The Worst Film Ever

Best movie ever!

A Masterpiece!

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

While I slightly prefer A Murder is Announced(my personal favourite of the 12 feature length adaptations) and Sleeping Murder, The Body in the Library is a beautifully done adaptation of a very good book. And yes, it is much better than the Geraldine McEwan version, which was spoiled significantly by that wretched ending. I know people will say it is unfair to rag on the Geraldine McEwan adaptations, but I have to admit while I don't despise them with the exception of about four they are disappointing, particularly Nemesis, Sittaford Mystery and At Bertram's Hotel.Back to this version. While a tad overlong and a little slow, The Body in the Library is an interesting and very worthwhile adaptation, not to mention more faithful. It is lovingly photographed, with the photography, costumes and scenery as always beautiful, and the music is lovely. The story rarely loses interest, the direction is attentive and the script is sophisticated and thoughtful. The acting once again is very good, with Joan Hickson simply terrific as Miss Marple(and I concur with the reviewers who say she was the best Miss Marple, she is certainly the warmest and the wisest) and Gwen Watford delightful as Mrs Bantry. So in conclusion, a very good start to 12 worthwhile, beautifully filmed and thoughtfully acted and written adaptations with Joan Hickson. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The ending was a total surprise. My guess as to the killer's identity was flat wrong. But, of course, once the explanation is given, the events make perfect sense. There are clues all over the place, but they're very subtle. Some are in the dialogue. If spoken words were taken at face value, we would know instantly who the villain is. Instead, we take these words only in the context of the discussion. Thus, we overlook their significance. This film is probably one of the better TV murder mysteries derived from an Agatha Christie novel.Casting and acting are fine. As Miss Marple, Joan Hickson plays it low-key and deferential. Other actors are also a delight. Andrew Cruickshank as Conway Jefferson, Raymond Francis as Sir Henry Clithering, and Frederick Jaeger as Chief Constable Melchett enhance the overall quality of acting.The plot does seem a tad strung out. The story doesn't really justify a two and a half-hour plot. Several sequences, especially in the first half, could have been shortened or deleted. I'm assuming the story takes place in the early 1950s, but the script doesn't really specify.I like the spine-tingling suspense near the end. All we see of the killer is a shadowy figure and a pair of black-gloved hands. Marvelous! And Miss Marple sums up the entire story: "It's a mystery. But then we all are, aren't we? Even to ourselves, especially to ourselves".

This was the first of the BBC Miss Marples to feature Joan Hickson. I thoroughly enjoyed it when it was first shown and still do BUT it does seem a little slow now. It was originally shown over three nights and is very steadily paced. Hickson of course is marvellous as Marple and will not offend in any way (unlike the cheekier McEwen) and she has some terrific support. I am particularly fond of Gwen Watford as Dolly Bantry even if she tires of the investigation more quickly than she does in the book. I have to confess to liking the newer ITV cast more in most of the other roles but I do think that Jess Conrad was born to play Raymond Starr! David Horovitch has his first outing as Slack and is still quite fresh here - I did come to wish that the BBC didn't use him quite so much by the end of the series. On the whole, its good stuff and highly recommended.

I haven't seen the McEwan version but can't believe it comes anywhere near this one. This cast definitely do not ham up the story, which is a good one. Christie was parodying the kind of cliché'd tale that starts off with a body in the library of the manor house - she takes us right out of that static, country-house setting (which ignorant critics often accuse her of being stuck in) to the rather louche setting of an expensive seaside hotel. The hotel is full of people who aren't quite ladies or gentlemen (which makes them all the more amusing). And film man Basil Blake is actually living in St. Mary Mead with a blonde, without benefit of clergy (or so he'd have everybody think). This adaptation sticks pretty faithfully to the book and the cast are good, especially Styler, Horovich, Watford and of course Joan Hickson. I only have a few minor nitpicks. I miss the exit line of the tennis-playing gigolo, his upper class background exposed as a sham and his rich widow an item with an old admirer: "Dance, dance, little gentleman!" He was quoting a popular tune "Dance, Dance, Little Lady" but audiences couldn't be expected to know that. The dignity of the missing Girl Guide's parents is not as vivid as in the book. And Ruby's hair and makeup are all wrong: she wouldn't have had long fluffy hair in the 30s, and her rouge makes her look feverish. In the book, Basil turns out to have a heroic civilian WW I record, too. Christie reflected her times, and had a great sense of humour she's not always given credit for. The Body in the Library is the title of a book by her fictional avatar, Ariadne Oliver. Perhaps she thought she might as well write it herself. Someone should give us The Clue of the Crimson Goldfish...