A Caribbean Mystery

This is a picturesque adaptation of Miss Marple holidaying in the Caribbean. There is a permanent resident at the hotel where she is staying. He's Major Palgrave who is fond of drink and storytelling and zombies which are a hobby of his. He is about to show Miss Marple an old photo of a murderer when he suddenly stops and eyes the other guests. He's later found dead and Miss Marple is unable to find the photo he was about to show her. She starts out on a murder hunt. Nobody attends the Major's funeral except Miss Marple and the officiating Canon. He is lovesick for the hotel manageress, a nice lady but a bit unstable. While a vengeful spirit of the walking dead had been given a mention in the Joan Hickson version, Voodoo comes more to the forefront in this one. But is it just a Hoodoo decoy to add to the Caribbean flavor of the story?

Sent on a recuperative holiday to Barbados, Miss Marple finds the Golden Palm Hotel - a tropical paradise of blue sea, white sand and lush vegetation - a rather dull place where nothing seems to occur. But then murder strikes ... an old Major dies from high blood pressure, so it seems, but the sleuthing spinster thinks otherwise having her interest aroused by an old soldier's yarn about a strange coincidence. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her an astonishing photograph, the Major's attention wandered. He never did finish the story...

I liked the Helen Hayes' A Caribbean Mystery, but this 2013 version is more closer to the book - which happens to be one of my favourite Miss Marple novels - yet inventive with some emphasis on voodoo and madness. A solid effort with a good cast of characters, a trail of misdirection and Julie MacKenzie doing really well as Miss Marple.

I have a huge fondness for the Joan Hickson version and a surprisingly soft spot for the one with Helen Hayes, this one I thought really came up to the mark, they managed to reinvent it but maintain the essence of it.

It starts off brilliantly, it's visually stunning, Andre Toussaint's 'Calypso Island' sets the tone. It's a total contrast to other episodes in the series, it's very bright and colourful, but this story needed to be. The location is utterly stunning, surprisingly it was South Africa. The costumes are a visual feast, the designers were bang on the money.

Talk of voodoo in a Marple, shouldn't work, but it does, it helps add a smokescreen to the story. It certainly differentiates it from previous versions.

I disagree with those that think the novel was one of her weakest, it's one I really like, it's a perfect holiday read. This production manages to breath life into some of the characters that in the book are a little flat, Lucky seems way more interesting, or possibly it's just the way Myanna Buring played her (brilliantly.)

The acting as always if first rate, I think Julia is the standout once again, her performance seems effortless. Hermione Norris is especially good as Evelyn, she made her as cold as ice, she doesn't overplay it. Charity Wakefield gives us a very fragile and timid Molly, very much in character to the book. Anthony Sher is excellent as Rafiel. I suppose my only slight bugbear would have been Robert Webb's Tim Kendall, he was fair, but I feel he could have been better cast

The Ian Fleming bit apart it's brilliant 9/10

It wasn't too long ago that I watched the Joan Hickson version of this same tale and, while I enjoyed the color of it, I did feel that that version dawdled a bit too much and lacked forward motion, lingering in the characters and losing momentum the more it went on. So with the new ITV version I was pleased to find that the thing I usually dislike about them actually worked in its favor – the color, the liveliness and the pace. The mystery kicks in very quickly indeed and apart from a few sidesteps it more or less keeps things coming so that I felt engaged with the story. As is normal for me, I wasn't right there with the characters when the resolution was revealed, but I did feel like I was at least going with it.

The one exception is an odd moment where James Bond and Ian Fleming make it into the story; it is amusing perhaps but it served no purpose other than, if you're cynical, getting the writer a trip to the location for the sake of a few minutes of screen time. Higson probably deserved it though as he has done a good job as writer, making the story flow and having the material match the heat and color of the setting. The cast mostly get this too. McKenzie is still not really someone I like as Marple, but she is good here and in particular works very well with Antony Sher. The rest of the cast isn't quite that famous but has good turns from Webb, Brown, Wakefield and others.

Overall an enjoyable and lively piece of Sunday night mystery; it has color and energy and comes together pretty well.

I really enjoyed this version of "A Caribbean Mystery," with Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple. I know I saw the Helen Hayes version, but I don't remember if I saw the Joan HIckson one.

It's a neat story. Miss Marple is visiting St. Honore, a tropical island, to recover from some health problems. She stays at a resort, the Golden Palms, owned by a married couple, Tim and Molly Kendall.

The place is heavily booked, with the Hillingdons and their American friends, the Dysons, a businessman, Jason Rafiel, his assistants, and the gossipy Major Palgrave.

Major Palgrave loves a good scandal, and one night goes into one of his stories. He actually has a photo of a serial killer, he says, and pulls it out. Suddenly, he decides not to show it. The next day, he's dead, supposedly of a heart attack. Too coincidental for Miss Marple, who wants to see that photo, which has disappeared. Before she can solve the case, there are other murders, mistaken identity, and secrets uncovered.

Very good story and well done, with beautiful scenery and production values. Julia McKenzie is a good Miss Marple and close to what I pictured while reading the books: charming, lively, with a keen mind and good powers of observation, based on watching the behavior of people in St. Mary Mead.

There was probably more emphasis on voodoo here than in other adaptations. My favorite here was the gruff Rafiel (Antony Sher) who becomes a real admirer of Miss Marple's intelligence. They have a very genuine and nice relationship. The ending is lovely.

Very good.