I'm new to this Australian series of Miss Marple mysteries, and it's been years since I read any Miss Marple.
The last McEwan Marple I saw, I found her too "knowing" as Marple. Marple's crime-solving chops come from years of observation in her village of St. Mary Mead. She's not sophisticated, and she's not "sharp" as a police detective would be. She's homespun. This time around, with the emphasis off of Marple and onto war veteran Jerry Burton who is trying to solve the mystery of the poison pen letters, we have a closer version of Christie's Miss Marple.
This particular story stayed faithful to the book, and the production values are quite opulent. Ken Russell, who directed, gives an outrageous performance as the vicar, and there is nice work from James D'Arcy, Emilia Fox as his sister, Kelly Brook as a nanny to whom Jerry is attracted, and Talulah Riley as Megan. Great to see Imogen Stubbs, whom I enjoyed so much in "Anna Lee."
The last McEwan Marple I saw, I found her too "knowing" as Marple. Marple's crime-solving chops come from years of observation in her village of St. Mary Mead. She's not sophisticated, and she's not "sharp" as a police detective would be. She's homespun. This time around, with the emphasis off of Marple and onto war veteran Jerry Burton who is trying to solve the mystery of the poison pen letters, we have a closer version of Christie's Miss Marple.
This particular story stayed faithful to the book, and the production values are quite opulent. Ken Russell, who directed, gives an outrageous performance as the vicar, and there is nice work from James D'Arcy, Emilia Fox as his sister, Kelly Brook as a nanny to whom Jerry is attracted, and Talulah Riley as Megan. Great to see Imogen Stubbs, whom I enjoyed so much in "Anna Lee."