Don't listen to the negative reviews

A Brilliant Conflict

For having a relatively low budget, the film's style and overall art direction are immensely impressive.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

A simple story about a rich old man who is going to adopt a dancer to give her his money or at least a good part of it against the will of his children, or in-laws, but Miss Marple is a lot trickier than that and the criminal is someone who wants to put their hands on that money by marrying one of the two official heirs, though the heirs don't seem to really care for the "caprice" of the old man: they may at most be condescendingly looking down upon the fancy of a sick old person. Clever but not enough for Miss Marple to be fooled. It is true she cheats because she has "accomplices" in the police, but she remains entertaining and the older actress that impersonates her is so quaintly delicate and dainty that it is a pleasure to listen to her shy and hardly impressive voice. But don't get fooled by her.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne, University Paris 8 Saint Denis, University Paris 12 Créteil, CEGID

There are two sorts of viewers of this film. Those who see it having first read the novel, and those who see it not having read it.Those who have read it first recognize a superlative job done by the scriptwriter and director, getting all the essentials of the story included within three fifty minute episodes. Those who have not read it first find the film filled with matters that only seem to dither along as Miss Marple herself and merely obstruct the eventual conclusion.Agatha's novels are very difficult to condense into 90 to 120 minutes. There are always delicious elements left out or plot lines that are not developed or explanations not made.In this adaptation, SPOILERS COMING!!, the conclusion wraps up the sleuth's thinking, but leaves out the novel's attention to what happens to Conway Jefferson's daughter in law and her son Peter, resolving the question of the final distribution of the old man's wealth. Maybe the director and scriptwriter decided that the woman was not sympathetic enough to talk about. Indeed, they did present her as something of a cold fish who flirted with two men without any resolution of their fates in the film. It's all explained in the book where she comes across much more sympathetically.But this may be a minor quibble. Many commentators have rightly given this film very high marks. I agree with those who accord this movie top rank or near top rank for its kind.

For a Christie near-addict, I find it difficult to even watch the Geraldine McEwan versions...esp. since Hickson was so flawless! I gather Christie herself had chosen her originally. Geraldine: way to ditsy. Rutherford: trying too hard to be comical and the novels are not comedies ! Hickson is scarily CONVINCING as the amazingly shrewd, analytical "old maid" who can still flutter and cluck on occasion...but the intelligence she brings to the role should discourage others. It's like Olivier in Richard III...and possibly Henry V. Case closed; find something else to play. Also: why fiddle with the setting? Christie set it in prewar England. And the supporting cast: most of whom I gather have sadly passed on--just show how deep the "bench" was in the matter of character actors of a certain generation. I doubt you could rustle up the same caliber today.

This gem is indeed far superior to the Geraldine McEwan version. Although it is a very good attempt and the supporting cast are superb,the period detail very good and is faithful to the book, Miss McEwan just does not have the x factor for Miss Marple. In fact with the contrived voice and the gestures she tries just that bit too hard to achieve what Joan Hickson did with so much ease.I understand that so far only four of the series have been re-filmed out of a total of twelve, and I am sure that out of the available Miss Marple contenders. i.e. Angela Lansbury, Helen Hayes, Maragret Rutherford,Joan Hickson and Geraldene McEwan it will be found that Miss Hickson is the definitive.