Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery

This movie is a departure for Miss Marple, with an unruly cast of characters in the Caribbean; far different from St Mary Mead and the other English country settings. We find out that Miss Marple's nephew has sent her off for a well needed rest after an illness. She appears at odds with the others at the resort but does strike up a friendship with one of the staff who senses her loneliness and takes her to her own village for a welcome change.

Joan Hickson, as the often underestimated but formidable Miss Marple, seems older and rather tired and the conversations lack her usual wit. She is also put off with the overtures of Frank Middlemass, who is retired from the military and goes around boring people with endless monologues from the past. Nevertheless, once the usual murder takes place, she steps into her role. She strikes up an alliance with a wealthy and ill-mannered Donald Pleasance, who realizes that she is much more than a little old woman with knitting needles in her hands. Miss Marple makes it clear that she has no use for his boorish behaviour and often ignores him until he shows some courtesy. Together, however, they make progress with a group of rather unsavoury guests at the resort. Miss Marple also has the benefit of a much better relationship with the local police than she does at home.

After this Caribbean holiday (certainly an unusual twist in Miss Marple's adventures), she is once again at home in her garden with her nephew. He apologizes for the wet weather but she tells him how glad she is to be back. I think viewers too will prefer the English countryside to this tropical setting. We feel Miss Marple is more herself in her natural habitat.

Many years ago before Joan Hickson started in the role, Margaret Rutherford was my favourite Miss Marple and couldn't envisage changing my mind. However now, for me Hickson is the best, and this is the best episode, just! She is ably assisted by an excellent Donald Pleasance.

Miss Marple is on holiday in the Caribbean. One of her fellow hotel guests, Major Palgrave, suddenly dies, seemingly from natural causes. When a maid with information related to the Major's death is murdered, it appears that the Major's death might have been less natural than it appeared.

A good Miss Marple mystery though not one of the best. The setting makes for a refreshing change and the plot is reasonably intriguing. However, what usually makes a Marple episode great for me is how engaging the secondary characters are and here they're mediocre, and in some cases, quite irritating. Jason Rafiel (played by Donald Pleasance) is particularly loathsome as is Mr Dyson. Interestingly, this is the same Jason Rafiel who died in Nemesis, meaning the two episodes are out of order, timeline-wise.

The local police detective, Inspector Weston, is interesting but doesn't get enough screentime.

Add in a very slow start to the episode - it takes forever for something significant to happen - and it's far from great.

Miss Marple is enjoying a holiday in Barbados recovering from a recent illness. However, an ex colonial police officer called Major Palgrave (Frank Middlemass), boasts to Miss Marple about a murder story and takes a photograph out of his wallet which apparently has a murderer's face on it. However, he suddenly sees that person and quickly puts the photograph back into his wallet. Miss Marple didn't take it very seriously at the time but when Major Palgrave is found dead the next morning, she wishes she had when more murders follow.

By far and a way the best version of Christie's whodunit. It was filmed in Hollywood in 1983 as a lacklustre TV movie starring Helen Hayes as Miss Marple and was saddled with an indifferent script. This BBC production is lengthly, but there is more attention to detail and a first rate cast including Donald Pleasance, Frank Middlemass and not forgetting Hickson's Miss Marple. All do fine work in their roles.

Caribbean Mystery is a good book by Agatha Christie, but I wouldn't go to say it was one of her best. It is worth the read, but I do prefer Murder is Announced and Sleeping Murder out of the Marple books. This adaptation while taking some liberties with the book, is the best adaptation, and yes I do prefer it over the Helen Hayes version. The adaptation is beautifully shot, with lovely camera work and the scenery is colourful and very pleasing to the eye. The music is well composed and fits nicely with what's going on on screen, if careful not to overshadow the action in those crucial scenes. The script and plot are solid, while taking liberties with the book. Speaking of the changes, I liked the idea of Miss Marple visiting the chambermaid's aunt, however some other changes like the dead coming back from the dead seemed far-fetched and didn't quite work. The adaptation also is rather lengthy, and there is some sluggish pacing in the middle half. On the plus side though, asides from how it was filmed and the good plot and script, we are also treated to a first-rate cast. Joan Hickson is as wonderful as ever as Miss Marple, and Donald Pleasance makes the most out of his role as Jason Rafiel. Sue Lloyd is suitably nasty as Lucy Dyson, and T.P.McKenna is good as Dr Grahame. Adrian Lukis and Sophie Ward are a little on the dull side as the Kendalls though. I will say the final solution was very effective. Overall, a worthwhile diversion, not so bad as an adaptation either. If you want a better Hickson- Marple adaptation though, try Murder Is Announced and Sleeping Murder. 8/10 Bethany Cox