User reviews

Many actresses in the twilight of their careers have taken on the role of Miss Marple, including Margaret Rutherford, Helen Hayes and the seemingly immortal Angela Landsbury. However, I believe the one actress whose claim to being closest to Christie's original vision was Joan Hickson. Joan Hickson in the 1980's literally was Miss Marple, not unlike Vivian Leigh who was Scarlett O'Hara. These two actresses were nearly born to play these roles, and whenever I read a Marple mystery, I imagine the likes of Hickson. Marple was probably Christie's most interesting creation, simmultaneously polite and sweet yet irritating and needling. She was always helping out on cases where Scotland Yard felt it was none of her business, which makes her quite an enigma. The little old spinster with the mind of an Einstein, Marple is the female equivalent of Sherlock Holmes.

These BBC productions are still some of the best adaptations of the Miss Marple cases written by Agatha Christie. Some viewers have criticized them for being rather plodding and slow. Ever read a Christie novel? These books were written deliberately in a rather slow and detailed manner because they were meant as literary puzzles. Christie's novels were not so much about insight into the human condition, such as in the work of P.D. James. Rather, Christie's books were specifically designed to offer the reader all the facts of the case, and the reader could try to solve the puzzle before the solution is revealed at the end.

"4:50 from Paddington" involves a friend of Miss Marple, Mrs McGillicuddy, who is traveling on a train from Paddington. At one point, her train passes another going the other direction. For a split second, she sees a murder being committed on the other train before it disappears. McGillicuddy just happens to be on her way to Miss Marple's hometown, St. Mary Mead. Mrs McGillicuddy visits Miss Marple and describes what she saw. While there have been no reports of any murder, Miss Marple believes her, begins to investigate, and pieces together the case.

One of the best Joan Hickson performances, and one of the better Miss Marple mysteries in general. If you've not seen Hickson as Marple, you have yet to see Miss Jane Marple in the flesh. I also have to give honorable mention to the sweet music which opens and closes these Marple mysteries. The oboe melody seems to be a perfect musical portrayal of one of the most memorable characters in the Mystery genre.

Whilst traveling by train to visit her friend Jane Marple, Elspeth McGillicuddy wakes from her slumber and witnesses a man strangling a woman on a passing train. With no other witnesses and no trace of a body, the police don't believe her story, so Miss Marple engages Lucy Eyelesbarrow to help uncover the mystery.

It's a very faithful, beautifully made version; production values are incredibly high. The music is lovely and melodic; it's never invasive, and it helps generate atmosphere.

Some totally iconic scenes too; the whole sequence of Lucy discovering the body is one of the most memorable bits of TV from my childhood. It's beautifully filmed, and the music is superb; it adds to the tension. The set and props are wonderful.

Beautifully acted with some wonderful performances, my favorite being Joanna David's; she is superb as Emma, making her downtrodden and meek but wonderfully believable. Maurice Denham is wonderful as always, and Jean Boht's cameo as Madame Jolie is delightful. Jill Meager puts in a great performance, be it it's a little surprising how she has men falling at her feet, she's so prim and proper. (Is that Bertram's Hotel I spy for their first meeting?)

The ending is nicely staged and suitably dramatic. It seemed at the time like she was always using Somerset House.

It's an excellent production, a little doddery in parts, but very faithful to the book. Hickson is excellent as always but somewhat takes a back seat in this one, she's very much an observer.

This one makes for perfect Sunday teatime viewing.

8/10.

I really like the book, it is very clever and the characters are memorable, and as far as the Geraldine McEwan while not perfect by all means was one of the better ones, at least in my opinion. This version is superior though, and is very well done not only as an adaptation but on its own merits. I will say my only real problem with this film was the pacing. While not as sluggish as They Do it With Mirrors, for me this is one of the slower moving Hickson-Marple adaptations. However, so much compensates. 4:50 From Paddington is rather slow and perhaps a tad too long as well, but it still has the clever story and memorable characters. As usual, the production values are wonderful, and the music is very atmospheric here. The dialogue is well written, the story is easy to follow and I loved the build-up to the finding of the body which was genuinely creepy. The direction is solid and the cast is excellent. Miss Marple doesn't have as much to do here, but Joan Hickson still plays her marvellously, and I was very impressed with Joanna David. Overall, while not a favourite I do recommend 4:50 From Paddington. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I've been a mystery fan for most of my life and particularly fond of Agatha Christie's well known characters, Jane Marple and Hercules Poirot. I was surprised recently when viewing one of the old films in my collection, "Murder, She Said" from 1961. This was the first of four movies starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. The film was loosely based on Christie's "4.50 From Paddington". Marple poses as a domestic to investigate a murder. One of the other servants in the home is played by none other than Joan Hickson. This may not be completely relevant in commenting upon the later version, but I thought it was interesting that Hickson appeared in a Marple film 26 years before this one was released. The Rutherford movies aren't very faithful to Christie, but they're very entertaining. However, if you're an avid Miss Marple fan, you'll be overjoyed with these productions featuring Hickson. She truly embodies Agatha's character like no other actress. I highly recommend these to any mystery fan.

I am not in the habit of writing reviews but the reviewer who took exception to Jill Meager provoked me to rebut his comment. She was the "Highlight" of this episode and the reason I viewed it several times. Being extremely attractive, charming and projecting intelligence are clearly reasons enough for any red-blooded male to crawl on all "fours" for Her.

I confess that I only started watching this series just recently even though I was aware of it for many years. This was partly out of prejudice on my part. I wrongly assumed it would be something very staid; people making exits and entrances between long patches of dialogue.

I was "all wet." This is one of the most memorable Series I have seen.

John Fedinatz, New York, NY

4:50 From Paddington Station was also the first Agatha Christie Miss Marple story to be adapted for Margaret Rutherford in Murder She Said. Comparing the two is six of one, half a dozen of the other.

For the big screen the characters of the woman who saw the strangling on a passing train and the woman who Miss Marple sends in as a housekeeper to scout out the terrain are eliminated. Rutherford's character serves as both and one of the biggest strengths of the film is Rutherford doing her own scouting and sleuthing and her scenes with ailing family patriarch James Robertson Justice are a hoot and a half.

Joan Hickson's Jane Marple is a milder sort, but still a woman who doesn't miss much. This version is faithful to the Christie story and has a friend of Miss Marple see the strangling of a woman and her being thrown out the window of a train going the other way. But no body turns up near the tracks. At that point Hickson goes into action and determines that the body was most likely thrown off near the Crackenthorpe estate. At that point she sends in Jill Meager as an operative so to speak.

The Crackenthorpes are wealthy British family, new money, they got rich manufacturing breakfast cereal. And they've got an ailing patriarch with one of those crazy wills that provide a host of relatives as suspects.

I will say this, the same perpetrator in the Margaret Rutherford movie does the deed again in 4:50 From Paddington Station. And nearly gets away with it, but for an unexpected witness.

A little slow, but more is explained and the murder itself doesn't seem quite as contrived as the Rutherford film.

Elspeth McGillicuddy is taking the 4:50 from Paddington (a train) to visit a friend and falls asleep. She awakens to see another train on a set of tracks parallel to hers. Suddenly, a window shade zips up and Mrs. McGillicuddy sees a woman being strangled by a man whose back is to her. The train moves on and Mrs. McGillicuddy is left is significant distress. The person she was visiting? Miss Marple, of course. And we're off to the races.

Miss Marple's investigations bring her to the doorstep of the eccentric Crackenthorpe family and she hires a formidable assistant in the guise of the lovely and efficient Lucy Eyelesbarrow (Jill Meager) who infiltrates the household in the guise of a housekeeper. She becomes Miss Marple's eyes and ears.

It's arguably one of the best of the Marple mysteries. In part because when I read the book, I was completely surprised by who the murderer was (some excellent literary misdirection here) but also because the story contains a series of characters who are, for the most part, fairly sympathetic (unlike the detestable Fortescues in "Pocketful of Rye"). And the hint of romance between Lucy and one of the suspects is a nice addition.

A woman is being strangled and there is a witness. The police cannot find any evidence. So, it is up to Miss Marple (Joan Hickson) with help from Lucy Eyelesbarrow, an independent housekeeper.

The story does not follow the book, yet it has the unmistakable Aunt Jane feel.

Notice how Aunt Jane is always several steps ahead of the others in planning. Watch the expressions when Aunt Jane grates on David Horovitch as Detective Inspector Slack. "...When one of us is clever enough to find the body."

I have seen this movie several times, but I never noticed the train scene music until I watched "Brief Encounter - Criterion Collection" (1945) Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. Listen to the type of music during the scene where the two trains pass.

John Hallam has fun playing randy Cedric Crackenthorpe watch him again playing "Lord Rhysart" in "A Morbid Taste for Bones" (1997).

Miss Marple's best friend, Elspeth McGillicuddy (Mona Bruce), witnesses a man strangling a woman on a passing train. When nobody believes her, Miss Marple (Joan Hickson), conducts her own investigation in order to bring the culprit to justice.

Carefully constructed adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1957 mystery of the same name. It was filmed twenty-seven years earlier as MURDER SHE SAID (1962) with Margaret Rutherford playing Miss Marple. Interestingly Joan Hickson appeared in the latter film as the Crackenthorpe's housekeeper Mrs Kidder. Rutherford wasn't exactly faithful to Christie's original character, but she made the part entirely her own and she was always a joy to watch. Hickson makes a convincing Miss Marple and she is more to the letter of the book than Rutherford, but alongside each other they are still the best two actresses to have played the character. This film moves at a good pace and Hickson is most ably assisted by a first rate supporting cast including Maurice Denham as Luther Crackenthorpe, Joanna David as Emma Crackenthorpe, Jill Meager as Lucy Eyelesbarrow and John Hallam as Cedric Crackenthorpe. The only slight weakness in the film is that it sometimes tends towards the stodginess of an old drawing room play, which was quite common with so many of the BBC's dramas at this time. Still there is a good feeling for period detail and this is streets ahead of ITV's latest attempt to bring Miss Marple to television. See Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Body In The Library (2004).

A friend of Miss Marple's, Mrs. McGillicuddy, is travelling on the 4.50 from Paddington when she sees a man strangling a woman on a neighbouring train. The police turn up nothing and don't believe her but Miss Marple does. She believes the answer to the mystery lies at nearby Rutherford Hall. She enlists the help of her resourceful, energetic niece Lucy Eyelesbarrow, who investigates Rutherford Hall by working there as a housekeeper.

A great instalment of the Miss Marple series. A return to the earlier episodes in that the characters and the character-based sub-plots are much more interesting making this episode very engaging.

The mystery is excellent too: we initially don't even have a body! Slowly things are revealed before we finally have our murderer.

Quite the mystery.

The Miss Marple movies that Margaret Rutherford made in the 1960s are a lot of fun. However, they play rather fast and loose with the original stories and less emphasis is placed on the Agatha Christie stories than Rutherford herself...who was a lot of fun in the leads. In the case of "4.50 from Paddington", I had a chance to see one of the Rutherford films...."Murder, She Said". The main way the two are different is that in the film, Miss Marple witnesses the murder and no one believes her. But in this 1987 show, it's a friend of hers who is the witness...just like in the original story. I guess it's okay to like both...and I do.

As I mentioned above, one of Marple's friends witnesses a murder while she's aboard a train. Some man in a passing train is strangling a woman and when the witness reports it, the dopey police assume she's mistaken and barely investigate. So, Miss Marple and this friend retrace the train's route and determine that the killing was made near a large manor home...one belonging to the Crackenthorpes. But to get into the home...that will require Marple to have someone go in her place that the family won't suspect. So, she asks Lucy Eyelesbarrow to investigate. After all, the family needs another servant...and Eyelesbarrow is a maid...and a very bright one.

Soon, the body of the dead woman is discovered on the mansion's grounds. But it's not clear who did it or if the Crackenthorpes are involved...that is until more murders occur. Who is behind this and why? See the show...it's a dandy one.

Well crafted, never dull and with a nice epilogue...it's well worth seeing and sticks very closely to the source material.

This is my first experience with Joan Hickson as Agatha Christie's second most famous sleuth, Miss Marple, so I will refrain from making any strong judgements on her portrayal yet (after all, she doesn't really get THAT much screen time here, as Lucy Eyelesbarrow and the two police inspectors have at least equal, if not bigger in Lucy's case, parts). As for the film itself, I found it fair but a bit plodding. The script and direction hold your attention without ever really cranking up the suspense, and the performances are perfectly fine without being outstanding. It's a film that gets the job done, but rarely (as in a moment where the first victim's boss recollects her past) goes above that level. Fans of grand old English country houses will get an eyeful, in any case. (**1/2)

4.50 from Paddington, or What Mrs. McGuillicuddy Saw, is an Agatha Christie Miss Marple story that was also filmed as a Margaret Rutherford film, Murder She Said.

It's a fun story with a surprise villain. In the story, a friend (Mona Bruce) of Jane Marple's traveling by train to visit her witnesses the strangling of a woman on a train going in the opposite direction.

No one except Marple takes her seriously, no evidence can be found, and Marple's involvement annoys her nemesis, DI Slack. He does very little on the case. In studying the train route, Marple feels the body was thrown off the train and landed on the grounds of the Crackenthorpe estate.

The family has difficulty keeping domestic staff, so Miss Marple enlists the help of a fabulous young housekeeper, Lucy, and asks her to get a position there. In her spare time, she hits golf balls and walks around the estate.

Eventually she finds the body hidden in a shed on the property. But who is the dead woman? What is her connection, if any, to people on the estate? It falls to Miss Marple to figure it out.

Very well done. In the Rutherford film, Marple herself sees the murder and gets a job on the estate. The Hickson version is closer to the book.

Since it's such an intriguing story with interesting characters and plenty of suspects, both versions are highly entertaining. However, the presence of Lucy (Jill Meager) offers some potential romance, which adds to it.

I just love the look on DI Slack's face when dealing with Marple, especially when other people speak highly of her. David Horovitch is quite good in the role.

Another Miss Marple winner from this '80s series.

Generally I prefer Hickson's series to McEwan/McKenzie where the plots/characters were rewritten too much. However I found some of the men too creepy in this 1987 version and would rather watch the 2004 cast and chemistry. That aside, both contain the usual cops v Marple situation - the usual do they appreciate her, or get fed up? Overall, the 2004 series was often style over substance, with the writing really letting down everything else, set, make-up, fashion, props etc, which really did a good job of contrasting the conservatively dressed elderly Marple with the trends of the day. The Hickson version is not as lavish but has that fantastic theme tune.

Miss Marple's friend witnesses a murder in a railway carriage running parallel to her own, so Miss Marple engages a resourceful young woman to investigate. The search leads to a decrepit estate, where they suspect the body was dumped. But the seemingly innocent family who live there have secrets of their own.

Another solid adaptation of a book I love, though the actress who played Anna - Miss Marple's spy - didn't express an interest to the creepy cad - Played excellent by John Hallam - judging by her face expression. It was commented that she was attracted to him! She looked disgusted by him. Of course, in the novel, she found him charming. Aside from this, a gripping episode with Joan Hickson doing her best, though she doesn't appear much.

A great rendition of a classic tale. Naturally, the Margaret Rutherford version is fabulous in its own way, but this version offers viewers colorful landscapes and colorful characterizations to go along with the totally old-fashioned old-school formality of the characters. Much of the acting is subtle and unforced, as is typical of British productions, with Inspector Slack a real study in irony, a decent man masked in a facade of tough-guy impoliteness and impatience. The story unwinds in a dignified manner, never boring and never rushed. As a bonus, the somewhat intricate plotting gets explicated in a way that even I could follow and understand (Inspector Morse offers a contrasting technique, almost always baffling, while Midsomer Murders at least wraps its illogic in humorous tongue-in-cheek mischief). Overall, a superb production for fans of mystery and rich atmospheric production.

The Marple stories - many of them - are lessons in narrative placement. We start with the basic notion of the mystery narrator shuffling through multiple created realities looking for what makes sense. Marple turns that into the clever notion of detection as gossip: the constructed realities of small town busybodies imposing a simple order on what they hear.

Read this story and see how wonderfully it plays this intelligent game. Now watch this movie version and see how it completely loses this neat idea.

Instead, they follow the BBC rule of exploiting interesting faces and spaces. Lucy IS lovely, but the magic of the mystery is long gone.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.