Arabesque: L'heure de la justice

I watch the hour long episodes of Murder She Wrote and find them very engaging. Tonight I stumbled upon a full historical TV movie also listed as "Murder She Wrote". It bears little resemblance to the weekly episodes in that it is a full time movie, and a Civil War drama as well.

This TV movie shows Dame Lansbury's superlative presence in whatever type of character she is asked to portray.

I lost a bit of my admiration when the film turned to the current time with the more formulaic scenes of the usual "Murder She Wrote episodes.

But still I was glued to the screen to engage in this mix of history and the usual Murder She Wrote episodes. It is excellent on many levels.

While doing a bit of studying for a course during the day, this TV movie popped on the tele. I was about to begin the channel hopping process to find something more suitable for background watching when the title flashed up 'Murder, She Wrote'. Now I'm no massive fan of the show, but I'll admit that I do enjoy repeats when I see them; no exceptions here.

The opening attracts the viewer right away. It's the classic 'whodunit' model as we see an African-American fellow running from an angry mob of Southerners. This is great scene-setting, as almost everyone can gather from these establishing shots and the props that we're way back during the times of black slavery. The final shot before we flash-forward to the modern day is literally a shot (from a gun). We don't see who shoots the man looking to escape, but we want to know who.

To find out who fired the gun and reach the dramatic climax, we need some present-day detective work from none other than Jessica Fletcher and her great Southern Aunt, Sarah McCullough (an initially laughable technique to put Jessica Fletcher in the past, but ultimately very effective).

The man that we saw running and, presumably, shot is Sam; a black slave owned by Sarah. Sam is accused of murdering a white man and from there on in it's classic Murder, She Wrote.

The acting is really something special. The stand-out for me is Michael Jace as Sam. What a wonderful performance, delivered with such skill and integrity - considering the subject matter. Angela Lansbury (who was around about 75 when this was filmed) is as strong as ever in arguably her most famous role.

My only problem was with some of the props and the haircuts/facial hair. For some reason, they took me out of the immersion that the telemovie had so far provided; a few of the extras looked as if they were modern day people dressed in costume, bah! Nonetheless, this is a good telemovie and yet another great outing from Jessica Fletcher. 8/10 Oh, and happy birthday Angela Lansbury. Just turned 84 and I hear she's on Broadway again, brilliant!

These 80-minute versions of Murder She Wrote do manage to bring out the best in the scriptwriters - a chance to breathe a bit deeper than usual.

In Virginia, Jessica discovers a family link with a young black woman historian Cassandra, whose ancestor Sam was a slave owned by Jessica's ancestor Sarah. I immediately hoped they'd go into flashback, with Jessica in costume, and I wasn't disappointed.

The scene is a big farmhouse wedding in 1860, the eve of civil war, where one observer says "Let's hope that this whole thing can be resolved without bloodshed" - a statement that would turn out deeply ironic. Sarah is in favour of paying Sam for some of his duties, but this heightens the divisions between the abolitionists and the slave-power. When the bridegroom is shot dead, Sam is the immediate suspect, and Sarah demands that he should be given a fair trial. But Sam urges her not to waste her time trying to fight for truth and justice. And sure enough, the local farmers hunt him down like a dog.

Back in the present day, Jessica and Cassandra find themselves arguing with the curator of a historical museum, who believes in 'truth' or preserving the Southern cultural heritage - a slightly ambiguous agenda. When Cassandra finds her car booby-trapped outside the museum, history seems to be repeating itself. The underground railroad (the safe-house network where slaves were smuggled to freedom) turns out to be a big part of the story - as revealed by a 100-year old woman who can remember it. The dates may not quite fit, but it doesn't hurt the story too much.

Sam is played magnificently by Michael Jace, deeply convincing as the long-suffering slave with the noble character who can rise above his captive status. So it was doubly shocking, just the other week, to see him jailed for 40 years for murdering his wife.

Apart from starting off a tad slow and one or two of the props and extra took away from the authenticity of the period, this is a very good and well executed TV movie, based off the wonderful TV show. It looks wonderful, not only in the present day but especially in the flashbacks, where the costumes, photography, sets and scenery are marvellous. The music is a delight too, playful and memorable yet is dramatic in places as well. The dialogue is good enough too, the direction is fine and the story is well written and dramatic with a very poignant and equally dramatic ending. The acting is excellent, Angela Lansbury once again gives a very strong performance but I was also delighted by how dignified and integral Michael Jace was as Sam. Overall, a really very good TV movie. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Almost the swan song for Jessica. Heart wrenching penultimate Murder She Wrote outing. Angela Lansbury brings out the best in the usual suspect cast. Wonderful time travel episode exposing more of the evil and lies of the South.