It is undeniably arguable that there was probably no real need to film the Miss Marple stories again so soon after the BBC versions with the 'definitive' Joan Hickson. However, given that ITV made that decision, there was equally no point at all in making carbon copies of the Hickson films. The new versions with Geraldine McEwen are bright, fun, Technicolour affairs taking their cue (as another reviewer has pointed out) from the sometimes gaudy dust-jackets of the original novels. McEwen's Marple is VERY different from Hicksons but I think there is room for both (and also, no doubt, others too). I love Christie's books but I am not so slavishly devoted as to insist that everything must be followed to the letter and in fact, now that I'm re-reading then, have been surprised at how faithful many of the McEwen versions are!
'Body In The Library' is extremely faithful on the whole until the much maligned 'changed ending'. There is some 'hammy' acting - personally I doubt if Simon Callow can be anything other than hammy - but humour is very much part of this Marple series and in that vein I loved Joanna Lumley as Dolly Bantry. I very much preferred the Jefferson family in this version (Richardson much more restrained as the patriarch and Tara Fitzgerald simply wonderful as Adelaide) and thought Mary Stockley was very fine as Josie. The controversial ending didn't actually bother me - motive and method remained the same and I actually found the final moments very touchingly done. Many thanks to the reviewer who pointed out the inaccuracy of 'women in film at the time' - that really hadn't occurred to me.
So, I really liked this version - my second favourite of the first season! I love the Hickson too but for different reasons and I really so think that both are worth a watch but keep an open mind for this one!
'Body In The Library' is extremely faithful on the whole until the much maligned 'changed ending'. There is some 'hammy' acting - personally I doubt if Simon Callow can be anything other than hammy - but humour is very much part of this Marple series and in that vein I loved Joanna Lumley as Dolly Bantry. I very much preferred the Jefferson family in this version (Richardson much more restrained as the patriarch and Tara Fitzgerald simply wonderful as Adelaide) and thought Mary Stockley was very fine as Josie. The controversial ending didn't actually bother me - motive and method remained the same and I actually found the final moments very touchingly done. Many thanks to the reviewer who pointed out the inaccuracy of 'women in film at the time' - that really hadn't occurred to me.
So, I really liked this version - my second favourite of the first season! I love the Hickson too but for different reasons and I really so think that both are worth a watch but keep an open mind for this one!