Product Details

• Actors: Joan Hickson, Ursula Howells, Renée Asherson, Samantha Bond, Simon Shepherd
• Directors: David Giles
• Writers: Agatha Christie, Alan Plater
• Producers: George Gallaccio, Guy Slater
• Format: Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 153 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301072642
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,430 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, September 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Miss Marple: Murder Is Announced [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is by far the best adaption of Agatha Christie's work. The actor's portrayal of Ms. Christie's characters were perfect. I really felt like I knew the people and cared about what happened to them. I do agree that the reviewer who revealed the killer was out of line. Shame on people who give away the plot-especially when a murder is being solved.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Miss Marple Hit, January 2, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Denver, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder Is Announced [VHS] (VHS Tape)

One of a series of Agatha Christie's mystery novels brought to the screen, this one is my personal favorite of the lot. Although all of these productions are first-rate entertainment, "A Murder is Announced," is perhaps the most successful and inspired. First, the dialogue in the screenplay is far more interesting than in Christie's novel, really bringing a wide variety of eccentric British characters to life. Secondly, the performances of this ensemble cast are alive with the spirit of the whole enterprise. There is a tremendous range of types in this motley group, each one memorable and enchanting in his or her own way. There is a wonderful view of the UK itself which greatly enhances the context in which the story takes place, and a wonderful sense of the period following World War II. These charcters seem to do more than just move the mysterious plot to its' somewhat predictable conclusion. I would say that watching this video more than once or twice rewards the viewer with a true sense of the times in which all of the action takes place. At some point it stops being about the murder and much more about the British temperment and how it was affected by the War. One sees in this film the passing of British country life, a certain loss of innocence and a hardening of the British spirit. It is the end of one time and the beginning of another. The effect is bittersweet and most touching as it always is when one sees the end of an era. I have probably seen this one at least 20 times over the past decade. It's a great document, more a tribute to the makers of the film than to Agatha Christie. It's a pity she did not have quite the vision of her interpreters, but as was observed by Gertrude Stein, the first to come up with a thing usually makes it ugly, leaving it to those who follow to flesh it out and make it beautiful. This video is a true beauty.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection in deception, February 15, 2003

By 

E. George (Liverpool, NS Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Miss Marple: Murder Is Announced [VHS] (VHS Tape)

There is something really special about this movie. While it is a worthy mystery, the characters and the sense of humor expressed in the movie were a wonderfully entertaining combination. The funniest characters were Miss Hinchcliffe and Murgatroyd, the oddest and most endearing couple I've seen on film in a long time. I was really impressed with this adaptation, and of couse Miss Marple was perfection. I would definitely recommend this movie to any Christie fans.