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(More customer reviews)In Series 5, "Agatha Christie's Marple" has finally settled on a consistent style. The bold palette looks like Technicolor, and the acting style is also reminiscent of the decade in which the mysteries take place, the 1950s. We've seen this off-and-on in previous seasons, but now it has lost its clumsiness. Although the mysteries are sordid and melodramatic, they don't go over the top to the point of distraction, as has sometimes been the case in previous seasons. Again the writers have adapted various source materials to serve Miss Marple. "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" is, of course, a Marple novel. But "The Secret of Chimneys" is a Superintendent Battle novel whose plot has been entirely changed. And "The Blue Geranium" is adapted from a Marple short story.
Julia McKenzie plays Marple as a practical, plainspoken woman whom one would probably not mistake for a dotty old lady. The extent to which the police detectives do, however, varies. In "The Secret of Chimneys", the Scotyard Yard detective is familiar with Miss Marple's reputation for solving mysteries, and he seems to expect her to contribute to the case. "The Blue Geranium"'s detective tends to think her a nuisance who couldn't possibly be of much help. It might be nice to have deeper characterizations of the detectives, but there are so many characters in these stories that there is no time for any of them in depth. It's a credit to the actors that some characters come across strongly. In any case, I found Series 5 the most consistently entertaining of the "Marple" series thus far.
An American movie star moves to St. Mary Mead in "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side". Marina Gregg (Lindsay Duncan) has settled into Gossington Hall with her much-younger English husband, film director Jason Rudd (Nigel Harman), and taken to English country life in a grand fashion. Miss Marple's friend Dolly Bantry (Joanna Lumley) is beside herself with excitement over her new neighbors. And seemingly the whole town turns out for a formal party hosted by Ms. Gregg. But one of the guests, a "garrulous spinster" and huge fan named Heather Badcock (Caroline Quentin), drops dead after consuming a poisoned cocktail, and it looks like the intended target may have been Ms. Gregg. This is a stylish, fun mystery featuring Joanna Lumley in a terrific comic role.
"The Secret of Chimneys" harkens back to a party held on the estate in 1932, during which a chambermaid and a priceless diamond brooch went missing. Chimneys is one of England's grandest private residences, owned by the family of Lord Caterham (Edward Fox). The British government wants to use the estate to woo Austrian Count Ludwig van Stainach (Anthony Higgins) to sell them rights to iron ore. Miss Marple, cousin to Caterham's deceased wife and friend to their daughter Virginia (Charlotte Salt), will be joining the eclectic guest list, which includes a woman trying to acquire the house for the National Heritage. But there is a gunshot in the night, and the Count is found dying in the arms of a rival for Virginia's affections, Anthony Cade (Jonas Armstrong).
"The Blue Geranium" is told in flashback, as Miss Marple implores her friend Sir Henry (Donald Sinden) to intervene to prevent the wrong man from being hanged for the murders of his wife and mistress. Some time ago, Miss Marple traveled to the picturesque village of Little Ambrose. On the bus, she met a distraught man who later turned up dead on the golf course. Only a day later, Mary Pritchard (Sharon Small), the widely detested wife of airline magnate George Pritchard (Toby Stephens) is found dead in her room, apparently from fright, having been warned by a fortune teller that the appearance of a blue geranium would spell her demise. This mystery is a lot of fun, builds some suspense, and gets the viewer guessing as to what the characters are all up to.
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Agatha Christie's Marple: Series 5Starring Julia McKenzie in three new thrilling mysteries
As seen on the PBS Mystery! series
Eyes sparkling and tweeds impeccable, Julia McKenzie (Cranford, Notes on a Scandal) returns as Agatha Christie’s spinster sleuth in three new mysteries set in 1950s England. Murder is afoot, and Miss Marple is up to the task of determining whodunit. She may look like a pensioner, but she doesn’t miss a clue on the way to solving heinous crimes, whether the weapon is a gun, a cocktail, or the color blue. Each story unfolds against a rich background of grand English estates, gorgeous scenery, and post-WWII period detail.
Julia McKenzie proves “delightful to watch” (Los Angeles Times), and she’s supported by a stellar cast of veteran British actors including Lindsay Duncan, Joanna Lumley, Hugh Bonneville, Edward Fox, Caroline Quentin, Jonas Armstrong, Sharon Small, Kevin McNally, and Toby Stephens.
THE MYSTERIES The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side The Secret of Chimneys The Blue Geranium
BONUS PROGRAMAgatha Christie’s Garden: Pam Ferris (Rosemary & Thyme) presents this revealing documentary about Agatha Christie’s personal retreat, her secret garden in Devon.
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