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Will The Real Miss Marple Please Stand Up
Unhesitatingly, I plump for Joan Hickson and I really loved the television films she made of the Jane Marple stories. Yes, they took some liberties with the plots and characters. This is always the case on the large or small screen – but nothing too outlandish. Unlike the recent ‘Sleeping Murder’ starring Geraldine McEwan as Marple. I hardly recognised it as the ‘Sleeping Murder’ I know! But more of Geraldine McEwan later. I think Joan Hickson portrayal was beautifully understated and she perfectly conveyed Miss Marple’s self-deprecating brilliance. As I said, I thought the series was excellent – the music and opening credits created the just the right atmosphere – a kind of genteel menace - and the period costumes and settings were perfect. There was a cosiness about the whole thing – if you like an Englishness – that took us back to a world that probably never really existed but we wish it had. I never tire of watching the repeats on the television. Miss Marple Nostalgia Video: Between 1984 and 1992 the BBC screened 12 Miss Marple mysteries starring Joan Hickson. If you'd like to see the opening title sequences and credits to 4:50 from Paddington just click on the play button in the middle of the video screen below.
And before I go any further, I wish to state that I absolutely adore her. If I see that she is in a film, I just know that I am going to enjoy it, if only for her performance. She was a joy to watch, and was never anything less than wonderful. And although she was, in my opinion, a million miles away from my idea of Jane Marple, I loved the films where she played her. Possibly because these films usually bore little or no resemblance to Agatha Christie’s original stories – I seem to think that ‘After the Funeral’ and ‘Mrs McGinty’s Dead’ were the bare bones for a couple of them - I could sit back and enjoy the, confident, public school character that Margaret Rutherford played. In a way, I suppose I divorce myself from the fact that this is supposed to be a Miss Marple mystery, and take pleasure from the film in it’s own right. You see, these films don’t take themselves too seriously, so somehow it’s ok. I often wondered what Agatha Christie herself thought about these films. It has been said that Joan Hickson was Agatha’s ideal Miss Marple – if so, Margaret Rutherford was most certainly not. Perhaps, like me, she just relished her comic genius. Miss Marple has been played on film by Helen Hayes (A Caribbean Mystery, ‘Murder is Easy) and Angela Lansbury (The Mirror Cracked) – Helen Hayes had the look, but not the accent! Angela Lansbury? I don’t think so!
There is none of the ambience that there was in the Joan Hickson series – there’s a lack of warmth; I don’t really care about any of the people involved, some of whom did not exist in the original stories. I was so incensed by ‘Sleeping Murder’ that I almost decided not to watch any more. But I will, because as long as anything has Agatha Christie’s name on it, it’s got to be worth a look. BBC Miss Marple DVD Collection: In June 2005 the BBC released a DVD box set featuring all 12 Miss Marple mysteries. The press release announcing this great news was nearly as good as the series itself, it read as follows: Ooh! Proper Marple released on 20 June. Fans of a good murder mystery without extra lesbianism will be thrilled to hear that the BBC's own version of Miss Marple is coming to DVD. All 12 ripping yarns will be in a nice red box, and you can thrill to 1,360 minutes of solid, glossy crime, with fabulous scripts from playwrights like Alan Plater, a cast of lovely people (Joan Sims! Peter Davison!), and a superb musical score that just can't resist going "ooh! ooh! scary bit!" Most impressive though is Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, a frail avenger who tackles multiple murderers and stairs with the same grim determination. Of all the other Marples, well... You'd invite Margaret Rutherford's Marple out for drinks. You'd count the silver if Angela Lansbury popped by. You'd pretend to be out if Geraldine McEwan battered on the door with a gin bottle...but it's Joan Hickson who you'd choose to solve your murder. She's magnificent, even if slightly less mobile than the Daleks used to be. She solves crimes! She drinks tea! She knits! What more could you want for a Sunday afternoon? Residents of the UK and Europe can get hold of the collection from the BBC online shop by clicking on the following link.
Miss Marple Collection: Starring Joan Hickson (DVD)
Residents of the US and the rest of the world can get hold of the collection from the BBC America online shop by clicking on the following link. Go From The Miss Marple Page Back To The Home Page
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