This is the real Marple... - Murder She Said (1962) Discussion

[–] Minnie35 17 years ago

I TOTALLY agree! Though Margaret Rutherford's character is nothing like Agatha Christie's homebody who has others do the dirty work, a fun thing to watch Rutherford do, [love1 she far exceeds the entertainment value and quality. If I were Christie, after seeing Rutherford's Marple, I would want to rewrite the character as she was played in these moves.

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[–] Harold_Robbins 17 years ago

No, it's Margaret Rutherford. She's great fun to watch, without a doubt, but she has nothing to do with Agatha Christie's character Miss Jane Marple. Joan Hickson was Agatha Christie's Miss Marple right down (or up) to those China-blue eyes.

"I don't use a pen: I write with a goose quill dipped in venom!"---W. Lydecker

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[–] ph75006 9 years ago

Yeah, I learned that AC wasn't that keen on Rutherford's Marple and that Hickson's more subdued manner was more like the actual character but as someone who never read the books but who has seen almost all available adaptations of Marple, Rutherford's portrayal is by far my absolute favourite. I don't even care that it's mostly just Rutherford playing Rutherford, as opposed to Rutherford as Marple. She's just so fun to watch.

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[–] mdonln 9 years ago

west182 say > Yeah, I learned that AC wasn't that keen on Rutherford's Marple

Perhaps she didn't like the fact they included the character, Stringer, who plays her sidekick and love interest. According to the Trivia section of this movie, he wasn't originally in the story but was created as a role for Rutherford's real life husband.

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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[–] Molly-31 13 years ago

You know, Margaret Rutherford is almost more like Agatha herself than she is like Jane. You know, she's this podgy, sensible but imaginative old lady who just rolls up her sleeves and gets right to it, like Agatha with her archaeology after she married Max. I wouldn't miss a Rutherford Marple for the world.

Let's just say that God doesn't believe in me.

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[–] Bflogal11 12 years ago

I agree, she is nothing like Agatha's Miss Marple, physically or in personality. Miss Marple was written at a tall, thin old lady with pink cheeks and china blue eyes. Her mannerisms are very mild and gentle, she is not really an "in your face" person until the very end. Margaret's Miss Marple is physically the opposite and she has a much more aggressive, assertive personality. She rolls up her sleeves and gets it done. Because of this, I think she is more fun to watch.

Push the button, Max!

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[–] essex9999 9 years ago

It is not only Rutherford's personality that is very different to Christie's character but also her circumstances. For example, it's hard to imagine Christie's Marple working as a maid - a companion, certainly, or perhaps even a rather elderly governess, but not a maid. Even more far-fetched is the idea that Miss Marple can cook an elaborate meal with no help. Where and when would she have learned to do more than a simple supper? She has had servants all her life and has never run a household of more than one person (herself).

It's odd that no one at the house remarks on the unlikeliness of someone with such a perfect upper-class accent and manner working as a maid, but then it was an odd household.

And if the Miss Marple of Christie's books were to take a job as a maid, she would be exactly the sort of quiet, competent, respectful maid that she herself admires and tries to train various hapless village girls to be. She would not be impertinent or overtly interfere in the family's business. She would detect by listening, which servants have ample opportunity to do. Of course, that would be rather boring on film.

Perhaps most incongruous of all: Jane Marple does not drink beer. While one can imagine that she might have beer in her house to serve policemen and other less genteel visitors, the idea that Marple herself would share a social glass of beer with a friend is far-fetched.

I do enjoy Rutherford's Marple films for what they are, but they have got to be taken as independent works of fiction that borrow names and bits of plots from Christie's novels rather than a faithful representation of them.

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[–] irishtom99 9 years ago

rutherford is to marple as ustinov was to poirot..a charicature..fun to watch,but NOT the character..suchet and hickson were much more interesting,and true to what christie wrote.

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[–] goldenagefilmstv (177) a year ago

As to where an upper-class person could have acquired cooking skills---I'm wondering if maybe she had volunteered on the home front during World War Two?

Just a guess.

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[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

This is the first and only Miss Marple I've seen. I've heard of the books and the character but didn't know what to expect. It was quite entertaining. British movies always seem to have a different air about them.

I guess this is the kind of thing Murder, she wrote was based on. I saw a few of those old episodes and thought it kind of funny that such an older woman would be going around snooping and solving crimes without getting whacked.

My goodness, guys much younger and more able-bodied get beat up, captured, and tortured when they trying to investigate a murder or other crime yet this frail old lady does it all and never gets so much as a bop on the head.

I loved the fact she gets the guy in the end like the suave guy usually gets the girl. She even gets a marriage proposal that she has to turn down. What a woman; is there anything she can't do?

Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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[–] RobbieCalifornia 8 years ago

I think Margaret Rutherford is delightful as Jane Marple.

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[–] greenbudgie 8 years ago

I have all the Joan Hickson Miss Marple series on DVD. Strictly speaking she is the one to watch if anybody wants the original stories to be shown more authentically. Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple is for Margaret Rutherford fans, of which I count myself as one.

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