Customer Reviews

Agatha Christie's Marple: The Pale Horse

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

 

 

I know everyone will jump down my throat for this review, but I will still give it. Did I love the old Pale Horse? Yes. Do I love the new Pale Horse? Yes. Both versions are what you expect. The first one is the way that A&E used to do Agatha Christie; a lot of detail to the actual mystery, which I love. The new one is the way that ITV now does Agatha Christie; fun to watch, less attention to the details of the Christie plot. I love both approaches. I loved the Joan Hickson Marple, as well as the new incarnations.

So, what upsets me with this DVD set? It includes only one new movie, for a relatively huge price. The old version has been out for years, and I bought it years ago. Unfortunately, PBS refused to show the Pale Horse last year with the other Marple movies. So, this year, we only have one new Marple movie on Mystery. Because the movie can't be sold on DVD until it is shown on PBS, this set only has one new movie. Not wanting to sell a DVD with only one movie, the DVD set resurrects the old Pale Horse, which I do not need. From my point of view, I am being asked to pay $27 for a bundled package where I only want one movie.... PLEASE.

This isn't new. PBS has often delayed the release of mysteries for a year. For example, all of the mysteries in the upcoming Poirot's Movie Collection 6 were aired last year in the UK. They will air this year on PBS and sold on DVD in America this year. I didn't mind this because the DVD set includes 3 movies. The year before, Poirot's Movie Collection 5 included two movies, Third Girl and Appointment with Death, that aired in the UK the year before. Again, I didn't mind because I was being asked to purchase a DVD set of three movies.

But here, bundling the new movie with the old one, and making it the only way that a consumer can buy the new movie on DVD is a bit much. Of course, what really makes this infuriating is that American viewers only see an abridged version of the mystery on PBS because PBS ALWAYS cuts the British mysteries to fit the Mystery time slot.

To be fair, most people probably: (i) don't already have the old Pale Horse, and (ii) haven't seen the old Pale Horse. So, this package may be attractive to them. I feel obligated to give the low score because of the lack of value to me. It just seems that ACORN doesn't care about the consumer, and it should. I am praying for an eventual sale or big discount.

ADAPTATIONS x2, so purists that do not accept changes from an author's novel will be disappointed. There are alterations for new generations, to fit TV feature-length presentations. These changes seem to work. Much fun in watching them both and trying to decide which version, 1996 or 2010, has the better cast, writing, location, music, etc. My review is for entertainment value of an adapted Agatha Christie story, "The Pale Horse", and not concerned with the TV requirement to eliminate characters, or parts to fit a TV need. The book has proven to be a 1961 success for the former author. It was written toward the end of her writing career and as a book has won its own reward.

PALE HORSE 2010 has what the other DVD and book does not have. Miss Jane Marple is not original, but added by screenplay writer Russell Lewis. This British Marple heroine is a TV favorite to A.Christie fans so it is a delight to see Marple (Julia McKenzie-`Cranford') brought to life solving another case, along with CI Lejeune (Neil Pearson-`Bridget Jones'). The Pale Horse is a struggling inn with 2 witch owners and 1 with cleaning lady. The 3 `modern' witches are Thyrza (Pauline Collins "Thomas & Sarah' `Upstairs Downstairs'); Sybil (Susan Lynch-`Amongst Women' `Elizabeth The Golden Age'); & Bella (Jenny Galloway). A very famous 1996 witch is Thyrza (Jean Marsh-`Upstairs Downstairs').

A lady dies; a priest has a list of names (7 in 2010, 6 in 1996) which gets him murdered. Marple gets mailed one list. In 1996, a passerby, Easterbrook (Colin Buchanan-`Dalziel & Pascoe') gets the murderer tag and must use the list to find the real killer. Easterbrook is the godson of one on the list in 2010. Both versions have an Osbourne, (JJ Field-`Northanger Abbey') in the 2010, and (Tim Potter-`Miss Pettigrew' `Finding Neverland') in 1996.

People die because a bookie ('10 Bill Patterson-`Wives & Daughters' `Traffik')('96 Leslie Phillips-`Venus' `Harry Potter') bets on when a person dies, a hit-man skirting the law. He incorporates innocent helpers: market canvasser, The Pale Horse witches, and more to get the job done. So it's quite a complex mix of characters and roles in these deaths that cause such a difficult serial murder case. The names and deaths alter slightly between the versions, but both work well. There's a bit of romance tied into the '96 writing with Jayne Ashbourne (`The Grand' `Young Indiana Jones') taking a lead role. Other notables worth mentioning are `10s Kerrigan (Jason Merrells-`Lark Rise to Candleford'); and `96s Sgt Corrigan (Andy Serkis-'Little Dorrit' `Lord of the Rings').
Bottom line: 2 GREAT casts. 2 GOOD versions.

Sets are stunning, but I liked the newer version best, a place called Much Deeping in Hampshire. It is placed in the year 1955 through a witch's dialogue, while the 1996 version was set in 1964 based on pages in a guest register (Book written in 1961). Both have good music, and picture quality.

I think Agatha would have loved both of these adaptations. She saw many of her books turned into TV, mostly Miss Marple and Poirot mysteries. The Pale Horse would have made her proud to see on TV in both 1996 and 2010.
2010 disc has SUBTITLES while the 1996 disc has none. Bonus is Agatha's text bio and 4 cast filmographies in the '96 version. 2010= 89 min; 1996= 101 min.

Agatha Christie TV film fans will be delighted. Some book lovers, not obsessing over changes, will also enjoy the entertaining mystery adaptations of a great novel. Two versions from the same book is fun, like comparing the different versions of Emma, Brideshead Revisited, A Christmas Carol, etc.

British television has made The Pale Horse three times and this version is the most entertaining. The first two (1970s and 1990s)followed close to Agatha Christie's novel with the disadvantage of not being a Miss Marple vehicle. This version, and the entire Agahtha Christies's Marple series, does not let a little thing like that get in the way of a good story. Miss Marple is easily written into Agatha Christie's plot and, as long as the writers made such a huge change, why not make a few more smaller ones. The result is an Agatha Christie story line improved by writers who lovingly respect Christie and her Miss Marple character. The lead,Julia McKenzie, plays Miss Marple close to the style of the incomprable Joan Hickson of the 1980s series as opposed to Geraldine McEwan's more worldly and experienced Marple of the earlier movies in this latest series.

Take a story, not involving Miss Marple, about a murder gimmic, about "betting" on someone's death, and profiting when it occurs, and add Miss Marple. What do you get? First reaction - a travesty. HOWEVER, what you actually get is a really enjoyable show! You end up with a compelling story, and one with a punch. I will be buying this dvd, and will enjoy it many times to come. Great job. Fun, and all that stuff.

Judge Jennifer Malkowski, DVD Verdict -- "I'd rate this an above-average installment of an above-average mystery series, but I wish I had Miss Marple's help in solving the mystery of why it wasn't included with the other three Series Five movies. These three were released separately last year, despite the precedent for releasing full four-film runs of the show in box sets. This arrangement seems costlier to the consumer and just generally odd. Although the supernatural element of The Pale Horse is what stands out most about this Christie mystery, it offers considerably more pleasures than just the witch angle and the evocative atmosphere created by "The Burning." Considering that Miss Marple has been inserted into a pre-existing Christie story that did not originally feature her (instead giving a bit part to another regular, Ariadne Oliver), she fits into The Pale Horse like a glove. In fact, Marple's role in the story has an unusual poignancy in that she knew and cared about the victim, Father Gorman, and is particularly driven to secure justice for him. When she's not charming the locals or being frustratingly indispensable to the actual police investigators, Marple conveys the spirit of a weary but resolute crusader against injustice and, indeed, evil. The payoff comes in an unusually satisfying accusation scene--more characteristic of Christie's Poirot than Marple--in which the sleuth gathers her suspects and explains the who/how of her murder case. The improvement a familiar and feisty character like Marple makes to the story of The Pale Horse is evident when comparing this adaptation to the 1997 British TV movie of the same novel, which is included as an extra (on its own separate disc). Although it's fun to see two different takes on the same source material (both of which deviate from said source material, to some extent), the 1997 version suffers from a slower pace and our lesser investment in its characters. There are no other extras (save for a few text features on the disc of the 1997 adaptation). Picture and sound quality for the Marple installment are perfectly fine: the image looks good and the dialogue is clearly audible. The older '97 version looks a bit less sharp, as one would expect, and sports a less-eye-catching 1.33:1 aspect ratio."

The New Testament book Revelations 6:8 states, "I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill." This passages is significant in this well-developed easy to follow plot with many red herrings.

A woman dies and gives her priest a list of names. As he leaves her death bed, the priest puts the list into an envelope and mails it to Miss Marple. As he walks away from the mail slot, someone crouches behind him and batters him to death. Despite the Scotland Yard detective warning Miss Marple not to get involved and despite her assurances that she would not do so, Miss Marple is determined to find who killed her friend. She recognizes that as experienced as Scotland Yard is, most people don't recognize the significance of what they see, but she does, and she can find the murderer. She discovers that the note paper with the names has the name of an inn, The Pale Horse, whose symbol is death riding a horse, and she goes to the inn to uncover the truth. She finds that other women had died, that all of the police doctors say the dead women died by natural means, a man says he saw a seeming crippled man standing outside the dead woman's house, and something rather strange associated with witchcraft is going on at the inn.

Ever since the newest series featuring the quick witted Miss Marple (entitled AGATHA CHRISTIE'S MARPLE) started, it was beset with 2 basic problems: a tendency of the writers to put an "edge" on the series with various plot twists not in the original works, and the need to shoehorn the elderly sleuth into mysteries that she never was involved with in the first place. Needless to say, the results have been mixed at best. While Geraldine McEwan and, after her, Julia McKenzie are both capable, they had a hard time coming out of the shadow of the definitive performances of Joan Hickson, who played the role in the 80's and 90's. Fortunately, this new series seems to find its footing in this latest outing, THE PALE HORSE. The inclusion of Miss Marple seems less of an intrusion here and the plot is told in a stylish, yet straight forward fashion and captures the attention. The film tells of the murder of a priest, who before his death, mails a strange list of names to his old friend Miss Marple. When she learns about the death, she goes on a search that eventually leads her to the titular inn full of interesting guests and run by three "witches." Julia McKenzie might never completely erase Miss Hickson's hold on the role, but she more than holds her own, making her mark with her own mix of steel and elderly fluffiness. The rest of the cast, led of Neil Pearson's Inspector and Nigel Planer's cranky cripple add to the generally sinister atmosphere. As a special treat, this DVD set also includes the 1997 version of the story, which features Andy Serkis (AKA Gollum of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) as an eager police sergeant. For fans of Agatha Christie, and of this mystery in particular, this definitely is worth your time!

I love Christie - this rendition is so different from the original. Am inspired to re-read her actual work on this one, as it has been so many years since, and really don't remember if either is true to her works character wise. For those who love the style of her work - it probably won't matter much. The flavor is still tasty. Try a read of Mary Westmaycott: aka - Agatha Christie (eg. Giants Bread)

So ... this DVD is a set, one version of The Pale Horse with Miss Marple and one without. The one without it actually more true to the book, and a completely pleasant viewing experience. The story is one of Christie's most rational ... a deviously clever way for the british to kill each other off. Why anyone feels like they need Miss Marple here is unknown, she wasn't in the book and she isn't necessary to the story. Still, a nice touch to include both versions.

Marple's Pale Horse is a so so effort not Marple at it's best,the story has been done before and jt's part of this dvd but it put me to sleep so what does that tell you,Julia Mckenzie is good as Miss Marple in her version of the story,and it kept me awake so 1 out of two ain't bad.it had a lot of promise but just in the end ok,but if your a Marple fan you will enjot it.