Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Movie Collection [4 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Margaret Rutherford, who was already a prominent figure in English theater and film, emerged as a marquee name internationally in 1961 in this series of screen adaptations of Agatha Christie's work from MGM, which proved popular screen entertainments from the start of the decade until just the point where the Beatles overpowered all other pop-culture associations with England. The movies -- which never made it to laserdisc and, thus, are making their debut on high-end video -- all were predicated upon the notion that the geriatric population of England, as embodied by Rutherford's Miss Jane Marple and her friends, such as Mr. Stringer (Stringer Davis, Rutherford's real-life spouse), were its greatest and most interesting resource, with things still to teach the younger generation of adults coming up behind them (but with an occasional interesting rapport with their children, at least to be made out in her dealings with Ronnie Raymond's character in the first film). The Beatles and the rock & roll boom they heralded, and the birth of Swinging London as a pop-culture institution, ran directly counter to the zeitgeist of these movies, but long after the last of them rolled out to the theaters in 1964, Rutherford's image as Miss Marple lingered in their extended life on network television in America. Though she didn't really resemble Christie's description of Miss Jane Marple, Rutherford became the embodiment of the role, every bit as much as Sean Connery filled the shoes of Ian Fleming's James Bond, and that image lingered on television in network replays of these movies for the remainder of the decade and into the 1970s. The movies' appeal lay in Rutherford's eccentricities in the role, coupled with an array of colorful supporting players, ranging from major stars (Flora Robson, Dennis Price, Robert Morley) to excellent character players such as Ronnie Raymond, James Robertson-Justice, and Conrad Phillips.

The Agatha Christie Miss Marple Collection is a nicely put together if unambitious set of four feature films in a slipcase, each in its own package but only sold as a set, at least upon initial release. The image for Murder, She Said (1962) -- which is an extremely crisp black-and-white -- has been matted to an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and the letterboxing is a treat, centering the image so that every subtlety of the camera movement is delineated. The audio is mastered at a somewhat low volume, but it is clean and pumps up nicely through speakers, and gives full play to the lighthearted score, which makes excellent use of a harpsichord. The movie has been given a generous 23 chapters. The disc has no extras other than an array of trailers, four of them relating to the Rutherford movies and a fifth, for the 1965 Seven Arts release of Ten Little Indians, which -- one presumes -- Warner Home Video is planning to release at some point on its own. Murder at the Gallop (1963) is mastered just as cleanly, and in the same aspect ratio, and gets the same 23-chapter breakdown. The black-and-white image looks beautiful, pushing the resolution of the NTSC image to the upper limit so that some shots with lots of detail in the woodworking or other elements of the setting seem to shimmer. The bonus consists of the same body of Agatha Christie-related trailers, with the addition of one extra trailer for this particular movie. The third movie in the series, Murder Ahoy (1964), which is not based on a Christie book -- and benefits greatly from the presence of Lionel Jeffries and Miles Malleson in supporting roles -- is given 24 chapters, and has an even crisper and sharper transfer in a glistening black-and-white, doing full justice to Desmond Dickinson's superb photography. For reasons that aren't clear, the credit sequences at the beginning and end of Murder Ahoy are letterboxed at a much more extreme 1.9:1 or 2.0:1 than the rest of the movie, which is matted at 1.85:1. It comes with the same array of trailers as the other discs in the series. Finally, Murder Most Foul (1964), also photographed by Dickinson, arrives with its aspect ratio less problematic -- 1.85:1 throughout -- and with the volume slightly lower but the audio just as clean, and 24 chapters. It also offers that same set of trailers, and no other extras. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 4
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • Agatha Christie thrillers trailer gallery

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Margaret Rutherford - Miss Marple
       Arthur Kennedy - Dr. Quimper
       Charles "Bud" Tingwell - Detective Inspector Craddock
       Andrew Cruickshank - Justice Crosby
       Charles "Bud" Tingwell - Inspector Craddock
       Dennis Price - Theatrical Agent
       Conrad Phillips - Harold
       James Bolam - Bill Hanson
       Henry Oscar - Lord Rudkin
       Derek Nimmo - Sub-Lt. Humbert
       Alison Seebohm - Eva McGonigall
       Gerald Cross - Albert
       Michael Golden - Hillman
       Gordon Harris - Bacon
       Bernard Adams - Dusty Miller
       Barbara Hicks - Mrs. Stainton
       Edna Petrie - Miss Pringle
       Barbara Leake - Mrs. Stainton

• Director:

  George Pollock

• Producer:

  Lawrence P. Bachmann, George H. Brown

• Screenwriter:

  David Pursall, Jack Seddon

• Book Author:

  Agatha Christie

• Screenwriter:

  David D. Osborn

• Cinematographer:

  Desmond Dickinson, Arthur Ibbetson, Geoffrey Faithfull

• Composer (Music Score):

  Ron Goodwin

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Ron Goodwin

• Editor:

  Ernest Walter, Bert Rule

• Production Designer:

  Frank White

• Art Director:

  Bill Andrews, Frank White, Harry White

• Associate Producer:

  Ben Arbeid

• Costume Designer:

  Maude Churchill, Felix Evans

• Makeup:

  Eddie Knight

• Special Effects:

  Tom Howard

• First Assistant Director:

  David Tomblin, Basil Rayburn, Douglas Hickox

• Camera Operator:

  Paul Wilson, Austin Dempster

• Production Manager:

  Sydney Streeter, Jan Darnley-Smith

REVIEWS:

• Murder, She Said, the first of the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple films, is an engaging and appealing little thriller. Though it's not a classic of the detective mystery genre, it's "fun" in the best sense of the word. A great deal of the film's charm comes from the wonderful Rutherford, one of the screen's finest character actresses. She obviously enjoys playing Marple; although the role doesn't allow her to indulge in her wonderful eccentricities, she still manages to provide some delightful comic relief moments. More importantly, she handles the dramatic requirements of the role very well and imbues Marple with a sturdiness and a sense of commitment that's essential to the success of the movie. The supporting cast is also quite good, especially young Ronnie Ryamond, who plays off of Rutherford well with his mischievous manner; James Robertson-Justice whose bluster makes the proceedings lively; and Stringer Davis, who gives a sweetly endearing performance. Although the script could use a little work -- the plotting is a bit too obvious in places -- and George Pollock's direction could be a trifle more imaginative, it does boast a sprightly and enjoyable score. Murder, She Said would be followed by three equally enjoyable sequels. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
• Possibly the most enjoyable of the delightful Miss Marple series of mysteries, Murder Most Foul benefits from its setting inside a third-rate theatrical troupe. This allows series screenwriters David Pursall and Jack Seddon to create (courtesy of Agatha Christie, of course) a cast populated by some rather extreme types, as well as letting them set their heroine loose in a setting that is somewhat alien to her. Margaret Rutherford, of course, doesn't allow anything alien to deter her Marple, and she seems to enjoy discovering how Marple would react to these various types -- mainly by taking them in her very proper British stride. The plotting is appropriately intricate, although director George Pollock does his customarily reliable job of keeping all his ducks in a row so that the viewer never worries about getting lost. While there are the usual minor logical lapses that are common to the genre -- no matter how hard they try to justify it, there simply is no excuse (other than it makes for more suspense) for Marple not to explain matters more thoroughly to the doubting Inspector -- they won't bother most viewers, who will be too absorbed in the mystery, and too entertained by Rutherford and company. Ron Moody is thoroughly enjoyable as the vain would-be-Belasco of the troupe, Alison Seebohm makes her semi-mystical flake believable, and the rest of the cast is quite fine. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
• The last in Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple series, Murder Ahoy finds the always amiable amateur sleuth in an original screenplay, not one based upon an Agatha Christie novel. Aficionados will notice the Christie absence, most obviously in the finale, which gives Marple a much more physically active role than usual (including a swordfight), but Ahoy is still a top notch piece of escapism. The humor is a bit broader in David Pursall and Jack Seddon's screenplay, and the conflict between Marple and Inspector Craddock seems somewhat contrived, but the plotting is still self-assured and the mystery interesting. The writers have also given the character of Mr. Stringer (played by Rutherford's husband, Stringer Davis) rather more to do, which is all to the good. There's a chemistry between the husband-wife team, although it's one of mutual affection rather than sexuality, and Davis is endearingly befuddled -- "cute" in the better sense of the word. Of the rest of the supporting cast, Lionel Jeffries goes a bit too far as the Captain but is otherwise solid. Director George Pollock unobtrusively keeps things moving at a lively clip. Calling the series off after Ahoy may have disappointed its fans, but it did allow the series to go out while still shipshape. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
• The second in the series of Miss Marple mysteries starring Margaret Rutherford, Murder at the Gallop is a delightful and amusing adaptation of Agatha Christie's After the Funeral (a book which, interestingly enough, featured as its main character Hercule Poirot rather than Miss Marple.). A good plot is essential to an effective murder mystery, and Gallop has a tightly-written one that doesn't cheat by going too far afield for the murderer and which deftly puts all the pieces in their proper place. Along the way, the David Pursall-Jack Seddon screenplay features a number of amusing turns, some neatly observed phrases, and just enough character details to make the supporting cast come to life (without so much as to reveal who the killer is too early). Once again, however, the film's primary asset is the wonderful Rutherford. She imbues Marple with a joyousness in her hobby that in another actress might come across as somewhat ghoulish, but which here seems perfectly natural. Robert Morley is in tip top form as well, providing comic zest via his enthralled reaction to an especially rare saddle and his indirect marriage proposal at the end of the film, and Flora Robson is excellent as the timid but not stupid lady's companion. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi