At Bertram's Hotel

This has to be once of the most unfairly maligned productions ever made. If some of the comments on here were believed too readily, nobody would watch this. Which is a pity, because the other production of this that I have watched pales into insignificance compared to this one.

Many of my fellow reviewers seemingly hated this film and gave incredibly low scores. Even more people/IMDb-users liked it and gave favorable ratings, but apparently didn't write a comment. Shame. Of the eight TV-movies I've seen in the "Agatha Christie's Marple" series thus far, "At Bertram's Hotel" is by far my favorite! This is partially because it's based on one of the sole novels by my idol-author that I haven't read yet (so, I also couldn't get annoyed by the changes in the script versus the book), and partially because it's the first instalment where Miss Marple is the genuine heroine of the story. She's the star of the series, no doubt about that, and she always flawlessly resolves the mystery, but in a few of the previous films (notably "The Moving Finger" and "The Sittaford Mystery") she wasn't much more than a supportive character.

Here, in "At Bertram's Hotel", Miss Marple doesn't just solve an ingenious and convoluted murder plot, she also clears up another handful of vile crimes that are secretly taking place within the walls of a prestigious London hotel, and - en passant - tutors a bright chamber maid to become a genius sleuth like herself. There isn't a dull moment in this film, the finale is downright head-spinning and recreation of the post-WWII era is very impressive. The acting performances are excellent, although there aren't any really big names in the cast this time.

Don't read any of the reviews from beforehand (except mine, of course) since they might discourage you to see this massively entertaining whodunit, and I guarantee you will miss out!

Frankly, i think Joan Hickson established the standard for Miss Marple in the 1980s and early 90s. If I remember correctly, she was actually portraying a character younger than herself. (She played Marple into her mid-80s.) She did it wonderfully -- a great example of an actor coming into her own in later years.

Geraldine McEwan is an excellent actor, but she falls into the trap so many have playing Marple -- she plays it too lightly. Hickson took the role more seriously, gave it more gravity, and conveyed the essence of Miss Marple -- somewhat reclusive, quiet, wise observer. Miss Marple has an almost Buddhist quality. I have only seen Hickson capture that.

As for this episode another reviewer is right on the mark -- the audio mix is terrible. For some reason, British television productions chronically suffer from this problem (not always, but typically).

Here, the sound mix makes the program almost unwatchable, not simply because it drowns out everything else, but because the scoring is abysmally syrupy and overwrought.

I don't remember this book. As I've said in other reviews, I haven't read the Christie books in many, many years.

In this version of "At Bertram's Hotel" from 2007, Miss Marple returns to a hotel she visited as a child and of which she has fond memories. She finds Bertram's Hotel remarkably unchanged. It's also filled with people, one of whom is known to Miss Marple, the pretty Lady Selina Hazy (Francesca Annis).

However, a maid, Tilly Rice (Hannah Spearritt) is found dead on the roof. Miss Marple gets her face right in it, and another maid, Jane Cooper (Martine McCutcheon), is interested in the case as well, as she is fascinated by detective work. Tilly, Jane Cooper says, had too many nice things for a maid, and she suspects that Tilly was blackmailing someone.

Then there is the attempted murder of a guest, Elvira Blake, and the man who tries to save her, Gorman, a hotel employee (Vincent Regan) is killed. Inspector Larry Bird is on the scene, but he's a little overwhelmed, not only by the case, but by Miss Cooper's beauty and intelligence. So it's up to the two Janes to solve the mystery.

This is a fairly complicated plot with lots of characters: twins, a young girl and their adventurer mother. along with a friend, Louis Armstrong, a jazz singer (who by the way isn't very good), a couple of Germans, and a weird man. I actually found the denouement quite interesting, and I have to admit I liked the ending. I thought it was sweet. So sue me.

It's important to remember that these movies are BASED on a novel by Agatha Christie, and that the Christie estate allowed the changes. I would be upset if I actually remembered the book, but I don't. I like Geraldine McEwan, though I don't think the Marple as portrayed is what Agatha Christie had in mind. But then, neither was the fabulous Margaret Rutherford.

Miss Marple takes a holiday, staying at the posh Bertram's Hotel in London. The hotel has sentimental value to her as she remembers going there as a child and is very fond of the place. At the hotel she meets a range of celebrities, including Louis Armstrong. One such celebrity is Bess Sedgwick whose husband died recently, leaving his entire estate to her. Her two daughters are there too. She starts getting death threats and when a maid dies the police think that Ms Sedgwick was the actual target. Miss Marple and Inspector Bird investigate but the real sleuth is maid Jane Cooper...

Quite intriguing with a touch of sentimentality and romance thrown in too. Rather complex, almost to the point of being far-fetched. The murderer revelation has many detours and red herrings...

Miss Marple takes a back seat in this one, leaving the detective work to Jane Cooper. This makes for some tense, and sometimes amusing scenes, and generally works. The episode would have been a lot less interesting if Miss Marple was doing all the detective work.

Quest stars include Stephen Mangan as Inspector Bird, Martine McCutcheon as Jane Cooper and Polly Walker as Bess Sedgwick.