It's impossible for me to pick a "favorite" book out of the oeuvre of Agatha Christie, but I definitely will always have a special fondness for "The Body in the Library". It was one of the first stories I ever read of hers, even before the obvious classics like "Ten Little Indians" (it's forbidden nowadays to use the original title), "Witness for the Prosecution" or any of the major Hercule Poirot sleuths. It was "The Body in the Library" that introduced me to Agatha's wondrous world of convoluted murder mysteries, imaginative red herrings and practically unsolvable denouements. Needless to say, I got hooked ever since.
For their respectable series "Agatha Christie's Marple", the makers oddly chose this tale as the first episode, even though the legendary Miss Marple character first appeared in the book "Murder at the Vicarage". No worries, though, as that one became the second installment. When the lifeless body of a young dancer is inexplicably found in the mansion of Jane Marple's close friends Dolly and Arthur Bantry, on a rug in the library, Jane promises Dolly to help investigate. The two ladies book a vacation in the prestigious Hotel Majestic, where the murdered girl temporarily worked as a substitute. Numerous suspects reside in the hotel, and it also turns out the victim was about to be adopted by the wealthy and disabled Conway Jefferson.
The script is great, the performances are superb, and the levels of suspense/mystery are kept continuously high throughout the movie. What's most remarkable about the adaptation, though, is that there are two vital changes compared to the book's ending. Normally, I don't like it when the source material is messed with, but in this case, I am genuinely convinced that Agatha Christie herself would have appreciated the changes. The "new" denouement raised some complaints and controversy, but I like to believe that Mrs. Christie would approve. Heck, she probably considered using twists like these herself, but they were unacceptable in her days.
For their respectable series "Agatha Christie's Marple", the makers oddly chose this tale as the first episode, even though the legendary Miss Marple character first appeared in the book "Murder at the Vicarage". No worries, though, as that one became the second installment. When the lifeless body of a young dancer is inexplicably found in the mansion of Jane Marple's close friends Dolly and Arthur Bantry, on a rug in the library, Jane promises Dolly to help investigate. The two ladies book a vacation in the prestigious Hotel Majestic, where the murdered girl temporarily worked as a substitute. Numerous suspects reside in the hotel, and it also turns out the victim was about to be adopted by the wealthy and disabled Conway Jefferson.
The script is great, the performances are superb, and the levels of suspense/mystery are kept continuously high throughout the movie. What's most remarkable about the adaptation, though, is that there are two vital changes compared to the book's ending. Normally, I don't like it when the source material is messed with, but in this case, I am genuinely convinced that Agatha Christie herself would have appreciated the changes. The "new" denouement raised some complaints and controversy, but I like to believe that Mrs. Christie would approve. Heck, she probably considered using twists like these herself, but they were unacceptable in her days.