This is a charming movie, and a true adaptation. Not true to the story, but an adaptation in the truest sense of the term. The basic plot is the same (who done it, why, of course the solution), but the details are changed. In the original Agatha Christie novel ("4:50 From Paddington") a friend of Miss Marple witnesses the murder, she sends a professional housekeeper to the suspected location of the body, there is no menacing gardener, no mass poisoning attempt and numerous other changes to the details, which although not changing the basic plot do take us on a different route, albeit to the same solution.
If they had changed the name of the lead character, this would have been a perfectly good mystery story. However, leaving the Christie/Marple references in makes it susceptible to close examination by Christie buffs. Miss Marple certainly didn't read detective stories or have a friend "Mr. Stringer". She definitely was not the physically adventurous soul as portrayed here.
Margaret Rutherford does however turn in a splendid performance, matched by James Robert Justice as the Ackenthorpe patriarch. Although her part is minor, Joan Hickson shows the glimmer of her talent that would eventually make her the quintessential Miss Marple in the BBC productions, including just a moment of the 'thinking pose' where she looks off to the side but focuses on nothing but her thoughts which she would do so often.
It appears the voice of the young nephew Alexander has been dubbed throughout the movie. The voice seems a bit mature and has a forcefulness of tone that doesn't match the physical delivery.
One final comment is on the music. When the focus is on "mystery" the score appropriately heightens the tension. However, when the music is simply incidental it has a cheeky contemporary sound that is out of step with the character of an elderly spinster. Along with the annoying character of Alexander, this unfortunate score makes me unlikely to stop channel surfing if I happen across it some night.
By the way, did Dame Christie actually approve the implication that Jane (gasp) got married?!? Although it is possible the sign on the car was simply one of Alexander's pranks, the prior conversation leads one to believe it just might be true. (As a Christie buff, this is the one story change of which I disapproved.)
If they had changed the name of the lead character, this would have been a perfectly good mystery story. However, leaving the Christie/Marple references in makes it susceptible to close examination by Christie buffs. Miss Marple certainly didn't read detective stories or have a friend "Mr. Stringer". She definitely was not the physically adventurous soul as portrayed here.
Margaret Rutherford does however turn in a splendid performance, matched by James Robert Justice as the Ackenthorpe patriarch. Although her part is minor, Joan Hickson shows the glimmer of her talent that would eventually make her the quintessential Miss Marple in the BBC productions, including just a moment of the 'thinking pose' where she looks off to the side but focuses on nothing but her thoughts which she would do so often.
It appears the voice of the young nephew Alexander has been dubbed throughout the movie. The voice seems a bit mature and has a forcefulness of tone that doesn't match the physical delivery.
One final comment is on the music. When the focus is on "mystery" the score appropriately heightens the tension. However, when the music is simply incidental it has a cheeky contemporary sound that is out of step with the character of an elderly spinster. Along with the annoying character of Alexander, this unfortunate score makes me unlikely to stop channel surfing if I happen across it some night.
By the way, did Dame Christie actually approve the implication that Jane (gasp) got married?!? Although it is possible the sign on the car was simply one of Alexander's pranks, the prior conversation leads one to believe it just might be true. (As a Christie buff, this is the one story change of which I disapproved.)