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Agatha Christie's Marple [DVD]
 
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Agatha Christie's Marple [DVD]

DVD ~ Geraldine McEwan
3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
RRP: £29.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Agatha Christie's Marple [DVD] + Agatha Christie's Marple - The Complete Series 2 [DVD] + Agatha Christie's Marple Series 3 [DVD] [2007]
Total RRP: £84.97
Price For All Three: £48.24

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Agatha Christie's Marple Series 3 [DVD] [2007]
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Agatha Christie's Marple Series 3 [DVD] [2007] 3.3 out of 5 stars (23)
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Agatha Christie's Marple - The Complete Collection [DVD]
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Agatha Christie's Marple - The Complete Collection [DVD] 3.2 out of 5 stars (15)
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Agatha Christie's Marple [DVD]
17% buy the item featured on this page:
Agatha Christie's Marple [DVD] 3.0 out of 5 stars (27)
£14.98
Marple - Geraldine McEwan Collection - Complete [DVD] [2004]
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Product details

  • Actors: Geraldine McEwan, Derek Jacobi, Joanna Lumley, Jack Davenport, Zoe Wanamaker
  • Format: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 4
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: ITV DVD
  • DVD Release Date: 14 Mar 2005
  • Run Time: 410 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0006L7ODY
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 9,894 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Granada Television and the PBS Mystery! series' recent Marple episodes continue to delight with such distinctive vitality, wit, and stylishness one may never again think of tea rooms in the English countryside as "quaint" settings. Geraldine McEwan (Vanity Fair) returns as Agatha Christie's Miss Jane Marple, elderly sleuth with a keenly discerning eye and sweet smile that takes the sting out of her blunt observations of friends and murder suspects alike. As with series 1, the quartet of mysteries in series 2, set shortly after World War II, are ensemble affairs filled out by such familiar faces as Timothy Dalton, Charles Dance, Greta Scacchi, Anthony Andrews, Patricia Hodge, and Imogen Stubbs. Rather than pound out a certain visual and tonal sameness over all four stories, each 90-minute episode seems to be approached as a stand-alone affair, giving writers, directors, and production teams a lot of leeway to give each story a unique stamp.

"Sleeping Murder" stars Sophia Myles as Gwenda Halliday, a young woman haunted by flashbacks of the memory of a killing she observed as a little girl in a stately British house. Problem is, Gwenda has only recently moved to Britain for the first time in her life, after growing up in India. Dawn French, Martin Kemp, and Geraldine Chaplin also star in the tale, which involves an old troupe of actors, a jewelry theft, and a very surprising conclusion. "By the Pricking of My Thumbs" concerns the disappearance of a doddering old woman who leaves behind a strange, spooky painting of a cottage in the woods, an unnerving figure lurking in the structure's window. Miss Marple is on the trail, but she allows the lonely, alcoholic wife (Scacchi) of a government investigator (Andrews) to take the lead—a boost to the younger woman's self-esteem.

The ambitious "The Moving Finger" is the most singular episode in series 2, a cheeky--almost subversive--vision of a rosy, picture-postcard village whose tranquility is undone by a series of hateful letters mailed to individuals in the community. Miss Marple, observing the tragic effects of these missives on relationships and reputations, is practically in the background in this story, watching closely as a nihilistic young man (James D'Arcy) comes out of his cynical, alcohol-laced haze to investigate the source of so much misery. (Bonus: director Ken Russell appears as the local, red-cheeked vicar.) Finally, "The Sittaford Mystery" finds Timothy Dalton playing a likely prospect to become prime minister, until he's stabbed to death following a séance. Set in a rundown hotel during a severe winter storm, the episode co-stars James Murray, Rita Tushingham, and comic-actor-director Mel Smith, the latter as the late, great man's touchingly loyal, right-hand man. --Tom Keogh

Synopsis
Twenty-first century adaptation of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, which sees her put all her detective skills to use in four feature length episodes: 'The Body In The Library', 'A Murder Is Announced', 'Murder At The Vicarage' and '4.50 From Paddington'.

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
24 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Different enough to be worth viewing, 30 Jun 2005
By Keith Joseph (West Berkshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)      
Geraldine McEwan's (Lucia from Mapp & Lucia) has plenty of fun hamming it up with a gigantic list of TV superstar celebrities such as Simon Callow, James Fox, Joanna Lumley, Ian Richardson, Stephen Tomkinson, Herbot Lom, Jane Asher, Miriam Margolyes, and Robert Powell (and that's only in the two episodes 'The body in the Library and 'Murder at the Vicarage'). OK, if you read the original Agatha Christie books, Joan Hickson was Miss Marples, and wisely Ms McEwan's doesn't try to do a bad Joan Hickson Impression. In fact she tends towards a rather good Margaret Rutherford impression (who certainly wasn't Agatha Christie's idea of Miss Marples - but she was great simply as Margaret Rutherford).

Perhaps this new series hasn't quite captured the previous series gentle air of apparently unsophisticated 50's rural life, and Geraldine McEwan's Miss Marples is possibly a bit too obviously worldly wise (she seems quite dangerous to talk to if you had murderous intentions). But the episodes rattle along at a furious pace and are quite fun to watch (they even make the superb Hickson series seem a bit po faced and serious - although that series had plenty of wry humour as well). In fact this new version is so different that it contrasts well with the approach of the earlier series (and they have a few different plot twists). Both series are very well filmed, and both series are worth owning.

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17 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not at all as bad as some people seem to think., 12 May 2006
By U.K. (Belgium) - See all my reviews
Now really, I think Joan Hickson was the absolute best Marple as well, but the simple fact is that Hickson's Marple, Rutherford's Marple and McEwan's Marple are very different people. So if you just forget about comparing the three and just take this interpretation for what it is, you can't really say it's that bad. It may be different from the Marple you're used too, McEwan's Marple is sharper than Hickson's, maybe a bit more dangerous and less innoccent. But not really worse, just different.

I've seen all three interpretations and I guess the trick to enjoying them all is just trying not to compare but taking every single one for what it's worth. And you'll see, while I personnaly find that Joan Hickson IS Miss Marple, McEwan is also very convincing as the snooping old lady. And really, four episodes for this price, what are you loosing by giving it a go?

And to everyone moaning about how they've changed the plot, be grateful they did. If everyone has already read the books and seen the Hickson series, what would be the point in buying this new series if not to see what they've made of it. And I for one like what I see.
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17 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Grandmother's Miss Marple.., 13 Jan 2006
By A Customer
I am a die-hard Agatha Christe fan, and I also like Geraldine McEwan. These are not your grandmother's Miss Marple, certainly, but they have much to recommend them. A good classic can be retold with a twist without losing the essence of the story, which is what these retellings have done. After all, while I'm not comparing Christie with Shakepeare, I've seen dozens of Romeo and Juliets and Othellos, set in different places, centuries and h different twists. Noone would propose that Juliet always has to be a dewy 14 year old in old time Verona, sometimes she is a worldy wise teenager in the 25th century!Sometime Othello is a black teenager in a US High School..use a little imagination, folks, and enjoy the poetic licence! Surely purists realise that physically she may be more like the book Miss Marple,as Joan Hickson is rather stout!

I have watched Joan Hickson over and over and she is my definitve Miss Marple, and maybe McEwan is someone else's. But I really enjoyed the sexual twists to some of the adaptations, and enjoyed watching the stories again in a new incarnation.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh, funny and inventive
My family and I thoroughly enjoyed this first season. The excellent Geraldine McEwan creates a fascinating, unconventional and always watchable heroine. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. M. Poole

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant new Miss Marple
Beautifully put together in a way that is respectful to the original yet adding something new to Agatha Christie's brilliant creation. Highly recommendable.
Published 13 months ago by Oscar Del Santo

4.0 out of 5 stars Geraldine is a great Miss Marple!
I think the recent adaptions of Agatha Christie's 'Miss Marple' for ITV are fantastic. It's light-hearted, engaging material and is thoroughly enjoyable. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Molly Miaow

1.0 out of 5 stars What is the point???
I can't help wondering why this attempt of a new adaptation of tried and tested material when we have THE ultimate Miss Marple and that is Joan Hickson? Read more
Published 21 months ago by Trionon

4.0 out of 5 stars Not THE Miss Marple, but entertaining
I started watching these adaptions, quite prepared to dislike them. Calling them 'Marple' without the 'Miss' didn't help. Read more
Published on 19 Jun 2007 by Elizabeth Trigg

4.0 out of 5 stars Not for Purists - But Jolly Well Done!
I reviewed the second box set of ITV's Marple recently, and much of what I said there applies to this first series. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2007 by Scots Lass

1.0 out of 5 stars Horrible
How could they butcher the original scripts like this?? Did they really think they were improving the plots and characters?? Read more
Published on 13 Jul 2006 by S. Rao

2.0 out of 5 stars Leave the Plots Alone!!!!!!!!!!!
Great actors, great sets, atrocious productions. Whomever at the Christie estate agreed to these adaptations must be held accountable. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2006 by bsomers

5.0 out of 5 stars First rate stuff, Agatha Christie would be proud.
....We love the earlier interpretations, particularly Joan Hickson, but Geraldine McEwan is equally wonderful as (we are led to believe) the ingenious Agatha's alter ego. Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2006 by Big Ben

5.0 out of 5 stars Post-modernist revisionism at its very VERY best!
Agatha Christie's work was always as camp as christmas but there are those too straight and too square to notice it. Read more
Published on 7 May 2006 by Chubworth

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