Paul Eddington and Cheryl Campbell. They are exquisite as the Vicar and his wife. Campbell manages to be sympathetic, funny, and utterly charming; I would say she's the standout.

The St. Mary Mead gossip team is wonderful, so believable, Rosalie Crutchley and Barbara Hicks are delightful, with the latter returning six years later for the final episode. I love the dynamic between Miss Marple and Inspector Slack, hi annoyance would last for many years.

The music is excellent throughout, helping to add mystery to the story without being too much. As always there was a huge focus on the attention to detail, the fashion, cars etc.

A cracking mystery.

9/10.

When Mrs. LaStrange first attends services, the vicar asks if she is just there "for the season", to which she said, "Well, to everything there is a season". The vicar replies, "Oh yes, "Proverbs'". No, that quote is from the Book of Ecclesiastes. One would think vicar would know that. BTW, this exchange does not appear in the novel.

Also, Mr. Dawes, the curate, is described to be a Jesuit. Why would what appears to be a Presbyterian church employ a Catholic priest? The curate is in the novel, but is never referred to as a Jesuit.