It may have been some time since I've read "The Body in the Library," but I know Miss Marple didn't hang out on barstools in the original.
The writers of this series have set the plots in the '50s and the sensibility in the 21st century. Marple now has a past with a married man, we see sex, the murderer is not the same as in the book. This is a case of taking a familiar name that will draw viewers and then giving them something completely different. This isn't really the Miss Marple of the books. Though Geraldine McEwan is a wonderful actress, she can only deal with the script she's given and the direction she's given. Unfortunately both of those have little to do with Miss Marple. She's too sophisticated and too outwardly knowledgeable. The beauty of Miss Marple was that she was one thing on the outside -- a little old lady -- and quite another inside - a sharp thinker with a good knowledge of human nature who could solve crimes with the best of them. Two minutes with McEwan, and you know you're not dealing with some little old lady.
The screenwriters apparently can't be bothered to create something on their own so they tamper with Christie's stories. This is a very clever mystery and if you can let go of the fact that it's supposed to be an Agatha Christie story, has great production values, actors such as Ian Richardson and Joanna Lumley, and a good mystery. It's just a shame about the rest of it. Joanna Lumley is, by the way, a sheer delight.
The writers of this series have set the plots in the '50s and the sensibility in the 21st century. Marple now has a past with a married man, we see sex, the murderer is not the same as in the book. This is a case of taking a familiar name that will draw viewers and then giving them something completely different. This isn't really the Miss Marple of the books. Though Geraldine McEwan is a wonderful actress, she can only deal with the script she's given and the direction she's given. Unfortunately both of those have little to do with Miss Marple. She's too sophisticated and too outwardly knowledgeable. The beauty of Miss Marple was that she was one thing on the outside -- a little old lady -- and quite another inside - a sharp thinker with a good knowledge of human nature who could solve crimes with the best of them. Two minutes with McEwan, and you know you're not dealing with some little old lady.
The screenwriters apparently can't be bothered to create something on their own so they tamper with Christie's stories. This is a very clever mystery and if you can let go of the fact that it's supposed to be an Agatha Christie story, has great production values, actors such as Ian Richardson and Joanna Lumley, and a good mystery. It's just a shame about the rest of it. Joanna Lumley is, by the way, a sheer delight.