Sleeping Murder

Straight from the first episode, it was made clear that the peculiarity-trademark of ITV's "Agatha Christie's Marple" series was going to be small but significant plot and denouement changes to the original novels. Throughout the whole first season, these changes didn't bother me one bit. "Sleeping Murder" kicks off season two, and I must say the changes in the script versus the original book are suddenly becoming very plentiful and big. It's still a respectable adaptation, no worries, but a bunch of supportive characters undergo a metamorphosis, or are simply being replaced, and the final twist - albeit admirably shocking - isn't half as plausible and impactful as in the book. I sincerely hope the writers didn't attempt to improve Agatha Christie's writings, because...well, that just isn't possible. The fundaments of the intriguing whodunit story are luckily still intact. It's an engaging mystery, with lovely English seaside locations and a good pacing. For the second time, though, the performance of the great Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple is only secondary to that of another strong woman. After the ravishing Amanda Holden in "4:50 from Paddington", it's the stunningly gorgeous Sophie Myles who steals the show here. What an angel.

First off, these were produced by Granada, not the BBC; therefore accusing them of making a mess is very unfair. Why can't people just accept that these stories have been adapted for a more modern audience; unfortunately the youth of today needs something a little 'dumbed-down'. Just enjoy them for the stories they are - there are some superb acting turns, and a bunch of new talent is being showcased - it's not as if this is factual and the truth is being changed to suit. Thank the lord they don't use American actors, and are taking the current cream of the British crop. Geraldine McEwan brings a rather sweeter disposition to Jane Marple than Hickson and Co., something I find easier to believe.

This series continues working hard to be the 'weird' version of Miss Marple. The producers and writers do everything they can to be perversely (and I choose the word advisedly) different from previous versions. Admittedly the earlier Joan Hickson version of this story was not that great and the heroine had a very insipid husband. He's been abolished here, along with her New Zealand upbringing. Instead, a new character, Mr Hornbeam, has been brought in, who is a definite asset and well acted.

The plot has really been through the wringer and has been made confusing and hard to follow. Somebody seems to have thought they could out-Christie Christie. But Christie is always clear. Here the exact relationships in the Funnybones troupe are not easy to grasp and the cascade of complex plot information in the long 'all the cast in the library' scene at the end is very hard to understand and digest.

Also, there are lots of seemingly casual phone calls to India. This was far from easy in those days, when overseas calls had to be prebooked and waited for and the line quality was often poor. When a lot of care has been taken over period accuracy it is a shame to see this anachronism.

And why is Julian Wadham (the heroine's father) in the shadows playing her fiancé -- at least I think it's him? This is very misleading. Couldn't they afford another actor?

It's quite fun to watch, but I still wonder what the producers are thinking of.

I was quite taken aback by the reviews here, but for good reason. I read all of the Agatha Christie books and stories years and years ago. Truthfully I can't remember some of them in great detail. While I found "Sleeping Murder" confusing, I didn't realize nearly everything about Christie's story had been changed.

I'll also be brutally honest - I liked Joan Hickson's acting, but she wasn't my idea of Miss Marple. She wasn't lively enough. You know how it is, you read a book and you get a picture in your mind. Mine was always Helen Hayes, don't ask me why - a little old lady with bright eyes and a beautiful smile and a sharp mind. I have to agree - this Marple, Geraldine McEwan, is too knowing. Miss Marple in the books had a cheerful, nonthreatening way about her, and she always solved the mysteries by making a comparison to happenings in the village of St. Mary Mead.

Anyway, I digress - this story apparently retains very little of the original. It's gorgeous to look at - excellent production values, incredible landscapes and costumes, and period pieces. Sophia Myles was lovely as Gwenda. I couldn't figure out the relationships between the members of the comedy troupe either. Also, another reviewer is correct, nobody just picked up the phone from India and dashed off a call to England like it was one street over and vice versa.

The story, such as it is, is a good one. It's just not an Agatha Christie story.

I set my recorder so that I could speed through the commercials but from the beginning I was so gripped I watched it as it was transmitted and loved it. The period setting was perfectly captured by the director, Ed Hall, and the acting was of a very high standard, but the star of the show was not Miss Marple, but the truly brilliant Miss Myles. Stephen Churchett's script worked well and gave the cast plenty of good dialogue. I especially liked Una Stubbs and Sarah Parish and it was a pleasure to see Dawn French and Russ Abbot in straight roles. But, in the leading role, Sophia Myles had a magical quality that lifted the film to a much higher level.