Customer Reviews

The Agatha Christie Miss Marple Movie Collection (Murder at the Gallop / Murder Ahoy / Murder Most Foul / Murder She Said)

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The first thing that catches your eye (rather your ear) about these 4 approximately 90 minute movies made by MGM in the 1960s is the catchy theme music used in the opening and closing credits. These 4 films may not be the in depth stories shown on BBC (and then A&E or PBS) in the mid to late 80s, but they are still delightful thanks to the performance of their star Margaret Rutherford, who brings some humor to the role. The 2 other regulars in them are Stringer Davis as her friend Jim Stringer (notice the similar name) who "strings" along and eventually helps her solve the case, and Charles Tingwell as the Scotland Yard Inspector amazed and sometimes befuddled by the "old bat's" Sherlock Holmes like methods to solve mysteries. In Murder She Said (a sort of variation on 4:50 From Paddington) Miss Marple poses as a maid at a mansion near a train station where she witnessed a murder on a passing train trying to solve the case. Look for future BBC/PBS Miss Marple Joan Hickson in this one as the cook. In Murder At The Gallop, she tries to find a murderer at an equestrian hotel. In Murder Ahoy, she goes aboard ship to when a Naval Captain is a suspect in a murder. Finally in Murder Most Foul, she joins a theatre troup to find a murderer, and I'll leave it at that. I'm glad these will be sold as a set, they are way too short (let alone too funny) to be sold individually. Definitely an addition to your library whether you have the 80s series or not.

Margaret Rutherford was a scene-stealing, eccentric force of nature in all her movies, and I suspect in her stage roles as well. She had a shape like a sack of produce, a double chin that trembled with a life of its own, little eyes that could widen in shock or squint with suspicion and, when her characters were aroused, a forceful stride that took all before it. Her personality was simply unique. The only other actor I can think of who matched her in eccentricity, potential ham and acting skill was Alastair Sim, another memorable British screen presence.

In Murder She Said, Rutherford plays Agatha Christie's Miss Jane Marple. Rather, she plays Rutherford's Miss Jane Marple. She made four Marple films, but I doubt if anyone reading Christie's stories would ever have envisaged Rutherford in the part. Now, for many people, Marple is Rutherford. She's that strong a character.

Jane Marple is on a train when she looks out at another train passing by on the next track. In the window of one of the carriage rooms she sees, for a few moments, a woman being strangled. When she reports this and the police search the train at the next station and the area where Miss Marple says it happened, there is no body to be found. The trains were passing Ackenthorpe Hall, an estate run with a loud voice and an irascible temper by old Ackenthorpe (James Robertson Justice), a bed-ridden man who believes he's on his last legs and intends to keep his family, most of whom have their eyes on the estate, firmly in line. It's only a short while before Miss Marple decides to investigate Ackenthorpe Hall, where she believes the body must have been hidden. She manages to get herself hired as the maid, a position which frequently is vacant because of Ackenthorpe's rudeness. "There is one thing I cannot tolerate," he tells her as she stands in front of his bed in her maid's uniform, "and that is impertinence!" Miss Marple is having none of that. "Well, we should get on admirably," she says. "Neither can I!" She also must deal with a precocious grandson, young Alexander. "You know, it isn't just that you don't look like Jane Mansfield. You're not my idea of a maid, either," he tells her. "Well, quite honestly," she tells the kid, "I don't think you're everybody's idea of a boy." The only non-family members in the place appear to be Miss Marple, Dr. Paul Quimper (Arthur Kennedy), the housekeeper, Mrs. Kidder (Joan Hickson, who years later made a quieter and equally memorable Marple) and a surly groundsman. Needless to say, Miss Marple finds herself in the middle of clever dialogue and grave danger as she eventually discovers the motive for murder and unmasks the killer.

This is the first of the Marple movies, gathered together in the four-disc "The Agatha Christie Miss Marple Movie Collection." The others are fun, but rely much more on Rutherford's personality. Murder She Said benefits not just from Rutherford, but from a clever, witty script, a mystery which plays reasonably fair and which is tough to solve, solid acting by the other players, especially Arthur Kennedy as the sincere but slightly ironic doctor who plans to marry Ackenthorpe's daughter and James Robertson Justice's Ackenthorpe. Justice specialized in blustering characters and few were better at it than he.

As far as the other three movies in the package go (and you can't buy any of the movies separately yet), Rutherford is the reason to see them. They all feature murder and Rutherford's indomitable determination to trap the killers. Murder at the Gallop (1963) features Robert Morley as well as Rutherford on a horse. (Miss Marple was a champion equestrienne in her younger days). Murder Ahoy (1964) features Lionel Jeffries as well as Rutherford in a sword duel with the murderer (Miss Marple was a champion fencer in her younger days). Murder Most Foul (1964) features Ron Moody and Rutherford as a crack shot (Miss Marple was a champion pistol shooter in her younger days). All four films were directed by George Pollock.

Margaret Rutherford was 71 when she made Murder She Said. She first began making movies when she was 44. Noel Coward wrote the part of Madam Arcadi, the spiritualist, for her when he created Blithe Spirit. She played the role in the 1945 movie version which starred Rex Harrison. If you can find the DVD, it's worth getting just for Coward's dialogue and Rutherford's way with it. And for a very satisfying time, pick of a copy of the VHS tape (there's no DVD yet) of The Happiest Days of Your Life. It's the only movie I'm aware of where Rutherford and Alastair Sim co-starred. It's a very funny film, and the two of them outdo themselves as they try to outdo each other.

All the movies in the DVD set look very good, clean and clear. There are no significant extras.

It is really great to see all four of these wonderful movies with incomporable Margaret Rutherfort finally being released in the United States. I have bought my set a couple of years ago from amazon in the United Kingdom and enjoying it ever since. It is completely sold out in Britain so I would get a copy while it's available.

It was the mid-1960's and I was about 10-years-old. Channel 11, WQXI Atlanta, had an afternoon movie everyday, just in time for kids getting out of school, of whom I was one. One day Miss Marple's "Murder Ahoy" was playing and I was stunned. Miss Marple looked exactly like my Nana Puckett. I was more than charmed, overwhelmed and enthralled, it was my first epiphany. They say that movies are make believe...to me it was like someone had turned on a light. Suddenly, I began to realize the wonders of my long dormant imagination. To me, it wasn't Margaret Rutherford on the screen, it was my Grandmother. She was bright, the equal of any man and had a sense of humor. She was a female Sherlock Holmes, whose books were already my favorites since I had begun reading. A joy in every sense, but to me a personal pleasure no one could understand.
Buy these movies! See the charming Margaret Rutherford at the height of her career and in every sense the equal of her more famous and respected competitor. The four movies are well-told tales, told with style and conviction, with expertly crafted scripts and excellent supporting actors, especially the earnest Inspector Craddock played by the wonderful Charles Tingwell and the always loyal and helpful Mr. Stringer player by Ms. Rutherford's real life husband, Stringer Davis.
And a wonderful footnote is Ron Goodwin's masterful, charming score and theme music for Miss Marple. Like George Delarue's score for "A Little Romance," almost worth the price of admission all on its own. Like the jazzy themes to "The Wild, Wild West" and "The Avengers;" great, bright Jazz at its best.
A Pure delight.

These 4 movies with Margaret Rutherford were my first introduction to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, and they are excellent entertainment with great acting. For this reason I really like them and I think they motivated me to later read the novel "4:50 From Paddington" and subsequently more of Agatha Christie's books. They are not exactly 'comedy' as the covers seem to be indicating, but a slightly humourous & lighter presentation. These are probably best appreciated by those who have not read much of Agatha Christie's works or prefer a lighter, less graphic, presentation of the murder stories. My Dad, who has read all of Agatha Christie's books four times over, doesn't really care for these renditions even though he admits they are well done.

British actress Margaret Rutherford stars in these 4 productions, and Stringer Davis, her husband in real life, plays her friend Mr. Stringer. They are a very good twosome and the chemistry and love between them comes across very nicely on film as well. The characters also made a cameo appearance in "The ABC Murders" movie with Tony Randall (although the film was not well done).

"Murder She Said" is based on the Miss Marple story "4:50 From Paddington". Although the main plot is the same, the absence of Lucy Eyelesbarrow is most obvious. Instead Miss Marple plays the roles that both Lucy & Mrs. McGillicuddy did in the book. In other words, Miss Marple does everything herself. She witnesses the murder on the train and also becomes the maid at the Crackenthorpe estate. They've also changed characters, such as making the boy Alexander into an eccentric and interesting personality, and taking away his true connection to the family that is presented in the novel. It is interesting that Joan Hickson, who was viewed by others and even Agatha Christie herself as the best Miss Marple, appeared in this film as the other housekeeper, Mrs. Kidder.

"Murder At the Gallop" is based on the story "After the Funeral" which is a Poirot story. So changing Poirot to Miss Marple, completely changed the premise of the story.

"Murder Ahoy" is not based on any of Agatha Christie's novels and is an invented story that borrows AC's characters. I think I like this one best of all, perhaps because they are not trying to put a square peg into a round hole.

"Murder Most Foul" is based on the novel "Mrs. McGuinty's Dead" and I can tell you after reading the book over the summer, that it is not at all like the novel on which it is based.

I would definitely recommend these renditions of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. They may not be for purists, but they certainly are enjoyable! They are very suspenseful and you don't know what will happen until the very end. The covers are in colour, but all the movies are black and white. I especially like the fact that they are presented in widescreen. I've been eying these for years as they have been available in Britain, Region 2, for a quite a while. I'm glad that Region 1 can now enjoy these excellent films as well, and that they are so nicely presented in this dvd collection.

I cannot emphasize enough how delighted I was to see that those wonderful movies will be finally available on DVD in the US. I love love love Margaret Rutherford in those movies! She plays her part as Miss Marple so well. Despite the fact that the original Agatha Christie Stories are somewhat different from those movies, with Margaret Rutherford playing the old Miss Marple, it is just a pleasure to watch those classics over and over again. I will order this as soon as it becomes available! It should be in every Movie-Collection!

These movies are wonderful! Margaret Rutherford makes these films and her buddy Mr. Jim Stringer is her husband in real life :) It is a shame that more were not done with her as the lead......she brings humor to the roll & so does Mr. Stringer. I've never seen a person contort their face the way this woman can! She never hides her emotions very well! In Murder at the Gallop (made in 1963); wealthy Mr. Enderby dies of a heart attack but the ever-suspicious Miss Marple has her doubts. Who or what gave him a heart attack? Enderby's poor relatives gather at the The Gallop, a combined hotel and riding school. Miss Marple also stays there to find out if any of them had any particular reasons to see him dead. This one keeps you guessing until the end! Murder Ahoy (made in 1964); Miss Marple investigates the murder of one of her fellow trustees of a fund which rehabilitates young criminals. To investigate she goes aboard the ship used to train the juveniles, much to the distress of the Captain. She soon stumbles onto more murders, and a ring of thieves. Murder Most Foul (1964) Miss Marple is asked to sit on a jury after a woman is found hung and the "murderer" at her feet! But, she is the only jury member who believes that the accused is innocently charged with murder, so she joins a local acting troupe and tries to figure out who the real murderer is. Murder She Said (1961) Miss Marple is on a train ride when she witnesses a murder in a passing train. She reports it to the police but they won't believe her: since no body can be found there can't have been any murder (at least according to the police) So, Miss Marple begins her own investigation. The murder was committed while passing Ackenthorpe Hall, so Miss Marple gets herself a job there, cleaning and cooking while searching the house for clues. Murder She Wrote and Jessica Flethcer have NOTHING on Miss Marple!

Legendary mystery author Agatha Christie described Jane Marple as a tiny, delicate, retiring, and very lady-like spinster--and she was not at all pleased when actress Margaret Rutherford (1892-1972), best known for her comic performances, was selected to play the role in a series of film adaptations based on some of Christie's most famous works. But the proof of the pudding is under the crust: the films were popular, and while Christie often remarked that Rutherford was not her idea of Jane Marple, she also admitted the movies were a lot of fun.

THE AGATHA CHRISTIE MISS MARPLE MOVIE COLLECTION contains all four films that Rutherford made in the role, three of them based directly on Christie novels and one an original script that arose from the manner in which the character was interpreted. All four films were directed by George Pollock and inexpensively shot in black and white; all four emphasized comedy over mystery; and all four are a good deal of fun.

The first film in the series is MURDER, SHE SAID, released in 1961 and based on the Christie novel THE 4:50 FROM PADDINGTON. Although the adaptation is loose in detail, the essential plot remains the same: a murder seen from a passing train that leads Miss Marple to the investigation of an eccentric family. It was followed in 1963 by MURDER AT THE GALLOP, based on Christie's AFTER THE FUNERAL, which is in fact a novel featuring Hercule Poriot rather than Jane Marple--but this detail aside, and excusing changes in detail made to emphasize the comic aspects of the film, this adaptation is also quite close to the original tale of seemingly random murder which has hidden motives.

Two more Rutherford films were released in 1964. Like MURDER AT THE GALLOP, MURDER MOST FOUL was actually drawn from a novel that featured Poirot rather than Jane Marple: MRS. MCGINTY'S DEAD, but once more it stays close to the original plot in its story of murder in theatrical circles. MURDER AHOY, however, was quite a different matter: the story of a mystery surrounding a restored battleship used to "recover" juvenile deliquent boys, it was created directly for the screen by writers David Pursall and Jack Seddon, who created the plot specifically around the character of Jane Marple as portrayed by Rutherford.

Rutherford is always delight, regardless of the film: a large, elderly woman with a bull-dog face, beacon eyes, and highly eccentric manner, she plays in the best tradition of dry British wit. Her supporting cast in each film is also solid and often features notables such as Lionel Jefferies, Francesca Annis, Robert Morley, and Flora Robinson. Character actor Stringer Davis also scores in the re-occuring role of Miss Marple's confidant and aide; so too does Charles Tingwell in the re-occuring role of Inspector Craddock.

In addition to the charm of the performers, there is also a truly memorable musical theme by Ron Goodman, which combines a swinging harpsichord with violins to delightful effect, and while the films were clearly made on a slight budget they never seem cheap in quality. If you are looking for the perfect Miss Marple as originally created by Agatha Christie, you won't find it here--but you will find a good deal of lightweight and very amusing fun in the 1960s English style. The DVDs contain no bonuses to speak of, but the prints are as good as they can be short of a digital restoration, and fans of the series will be overjoyed to have them!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

"I hope I'm an individual. I suppose an eccentric is a super individual. Perhaps an eccentric is just off centre - ex-centric. But that contradicts a belief of mine that we've got to be centrifugal."-Margaret Rutherford about playing Jane Marple

I loved Agatha Christie's Rutherford Miss Marple . When I found out that it is said, that Agatha Christie did have Margaret Rutherford in mind for hers of Miss Marple. Agatha Christie dedicated her 1963 novel "The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side" to Rutherford in admiration(IMBD), i was more intrigued.

I love Rutherford overbaring and nosy Marple. The set of the four full length dvd appearances of Marple are here...Murder She Said (1961)-based on the novel 4:50 from Paddington, Murder at the Gallop (1963) Based on the book After the Funeral , Murder Most Foul (1964) Based upon the novel Mrs. McGinty's Dead and Murder Ahoy (1964) which is not based on a book are all in this box pressented in Black and white in their Widescreen glory. One would wonder why they didn't release the ABC Murders )also know as the Alphabet Murders) with Tony Randall (as his only appearance as Poirot )to DVD (with an unbilled Rutherford Marple cameo) ro complete the 1960's Marple collection.

Other than a set of Christie Trailers of those films available on DVD ( including the Hugh O'Brian Ten Little Indians & The Marples), there are no extras, I wish there were interviews or radio spots-however they aren't here!. However with Rutherford's Miss Marple on the case in this box set, you dont need extras

For real big trivia buffs, Rutherford's husband, Stringer Davis, portrayed "Mr. Stringer" in all of her "Miss Marple" films

If you want classic entertainment that the family will enjoy together, you can get this box set or the newly released Charlie Chan set volume one (see my review if you want to know about the chan).

Its the older films (classic Disney included) that never disappoint, They were simple stories without many special effects. Hollywood, why cant you make films like these today? If someone can answer that one, let me know

Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD

OK, maybe they aren't pure Agatha Christie, but these films are delightful entertainment. Presented in anamorphic widescreen; they look better than ever.

Hopefully they'll release THE ALPHABET MURDERS also as Margaret Rutherford (as Miss Marple) makes a cameo in that one.