Towards Zero

Geraldine MacEwan shines again in this latest installment of the updated Marple series from Britain: Marple is holidaying in Devon to visit a bedridden school chum whose family is descending upon her coastal manor. Among them are a tennis star, his first wife and his second, new wife who seem to be at odds; a meek and quiet family friend; and an apparent gigolo friend of the second wife. Add into the mix Tom Baker as an aged veteran who may or may not recognize a murderer from years past and you have a classic recipe for mystery.

The locales are picturesque and the characters as eccentric and distinct as in past episodes, however something feels very dull and pedestrian about this particular Marple outing. Perhaps because there are fewer likable characters this time round or because Miss Marple seems unusually subdued this time out.

It's worth a watch but certainly not the finest in the series.

Being a massive reader and huge fan of murder mysteries, I have always thought: " Agatha Christie is the best crime writer." Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple have always been my favorite sleuths to be honest (never really cared for Tommy and Tupence)."Towards Zero", which actually does not have Marple as the detective and is a stand-alone mystery book, was a pretty enjoyale read for me ( don't think it's one of the better Agatha Christie books though) and the adaptation of the novel is about on the same level as the book- it's fine.

Let's go through the good aspects first.

. The production values of "Towards Zero" are great as usual. Everything looks good and the music, which creates an unsettling mood, is very haunting.

. The script and the direction have their moments. Sometimes the mystery is very compelling with some clever red herrings and okay character-work.

. The acting is mostly good too with Greg Wise giving the most intriguing performance. Geraldine McEwan, who I do not consider as the best Miss Marple (Julia Mckenzie being the best of the series by a mile), is also enjoyable in her role.

That being said...

. The pacing of "Towards Zero" is quite pedestrian indeed. In the beginning the story did not get as properly going as it should have and in the middle it dragged quite a bit.

.The dialogue was not very witty at times and the direction did not flow as fluently. That being the case with a couple of not very good- shot compositions and quite rough editing.

. Also, am I the only one, who thought: Miss Marple did not have a proper place in the story?

Overall, a decent adaptation.

6/10 HK

Miss Marple is visiting her old friend Lady Tressilian and, while she knows Camilla is a strange old bird, the other house guests are just as odd a bunch. There is tennis player Nevile Strange with his new wife Kay, Nevile's former wife Audrey, her childhood friend and cousin, a younger man attracted to Kay and a retired solicitor, Mr Treves. Even without a crime, Miss Marple cannot help be transfixed by the relationship dynamics within this group. However when Mr Treves is found dead, seemingly from an heart attack and Lady Tressilian herself is bludgeoned to death things get interesting very quickly. All clues point to Nevile Strange and the police feel they have their man – but Miss Marple, in her usual discrete way, has other suspicions.

I have not always been a massive fan of the Marple films and indeed I have been quite harsh about some of them. It is not that I am particularly in love with the older BBC version either, just that some of the ITV ones are awful with terrible hammy acting trying to cover up the lack of substance and interest in the actual plot. I'm not that fussed if they play with the source material either – only that it works (which it normally doesn't) and really all I'm looking for is something that works and entertains me. In this case, I was encouraged by some positive reviews for this in the various weekend papers and decided to give it another shot and I'm glad I did because it is one of the better examples of the ITV series. The plot is as usual a b*stardised version of a Christie novel (in this case not a Miss Marple one) but, of more importance to me, it works well as a mystery with a nice gradual pace and plenty to think about that is of relevance. Previous films have felt fleshed out with pointless characters and touches but, while not the tightest film you'll ever see, does pretty much keep its eye on the prize and delivers a solid story where I was kept interested in the characters via what was happening.

The tone is still quite "light-entertainment" and "fun" but again I have no issue with this at all since ultimately it is about my entertainment and not something that needs a lot of reverence necessarily. On this occasion it works though because it does not dominate the piece – an aspect of this production that can be seen in the cast. While they are all lively and light, nobody really hams it up and they manage to maintain a certain amount of seriousness without it becoming dry and heavy. Although her character is not officially part of the story, McEwan works quite well here – not being too annoying nor too light-hearted. The support cast features the usual so-so faces but mostly they work – even the dread Julian Sands. Burrows is good in her way – not as cold as she can be but still not free and easy. Conversely Tapper has an easier role but plays it well and with colour. Wise is engaging, Atkins is a grumpy delight and Baker is a strange but simple find. Alan Davies is also a good bit of casting and seems to understand how his character should work within a Marple film. Nicholls and Sands are not great but they are prevented from playing up too much or making their presence a negative instead of the neutral that it is.

Towards Zero will not win over those that are appalled by any change to the source material, nor is it a brilliant film but it does work for what it is – light entertainment. The solid plot engages and it doesn't feel like it is padded or hammy even though it is quite light and undemanding and the cast manage to play it mostly right. One of the more easily enjoyable of the ITV Marple films.

As usual, the story of Towards Zero was immaculate but this particular Marple story was especially nostalgic for me because, after just a few minutes, I recognised South Sands near Salcombe in South Devonshire where I lived during my teenage years in the mid 1950s. As a youngster, I worked at the Tides Reach Hotel (which looked quite unchanged) helping with the rental of a fleet of catamaran floats to the holidaymakers on the beach. One thing that was changed in the movie was that Salcombe Estuary was referred to as a river when, in actual fact, it is a tidal estuary. Only once did I ever swim across the estuary and back whilst I lived there as it wasn't an easy swim by any stretch of the imagination. Another thing that wasn't in the movie was my little sailing boat (a Salcombe Yawl - Y24) moored in the bay of South Sands. But then the movie was set about 10 years before it was there anyway! I haven't been anywhere near there for well over 50 years!

I am neither a fan or a hater of the new Marple series. There have been some surprisingly good ones as well as some duds. Towards Zero is one of the better/middling and more watchable entries, while not as good as Murder is Announced, Moving Finger, Blue Geranium, Pocket Full of Rye and Murder Crack'd from Side to Side(if we are including the Julia McKenzie entries too), it is much better than Ordeal by Innocence, Nemesis, Secret of Chimeys, Sittaford Mystery and At Bertram's Hotel. In fact, the latter two are the only ones I found unwatchable, not only were they poor adaptations but even on their own terms I just couldn't get into them.

Enough of that. About Towards Zero, it is not without its hindrances. The pace is sometimes a little dull and pedestrian, not as tedious as Sittaford Mystery, but there are some scenes towards the first half that begged for a steroid shot and then the build up to the final solution felt rushed. Also while the direction has its moments, there are times when it is mediocre as well and in the scenes where there is not as much happening some of dialogue is on the weak side.

However, Towards Zero does look great. The settings are picturesque and the cinematography is fluid too, while I also loved the atmospheric lighting shades. The music is also a plus, it is not overbearing or obtrusive as it can be, instead it enhances the atmosphere. While there are some changes, this is not a Marple story and Superintendent Wheeler is omitted, the plot is relatively easy to follow and quite solid up until the conclusion, which doesn't disappoint. Also unlike an adaptation like say At Bertram's Hotel, while as I've said there are changes, it is not a complete rewrite, and there are parts that have the Agatha Christie spirit. The acting is also good, Geraldine McEwan is not as fussy or too light-hearted as she can be and she works very well in one of her better performances of the series. Also excellent are Greg Wise who is dashing without being bland and the always dependable Eileen Atkins who is delightful. Tom Baker overdoes it a tad, but I too enjoyed him.

Overall, a solid adaptation and one of the better/middling entries. 7/10 Bethany Cox