Customer Reviews

Agatha Christie's Marple: Series 5

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

In Series 5, "Agatha Christie's Marple" has finally settled on a consistent style. The bold palette looks like Technicolor, and the acting style is also reminiscent of the decade in which the mysteries take place, the 1950s. We've seen this off-and-on in previous seasons, but now it has lost its clumsiness. Although the mysteries are sordid and melodramatic, they don't go over the top to the point of distraction, as has sometimes been the case in previous seasons. Again the writers have adapted various source materials to serve Miss Marple. "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" is, of course, a Marple novel. But "The Secret of Chimneys" is a Superintendent Battle novel whose plot has been entirely changed. And "The Blue Geranium" is adapted from a Marple short story.

Julia McKenzie plays Marple as a practical, plainspoken woman whom one would probably not mistake for a dotty old lady. The extent to which the police detectives do, however, varies. In "The Secret of Chimneys", the Scotyard Yard detective is familiar with Miss Marple's reputation for solving mysteries, and he seems to expect her to contribute to the case. "The Blue Geranium"'s detective tends to think her a nuisance who couldn't possibly be of much help. It might be nice to have deeper characterizations of the detectives, but there are so many characters in these stories that there is no time for any of them in depth. It's a credit to the actors that some characters come across strongly. In any case, I found Series 5 the most consistently entertaining of the "Marple" series thus far.

An American movie star moves to St. Mary Mead in "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side". Marina Gregg (Lindsay Duncan) has settled into Gossington Hall with her much-younger English husband, film director Jason Rudd (Nigel Harman), and taken to English country life in a grand fashion. Miss Marple's friend Dolly Bantry (Joanna Lumley) is beside herself with excitement over her new neighbors. And seemingly the whole town turns out for a formal party hosted by Ms. Gregg. But one of the guests, a "garrulous spinster" and huge fan named Heather Badcock (Caroline Quentin), drops dead after consuming a poisoned cocktail, and it looks like the intended target may have been Ms. Gregg. This is a stylish, fun mystery featuring Joanna Lumley in a terrific comic role.

"The Secret of Chimneys" harkens back to a party held on the estate in 1932, during which a chambermaid and a priceless diamond brooch went missing. Chimneys is one of England's grandest private residences, owned by the family of Lord Caterham (Edward Fox). The British government wants to use the estate to woo Austrian Count Ludwig van Stainach (Anthony Higgins) to sell them rights to iron ore. Miss Marple, cousin to Caterham's deceased wife and friend to their daughter Virginia (Charlotte Salt), will be joining the eclectic guest list, which includes a woman trying to acquire the house for the National Heritage. But there is a gunshot in the night, and the Count is found dying in the arms of a rival for Virginia's affections, Anthony Cade (Jonas Armstrong).

"The Blue Geranium" is told in flashback, as Miss Marple implores her friend Sir Henry (Donald Sinden) to intervene to prevent the wrong man from being hanged for the murders of his wife and mistress. Some time ago, Miss Marple traveled to the picturesque village of Little Ambrose. On the bus, she met a distraught man who later turned up dead on the golf course. Only a day later, Mary Pritchard (Sharon Small), the widely detested wife of airline magnate George Pritchard (Toby Stephens) is found dead in her room, apparently from fright, having been warned by a fortune teller that the appearance of a blue geranium would spell her demise. This mystery is a lot of fun, builds some suspense, and gets the viewer guessing as to what the characters are all up to.

First let me say that I have these DVDs in hand & have watched them, they are the uncut 89 minute U.K. versions, not the trimmed versions shown on PBS.

Of the new Marple series, this is probably the best set yet.
Julia Mckenzie is more at ease in her second year as Miss Marple. She explains her take on the character in a texted interview. She feels that the early Miss Marple stories depict the sleuth as a fragile Victorian lady, while in the later stories she is more of a tweedier & solid detective. It is this later Miss Marple that Julia has chosen for the personality in these episodes.

This set benefits from two mysteries that have not been dramatized before (correct me if I am wrong). The best being a Miss Marple short story THE BLUE GERANIUM, at an hour and a half it does not feel padded out. These are the stories that this new series should have gone for in the first place, rather than re-doing the earlier masterpieces by Joan Hickson. There are so many Miss Marple short stories that have not been dramatized that it is a shame it took 5 years for the new series to recognize them. The short stories worked well for the Poirot series, I hope that we will see more of these brought to life.

The individual DVDs are numbered as volumes, but there are no plans to sell them separately.

Volume 1: THE MIRROR CRACKED FROM SIDE TO SIDE (2009) 89 minutes - with Joanna Lumeley. While in its own right this is an very enjoyable mystery, well staged & filmed. If you are not familiar with the story it will keep you guessing until the end. The time line based on the cars and Cinemascope movies at the local theater Miss Marple attends puts this story around 1955, a little later than I imagine most Miss Marple stories to take place. As this is a re-make from the earlier 1992 classic Joan Hickson series (which ran 100 minutes), fans will be tempted to compare the two presentations. But if you ignore the first version, you will enjoy this slicker production.

Volume 2: THE SECRET OF THE CHIMNEYS (2010) 89 minutes. Not originally a Miss Marple story, Christie fans will grit their teeth at the re-writing of her story to add Miss Marple to the goings on, but the average fan will enjoy the intriguing mystery. Miss Marple generally seems to be slightly out of place in these modified stories, here she seems strangely un-interested in the mystery going on and just helps the amateur sleuths of the original story with suggestions & ideas. It is still a great mystery and probably would not have been dramatized today without Miss Marple being in it. There are many changes made to the story, which amalgamates and renames several characters, turns the political connection from the fictitious Herzoslovakia to Austria , and comprehensively changes both the murderer's identity and motive. But viewing this as its own mystery and not comparing it to the original 1929 book, I still found it entertaining and will keep the 5 star rating.

Volume 3: THE BLUE GERANIUM (2010) 88 minutes, a minute shorter than the other two, This is the prize of the set, a Miss Marple short story never dramatized before by the great Joan Hickson. Stories like this should have been the mission of the new series, to dramatize the yet un adapted Miss Marple stories. The story is told in flash-back as Miss Marple relates the strange goings on to her friend Sir Henry Clithering, retired from Scotland yard. This helps her weed through the clues and solve the mystery.

Disc 4 is a bonus documentary AGATHA CHRISTIE'S GARDEN, MURDER & MYSTERY AT DEVON. The DVD case states it runs 66 minutes, but I clock it in at only 60 minutes plus an aditional 9 minutes of interviews not used in the final cut of the documentary. The garden was Agatha Christie's retreat of solitude. It is not open to the public & is in the process of restoration, so this is your best bet to see where she may have gotten many of her story ideas.

Other bonus material is Text-Only: An interview with Julia McKenzie; An interview with Joanna Lumley; Background information about the shooting locations; Limited cast filmographies & a brief history of Agatha Christie (strangely repeated on the discs & originally from another set).

All of the mysteries are presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen standard definition, they appear slightly soft (maybe for effect) but not grainy. The stereo audio is acceptable with the music giving the best separation. Optional subtitles will help you with any British accents.

Over the years, I have read all of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries and watched all of the modern film iterations of Miss Marple, played by everyone from the marvelous Joan Hickson to the latest grand dame, Julia McKenzie. Not surprisingly, my enjoyment of the series varied somewhat as each actress brought a different interpretation to the lead character and each production had its own atmosphere and style. The quality of the acting has never faltered, however, and many of Britain's finest actors have appeared in these mysteries. Series 5 with Julia McKenzie is a special delight. I was surprised at how lavish and rich the production quality is, how perfect the period details are -- especially in "The Mirror Crack'd." Joanna Lumley figured prominently in this episode and she is picture-perfect as Miss Marple's slightly ditsy and delightfully nosy friend, Dolly. Just to watch these two marvelous actresses interact is a joy. Lindsay Duncan also gives a first-rate performance. As the series moves on, the style and feel of each episode changes a bit and real injections of menace, tension, and fear are palpable. These are contrasted with the down-to-earth, determined and practical calm of McKenzie's Miss Marple. In essence, then, Series 5 is a wonderful collection -- rich, nuanced, and rather splendid.

I am not certain why so many seem to dislike this particular Miss Marple, but for anyone who has read the Miss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie, as I have, Julia McKenzie's portrayal of Miss Marple is a breath of fresh air. She has been able to capture the essence of the Miss Marple that Agatha Christie so wonderfully wrote about in her mystery novels.

The scripts are well-written and the sets exquisite. As a huge fan of Suchet's Poirot i am even tempted to say that this series is as good if not better than Suchet's Poirot in terms of the plots. You will be hard pressed to finger the killer !

You may wish to buy the Series 5 to be released in June 2011 by Amazon UK as that contains an additional episode titled Pale Horse which is not in this set. I dont know why they would use the same set numbering and yet have different episodes. Ms Marple would be puzzled by this marketing technique.

But unfortunatly I didn't do my research well. We had seen all of them. They are still classics so we are willing to watch them over and over.

Production values on the "Miss Marple" mysteries get better with each succeeding series. While this reviewer still prefers Geraldine McEwen in the title role, the plots here, character development, guest star cameos, scenery and editing are extremely well done. Unlike David Suchet's definitive Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple has had nearly half a dozen players, so you have to decide for yourself which one over the decades "has it" for you. Only disappointment was with the extra DVD on Agatha Christie's home as it moved at a fairly slow pace and did not give enough of a definitive locale (assuming England, of course) though Christiephiles will likely find it entertaining.

Miss Marple has never been so boring and it has nothing to do with the wonderful Julia McKenzie. The problem lies with the liberties the writers took with the original story lines and characters.

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side:
- Joanna Lumley as Dolly Bantry is her usual engaging self;
- Not much to care about regarding the other characters;
- Not much else to say except they DID actually stick pretty well to the original story line;

The Secret of Chimneys:
- The only resemblance to the original storyline is the house named Chimneys and there's a diamond involved, but the latter is not the main focus of the story as it is in this DVD adaptation;
- Miss Marple wasn't in the original story so it's a bit odd to have her plopped down in it here;

The Blue Geranium:
- This was originally a short story included in "The Thirteen Problems;"
- Miss Marple's only involvement in the original story was after-the-fact. The murder had already been solved so she simply guessed the correct outcome, yet she is the one who figures it all out in the DVD version;
- Sharon Small as Mary Pritchard is terribly unlikeable. I know the character is likely written that way but Mary is REALLY unsympathetic. When she dies, I am happy and don't really care she was murdered. LOVE Sharon Small normally: hate Mary Pritchard.

Agatha Christie's Garden
- Thumbs up! Includes a bio, information about her personal retreat in Devon, and a few other bits. Enjoyable.

Only the Bible outsells Agatha Christie. Both have the nay-sayers, but Marple is a FUN crime series, book or film. This set is released immediately after airing on PBS Masterpiece Mystery! on American TV. Series 5 includes three stories that revolve around a murder, or more, in grande olde English Estate houses. The scenic view is as riveting as the crime solving and suspense. All of the stories included in this series are period pieces, the 1950s. Marple is played by Julia McKenzie ('Cranford') for her second series in the role. Many have said she "looks" the Marple part that Christie wrote. She has a huge supporting cast of British stars in each episode.

This DVD set comes with a 4th disc which provides a picturesque and informative look at the hide-away estate of Agatha Christie, just now being readied for opening to the public. The bonus disc is more than an hour long and has added bonus materials to the primary feature.

"THE MIRROR CRACK'D FROM SIDE TO SIDE" 89 min. subtitled
Marple injures her ankle just as a film star, Marina (Lindsay Duncan) is going to hold a garden party benefit for the St. Mary Mead village locals. A fan/guest (Caroline Quentin) is poisoned by a drink. Who was it really meant to kill? Dolly (Joanna Lumley) sold Gossington Hall to the star. She tries to help Marple and the Yard find the killer. But there are so many suspects, typical of all Agatha Christie murder mysteries. You'll not be disappointed, and the interior of the estate (Dorney Court in reality) is as wonderful as the gardens. Bonus: text interviews with McKenzie and Lumley, cast filmographies, and Agatha Christie anniversary info.

"THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS" 89 min. subtitled
Marple joins Lady Virginia at her family estate, Chimneys. Much of the murder mystery takes place inside this aesthetic architecture (Knebworth House--Lytton Family--"Lytton Diaries"?) Lord Caterham (Edward Fox) opens the Chimneys home to Count Ludwig who ends up dead. There is a bevy of suitors for Virginia, many other guests, and family, each seemingly with a motif for murder. The investigation leans on finding details to a 1932 party in the house when the Mycore Diamond was stolen and Agnes, a 19-year-old maid, disappeared. Scotland Yard's Finch (Stephen Dillane) teams with Marple for answers. Expect some romance with this murder tale. Bonus: Knebworth House facts and filmographies.

"THE BLUE GERANIUM" 89 min. subtitled
A murderer is about to be convicted 6 months after a death, and suddenly Marple is explaining to retired Scotland Yarder, Sir Henry (Donald Sinden) why the confessed murderer is the wrong person. So flash back to prior events. An earlier suspicious death. And what a group of suspects. Meet the Pritchards: Mary (Sharon Small) 'The Blue Geranium' dead; George (Toby Stephens-'Robin Hood') hubby but former beau of Mary's sis, Philippa (Claudie Blakley-'Lark Rise to Candleford' ma) married to Lewis (Paul Rhys) bro to Geo. Confused? There's more suspects. Wait will you try to figure out the murder(s). And toss in for flavor, Hazel (Caroline Catz-I so missed her when she left as girlfriend on 'Doc Martin'; a wonderful funny series.) Agatha outdid herself on weaving this murder web. Summerleigh is the house. The story was originally an Agatha Christie short story.

3 feature length Agatha Christie murders. A lengthy documentary. A value.

Highly recommend the vendor - always in before or on specified time and in good
condition
Love the series and this edition is every bit as intriguing as the others!
If you love a good murder mystery - these are the ones!!