Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery

Patti-AnnPatti-Ann Posts: 22,747
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Tomorrow ITV1 at 8 pm

With Julia McKenzie

Looking forward to this :)

Also for anyone interested - tomorrow night, ITV3 at 6 pm, there's Marple in The Sittaford Mystery

With Geraldine McEwan

I'll probably watch this as I haven't seen it before, even though Miss Marple doesn't appear in the book ;)

I think I prefer Julia to Geraldine - the latter is a bit too eccentric :cool:
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  • yorksdaveyorksdave Posts: 3,228
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    Patti-Ann wrote: »
    Tomorrow ITV1 at 8 pm

    With Julia McKenzie

    Looking forward to this :)

    Also for anyone interested - tomorrow night, ITV3 at 6 pm, there's Marple in The Sittaford Mystery

    With Geraldine McEwan

    I'll probably watch this as I haven't seen it before, even though Miss Marple doesn't appear in the book ;)

    I think I prefer Julia to Geraldine - the latter is a bit too eccentric :cool:

    I prefer Julia Mckenzie to Geraldine McEwan as Marple but have warmed more to Geraldine McEwan when I have watched the repeats
  • PotsdamerplatzPotsdamerplatz Posts: 174
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    Apparently this is to be the last series of Marple as they have simply run out of Agatha Christie stories.

    "A Carribbean Mystery" is on Sunday night followed by "Greenshaw's Folly" a week later on 23rd June.

    "Endless Night" will be shown later in the year.

    Of course it's not impossible they might make a couple of feature-length specials as has been the case with "Jonathan Creek"

    A good solid series since Julia MacKenzie took over but very few outstanding episodes.

    "A Pocketful of Rye" was outstanding whilst "Why Didn't They Ask Evans" was absolutely cringeworthy.
  • LillithLillith Posts: 946
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    As a die hard Joan Hickson fan I left it a long time before watching the new Marples. Neither captures the essential character of Miss Marple. She never was a sweet old lady in fact in her village she was known as a gossip who was always poking her nose in other peoples' business. She had no qualms about sending murderers to the gallows and had a strong religious faith.

    I don't mind new interpretations of Miss Marple but I get very angry when they change the plots. The Hickson ones were faithfull to the books.
  • scotchscotch Posts: 10,608
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    I loved the book Endless Night. Of course no Poirot/Marple etc are in the book.

    I wish they'd just film it as it is.

    I watched the Hwyell Bennett film on Youtube, and for it's time I really enjoyed it.
  • PotsdamerplatzPotsdamerplatz Posts: 174
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    Lillith wrote: »
    I don't mind new interpretations of Miss Marple but I get very angry when they change the plots. The Hickson ones were faithfull to the books.

    Apart from the endings of course. ;)

    The car crash at the end of "A Pocketful Rye" never happened. The murderer was only caught when Miss Marple returned home to find a letter from Gladys identifying him and enclosing a photograph as proof. Then presumably he was arrested.

    Both the novel and the Julia Mackenzie adaptation stuck to the original ending.

    That said, the original "A Pocketful Full of Rye" was my favourite Joan Hickson episode.

    The BBC adaptation of "Nemesis" had a similarly ridiculous ending involving a high-speed car crash which had nothing to do with the original novel but I can see why they did so in order to incorporate a dramatic finale into the story.
  • yorksdaveyorksdave Posts: 3,228
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    Apparently this is to be the last series of Marple as they have simply run out of Agatha Christie stories.

    "A Carribbean Mystery" is on Sunday night followed by "Greenshaw's Folly" a week later on 23rd June.

    "Endless Night" will be shown later in the year.

    Of course it's not impossible they might make a couple of feature-length specials as has been the case with "Jonathan Creek"

    A good solid series since Julia MacKenzie took over but very few outstanding episodes.

    "A Pocketful of Rye" was outstanding whilst "Why Didn't They Ask Evans" was absolutely cringeworthy.

    Its my understanding that Julia Mckenzie is only contracted for 3 series (which includes til series 6) however if she is available, there are still short stories, and stories in which the character didnt originally appear, plus there is no reason why original stories could not be written (Most of the Midsommer Murders tv series are original stories)
  • dollymix53dollymix53 Posts: 8,976
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    Looking foward to this too, does anyone know whereabouts it was filmed? was it in the Caribbean
    and which island, thanks
  • allie4allie4 Posts: 11,994
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    Patti-Ann wrote: »
    Tomorrow ITV1 at 8 pm

    With Julia McKenzie

    Looking forward to this :)

    Also for anyone interested - tomorrow night, ITV3 at 6 pm, there's Marple in The Sittaford Mystery

    With Geraldine McEwan

    I'll probably watch this as I haven't seen it before, even though Miss Marple doesn't appear in the book ;)

    I think I prefer Julia to Geraldine - the latter is a bit too eccentric :cool:

    Thanks for the heads up, Patti-Ann! Though I'm old enough to still think Joan Hickson's version was probably better!
    Do NOT like Geraldine M ... Julia is a much more sympathetic character. GM seems so annoyingly hammy!:(
  • Sherlock_HolmesSherlock_Holmes Posts: 6,882
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    Will be difficult to match the Hickson version, which had a great performance from a young Sophie Ward.

    It is one of the best Marple novels, as it has plenty of shady characters to keep you guessing until the end (one or two of them also pop up in the Nemesis novel; one of the few times where chronological reading is a must).
  • Patti-AnnPatti-Ann Posts: 22,747
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    A Caribbean Mystery
    Patti-Ann wrote: »
    Tomorrow ITV1 at 8 pm

    With Julia McKenzie

    Looking forward to this :)

    Also for anyone interested - tomorrow night, ITV3 at 6 pm, there's Marple in The Sittaford Mystery

    With Geraldine McEwan

    I'll probably watch this as I haven't seen it before, even though Miss Marple doesn't appear in the book ;)

    I think I prefer Julia to Geraldine - the latter is a bit too eccentric :cool:

    Just to add :)

    Tonight 8 pm ITV3 The Mirror Crack'd, with Julia Mckenzie as Miss Marple

    Also tomorrow morning, 11.30 am ITV1 The Man In The Brown Suit

    I have 'The Mirror Crack'd' with Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, also the Mirror Crack'd with Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple, so will be interesting to see a third interpretation ;)
  • skp20040skp20040 Posts: 66,872
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    dollymix53 wrote: »
    Looking foward to this too, does anyone know whereabouts it was filmed? was it in the Caribbean
    and which island, thanks

    Apparently Cape Town and Boulders Beach , South Africa.
  • skp20040skp20040 Posts: 66,872
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    Apparently this is to be the last series of Marple as they have simply run out of Agatha Christie stories.

    "A Carribbean Mystery" is on Sunday night followed by "Greenshaw's Folly" a week later on 23rd June.

    "Endless Night" will be shown later in the year.

    Of course it's not impossible they might make a couple of feature-length specials as has been the case with "Jonathan Creek"

    A good solid series since Julia MacKenzie took over but very few outstanding episodes.

    "A Pocketful of Rye" was outstanding whilst "Why Didn't They Ask Evans" was absolutely cringeworthy.

    I am sure they have not used up the entire Christie library, Marple ones yes but they have adapted other stories and there are the Marple short stories that could be extended .
  • Wayne814Wayne814 Posts: 1,722
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    Originally they planned to do Seven Dials Mystery as part of this run but it god dropped, thank god though after what they did to Secret of Chimneys.

    There are still some Miss Marple short stories they could film.
  • LillithLillith Posts: 946
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    Apart from the endings of course. ;)

    The car crash at the end of "A Pocketful Rye" never happened. The murderer was only caught when Miss Marple returned home to find a letter from Gladys identifying him and enclosing a photograph as proof. Then presumably he was arrested.

    Both the novel and the Julia Mackenzie adaptation stuck to the original ending.

    That said, the original "A Pocketful Full of Rye" was my favourite Joan Hickson episode.

    The BBC adaptation of "Nemesis" had a similarly ridiculous ending involving a high-speed car crash which had nothing to do with the original novel but I can see why they did so in order to incorporate a dramatic finale into the story.

    I stand corrected.

    According to today's Mail Ian Fleming and James Bond make an appearance in tonight's episode!
  • saralundsaralund Posts: 3,377
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    I never warmed to Joan Hickson. I liked Geraldine McEwan and think she fitted the mischievous part of Miss Marple's nature. Julia McKenzie is good, but I'm always thrown by the slightly northern accent. If she's lived in St Mary Mead most of her life, I don't know why she'd sound as if she grew up in Huddersfield?
  • BritFlicks1BritFlicks1 Posts: 631
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    Agatha Christie saw Joan Hickson in her stage play Appointment with Death in 1945 and wrote her a note saying she hoped she would play Miss Marple one day.

    Miss Hickson plays Marple as she was written and, apart from a few alterations, the BBC adaptations stick closely to the novels.

    The new ones have far too many changes, with murderers changed, new characters introduced and Marple in adaptations of novels she wasn't even in.
  • VerenceVerence Posts: 104,575
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    The Joan Hickson version of A Carribean Mystery is on Alibi right now
  • FlannoFlanno Posts: 1,427
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    I've seen 2 TV versions of 'A Caribbean Mystery' - the BBC version with Joan Hickinson & another American version with Helen Hayes. I didn't enjoy watching neither version as both shows, in my view, were rather poor. Joan Hickinson's performance seemed a bit off to me which surprised me as I felt she was the perfect Miss Marple. The American version was the worst as there was some overacting involved & a bit too 'American' for my liking.

    As for the ITV version, I don't think I would bother to watch the same old plot all over again tonight as I plan to watch 'The White Queen' on BBC instead.
  • RedSnapperRedSnapper Posts: 2,569
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    skp20040 wrote: »
    Apparently Cape Town and Boulders Beach , South Africa.

    So not the Caribbean then - does Cape Town even look .like a small Caribbean island ?? Obviously done on the cheap.
  • TouristaTourista Posts: 14,338
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    .

    The BBC adaptation of "Nemesis" had a similarly ridiculous ending involving a high-speed car crash which had nothing to do with the original novel but I can see why they did so in order to incorporate a dramatic finale into the story.

    I think you mean "At Bertram's Hotel" Pdp when Bess Sedgewick rammed her car into a wall, "Nemesis" ended with Michael Rafiel giving Miss Marple a letter from his father...

    Really haven't gone for either GM's or JM's adaptations, but will give "A Caribbean Mystery" a go, as watched the JH version yesterday, so would like to see how they compare.
  • Welsh-ladWelsh-lad Posts: 51,908
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    Oh look it's Doctor Shepherd from one of the Poirots!

    Are they all on a Marple/Poirot rota?!
  • SaturnSaturn Posts: 18,971
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    Is that the bloke off the BT infinity adverts?
  • J-ZeeJ-Zee Posts: 557
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    Saturn wrote: »
    Is that the bloke off the BT infinity adverts?

    I was wondering the same thing, looks very like him if its not
  • Wayne814Wayne814 Posts: 1,722
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    They seem to be sticking with the original story at least.
  • JeffG1JeffG1 Posts: 15,243
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    I lasted barely past the first ad break until I gave up. I couldn't warm to any of the characters, especially Robert Webb and the BT guy.

    And were the American couple in the original, or were they written in for the US market?
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