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Marple
S2.E4
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The Sittaford Mystery

  • Episode aired Apr 30, 2006
  • TV-14
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Timothy Dalton and Geraldine McEwan in The Sittaford Mystery (2006)
Agatha Christie's Marple: The Sittaford Mystery
Play trailer1:04
1 Video
58 Photos
CrimeDramaMystery

The death of the presumptive future Prime Minister is predicted during a séance in a snowbound country hotel, and he is found stabbed to death in his room the next morning.The death of the presumptive future Prime Minister is predicted during a séance in a snowbound country hotel, and he is found stabbed to death in his room the next morning.The death of the presumptive future Prime Minister is predicted during a séance in a snowbound country hotel, and he is found stabbed to death in his room the next morning.

  • Director
    • Paul Unwin
  • Writers
    • Stephen Churchett
    • Agatha Christie
  • Stars
    • Geraldine McEwan
    • Timothy Dalton
    • Robert Hickson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    2.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Paul Unwin
    • Writers
      • Stephen Churchett
      • Agatha Christie
    • Stars
      • Geraldine McEwan
      • Timothy Dalton
      • Robert Hickson
    • 53User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Agatha Christie's Marple: The Sittaford Mystery
    Trailer 1:04
    Agatha Christie's Marple: The Sittaford Mystery

    Photos58

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    Top cast20

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    Geraldine McEwan
    Geraldine McEwan
    • Miss Marple
    Timothy Dalton
    Timothy Dalton
    • Clive Trevelyan
    Robert Hickson
    Robert Hickson
    • Arthur Hopkins
    Robert Hardy
    Robert Hardy
    • Winston Churchill
    Laurence Fox
    Laurence Fox
    • James Pearson
    James Murray
    James Murray
    • Charles Burnaby
    Ian Hallard
    Ian Hallard
    • Reporter
    Zoe Telford
    Zoe Telford
    • Emily Trefusis
    Jeffery Kissoon
    Jeffery Kissoon
    • Ahmed Ghali
    Mel Smith
    Mel Smith
    • John Enderby
    Rita Tushingham
    Rita Tushingham
    • Miss Elizabeth Percehouse
    James Wilby
    James Wilby
    • Stanley Kirkwood
    Paul Kaye
    Paul Kaye
    • Dr. Ambrose Burt
    Michael Brandon
    Michael Brandon
    • Martin Zimmerman
    Carey Mulligan
    Carey Mulligan
    • Violet Willett
    Patricia Hodge
    Patricia Hodge
    • Mrs. Evadne Willett
    Matthew Kelly
    Matthew Kelly
    • Donald Garfield
    Michael Attwell
    Michael Attwell
    • Archie Stone
    • Director
      • Paul Unwin
    • Writers
      • Stephen Churchett
      • Agatha Christie
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews53

    6.82K
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    Featured reviews

    8roedyg

    Big Budget Miss Marple

    This is a big budget Miss Marple. Casting went for unusually handsome males like Timothy Dalton, Laurence Fox and James Murray. (Their unusual good looks turn out to be necessary for the plot.) The females are delightfully eccentric, including Rita Tushingham whom baby boomers will remember fondly. There are realistic looking Egyptian treasures, and two delightfully creaky English houses.

    Miss Marple starts out a bit nuts. Then she disappears while others do the sleuthing. Then she comes in at the end to sort out who murdered who. That is not the usual formula. Everyone has motive to commit murder, or at least some crime. It all sorts out in the most implausibly complicated way. I think you would have to watch perhaps five times before you were sure you had all the motives and murders sorted out, including the raptor's. Can you spell coincidence?

    The cinematography is done with just candles and firelight. It gives a very snowed in cosiness. The music is wonderfully spooky, not just the standard theme repeated.

    This is probably my favourite Miss Marple episode.
    bob the moo

    An inconsistent mystery that failed to engage me at all

    Heavy snow is falling in the Dartmoor area of England and the guests of a small hotel find themselves being snowed in. News of an escaped prisoner loose on the moors dampens their spirits but to fill the time they decide to have a séance – even though one of their number, Clive Trevelyan, already has a connection with the other side. Meanwhile, at Sittaford House, Miss Marple discovers a death threat against Trevelyan and his loyal friend Enderby sets out to warn him despite the weather. When the séance predicts his death, things look bleak for Tevelyan, who finds himself surrounded by shadowy guests on all sides.

    Several reviewers have already commented on the lack of respect shown to the source material but I would just say that those who have seen even one of ITV's "Marple" (not Miss Marple) series have no right to be surprised by this because it is a common factor across the whole lot of them. Accepting this, I wasn't looking for respect, just an entertaining mystery film – albeit the desecration of Christie's grave is rather a high price to pay for a Sunday night in. An hour goes by before we get a murder, which wouldn't be a problem if it used this time to do anything useful but instead it fails to build up back-story or characters. The slightly comic tone is forced and false while the actual mystery aspect is surprising dull – isn't the point of ITV revisionist approach to make it more energetic and accessible than the stiffer BBC version? As ever McEwan is all at sea with her character and does nothing interesting with Miss Marple. She is a dithery old thing but isn't able to bring out the sharp mind behind the physical appearance. The support cast ahs the usual famous names but, as usual, they aren't given much of value to do. Dalton is a strange find but he, Kaye and Smith are better than this. The performances are mostly a bit clunky even if everyone seems to be trying hard. The direction is colourful but the total delivery is badly inconsistent; comic music is played during unfunny moments and the visual trickery undermines the development of the story. To be honest I was bored and didn't ever really get into the story; I was hoping that the total rewrite of the original story would somehow produce something good but by the end of it I was left wondering what Churchett was thinking when he scrapped most of Christie's original novel.

    Overall a bright and pointless mystery film that never decides what it wants to do and fails to do anything as a result. The presentation is bright but the mystery failed to engage me and I had lost interest long before it got anywhere near the solution. The cast can do nothing with the material and generally it just flops its way to the end without any great class or distinction. Others will say it is poor because of how it compares to the original material, personally I think it is poor even if you meet it on its own terms.
    7Sulla-2

    It's different

    OK it's not a Miss Marple book and the murderer is changed. Does this really matter Personally I want to see something different to the book. What's the point of seeing a film of a book that you have read when you know exactly what will happen. The acting was good especially Timothy Dalton, Zoe Telford and Mel Smith. It's all very atmospheric and I enjoyed it. The Plot? A middle aged MP/Government minister/War hero is on the verge of replacing Winston Churchill as Prime Minister. Before he can accept he has something to do. It appears that he needed to get married. Following a Ouija Board session in a small hotel cut off by snow, the MP is murdered in his bedroom. The actual murderer is the least likely suspect till the end reveal.
    6nixworld68

    Entertaining....but why change the entire story?

    Despite how annoyed I was at the multitude of changes in this adaption, I have to admit to rather liking it in a way. Kitsch, camp and ridiculous. But it genuinely held no resemblance to the book- the settings, characters and murder were all tinkered with, and the murderer and back story utterly changed! The inclusion of Miss Marple was just not necessary, considering this book stands up very well on its own without the inclusion of either of Chrsities famous sleuths. Whilst I praise the effort, and inclusion of good guest stars etc, I just didn't see why they had to change it so much. Stick with the book, I say....!
    7grantss

    Not overly engaging but still reasonably good

    With Sir Winston Churchill ailing and set to step down as English Prime Minister, Clive Trevalyn looks set to become the next PM. A popular war hero who made his initial fame and fortune as an explorer and archaeologist in Egypt, he seems to have the world at his feet. While staying at his residence in the village of Sittaford he is murdered in his bedroom. There are several guests at his house, so the suspect list is long. Luckily Miss Marple is on hand to solve the mystery.

    Fairly interesting mystery. A bit dry though - the engagement level is quite limited and Miss Marple is quite a bland character. The formula in this series has been to give much screen time to a non- Marple character, making them the central character, allowing them to carry the episode and thus take the attention away from Marple. This also makes for interesting sub-plots. In this case, no non- Marple central character emerges, so it is a bit duller than usual.

    Can't fault the cast though: Timothy Dalton is charming as Clive Trevalyn. We also have Carey Mulligan, Zoe Telford and Mel Smith. Smith is the pick of the bunch, bringing some humour, resourcefulness and tough-mindedness Trevalyn's loyal assistant John Enderby.

    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the fifth time in twenty-five years, Robert Hardy once again plays Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. Needless to say, Sir Winston is not a character in the original novel.
    • Goofs
      This film is set in 1952. In the cottage at Exhampton, Miss Marple is seen speaking in an Ericofon single-piece telephone. But this phone wasn't put in production until 1954, and was adopted by the British Post Office as late as 1974.
    • Quotes

      Emily Trefusis: If I were the nervous sort, I'd say there's evil in this house.

      Miss Jane Marple: The house is bricks and mortar. If there's evil, it's in somebody's heart.

    • Crazy credits
      Following the credits, there is an in memoriam title card for Michael Attwell who played Archie Stone. Attwell died in 2006, the year this film was released.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Hard Quiz: Episode #3.4 (2018)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 30, 2006 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Miss Marple: el misterio de Sittaford
    • Filming locations
      • Dorney Court, Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England, UK(Sittaford House interiors)
    • Production companies
      • Granada
      • WGBH
      • Agatha Christie
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 40m(100 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo

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