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?

Julia McKenzies' finest performance as the ever loving Miss Marple.! Good show...! I really appreciated the lovely scenery and the the cast were reasonably good too. An enjoyable Sunday Night tv...😊

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

Miss Marple is on holiday in the Caribbean, at the Golden Palms resort in St Honore. Seated beside her at a dinner, Major Palgrave seems to recognise in the crowd a murderer from a photograph he has. When Miss Marple quizzes him on is comments he refuses to be drawn on the subject and head back to his room. He is found the next day, dead, apparently from a heart attack. Due to the reaction he had the previous night, Miss Marple suspects it was murder.

Reasonably intriguing mystery, with a great setting. The Caribbean vibe and the underlying current of voodoo and general sinister air help the intrigue. Not a particularly complex mystery ultimately, but it will do.

The non-mystery side of the Miss Marple series tends to be pretty dull and uneventful, due to the blandness of Miss Marple's character and the fact that she has no regular secondary characters around her (unlike Poirot with Hastings, Japp and Lemon). However, here we have a reasonably interesting sub-plot involving Ian Fleming, the author, and how he struck upon the name of James Bond for the hero of his books. Unfortunately this sub-plot is quite brief, but it is reasonably entertaining.

In the time of "CORONAVIRUS WORLD WAR - 3" in 2020 when your own life is at the hands of a invisible pandemic it's cinema that breaks all barriers and provides solace and entertainment in the confines of the house,I haven't read this book but have seen all of Agatha Christie's "Movies" based on her bestsellers. Have also seen the play "THE MOUSETRAP" at the St Martins theatre in London.Excellent suspense with subtle murders is the secret that keeps the viewer totally engrossed in the movie.The signature played down style of Miss Marpyle ,the harmless looking old lady is what also adds spice to this who-dun-it which has its villain exposed in the end, a totally non-suspect among the group of suspects.