Murder She Said (1961)
Well paced, well made, but also thoroughly "delightful" in a kind of post-war polite British lighthearted way. This is an enjoyable ride, but never with any genuine drama—it is too happily happy all the time.
The actors are first rate, especially the lead playing Miss Marple, Margaret Rutherford. Arthur Kennedy is given big billing, and his role as an American is conspicuous (and strong).
The plot is clever and well constructed of course—this is adapted from an Agathe Christie novel. And to tell truth, the thing that makes this thing hang at all is the terrific writing. The nephew on first appearance says to Miss Marple, "You're not my idea of a maid." And Marple replies, "Quite honestly, you'd not be everybody's idea of a boy." So Marple asserts herself, which is the charming aspect to it all (along the lines of "Murder She Wrote," if that's not obvious already from the title).
There are naturally lots of people who are under suspicion, and you gradually have to try to guess who is likely or not. You play that internal game of thinking who is just too obvious and which unlikely character is actually guilty. There is some confusion about how they might confuse a recent victim with one who died 16 years ago, but we'll ignore that.
The problem for me is that we are not given time to really know or care about anyone. Everyone is a type—a rich family supplying most of the caricatures. The one complex character is Marple herself. And she's terrific. She makes the movie. The whole filming and feeling to the movie is good, too. It's an enjoyable affair—which brings me back to my first word: delightful. Thoroughly.
Well paced, well made, but also thoroughly "delightful" in a kind of post-war polite British lighthearted way. This is an enjoyable ride, but never with any genuine drama—it is too happily happy all the time.
The actors are first rate, especially the lead playing Miss Marple, Margaret Rutherford. Arthur Kennedy is given big billing, and his role as an American is conspicuous (and strong).
The plot is clever and well constructed of course—this is adapted from an Agathe Christie novel. And to tell truth, the thing that makes this thing hang at all is the terrific writing. The nephew on first appearance says to Miss Marple, "You're not my idea of a maid." And Marple replies, "Quite honestly, you'd not be everybody's idea of a boy." So Marple asserts herself, which is the charming aspect to it all (along the lines of "Murder She Wrote," if that's not obvious already from the title).
There are naturally lots of people who are under suspicion, and you gradually have to try to guess who is likely or not. You play that internal game of thinking who is just too obvious and which unlikely character is actually guilty. There is some confusion about how they might confuse a recent victim with one who died 16 years ago, but we'll ignore that.
The problem for me is that we are not given time to really know or care about anyone. Everyone is a type—a rich family supplying most of the caricatures. The one complex character is Marple herself. And she's terrific. She makes the movie. The whole filming and feeling to the movie is good, too. It's an enjoyable affair—which brings me back to my first word: delightful. Thoroughly.