MovieChat Forums > Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (1985) Discussion > The best Miss Marple of them all! (Spoil...

The best Miss Marple of them all! (Spoilers)


Let me start by saying that "A Murder Is Announced" is my favorite Agatha Christie book and one that I re-read every 3 or 4 years. Besides the ingenious plot, it contains some of my favorite Christie characters: the endearing Bunny and Amy Murgatroyd and the unforgettable Miss Blacklock.

The Joan Hickson 1985 version is also the best Miss Marple on film. By far. The cast is beyond terrific: Renee Asherson is the perfect lovable, muddle-headed Bunny (the 2005 Geraldine McEwan version had Elaine "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" Paige as an unrecognizable Bunny); Nicola King is lovely as Philipa and Simon Shepherd, with his matinee idol looks, makes a dashing and believable Patrick. All the cast is wonderful but especial mention must go to Samantha Bond who almost- not quite, but almost- unbalances the movie with her gorgeous, fresh beauty and her riveting personality- difficult to look away from her when she's in the scene. And Ursula Howells, the quintessential Miss Blacklock- just as I envisioned her in the pages of the book.

The Geraldine McEwan version is not bad at all- how could it be with such a great actress as Zoe Wanamaker in the principal role! However, Miss Wanamaker is such a formidable presence that she makes all the other actors pale by comparison and fade into the background, especially all the four younger ones. But it contains two masterful inventions. Having Mitzi overhear the "Who wasn't there" discussion at the butcher shop and telling Miss Blacklock about it, makes the murder work. And best of all, when Miss Blacklock discovers the body of Bunny, she lies down on the floor and puts her head next to Bunny's. Although Ursula Howells is the perfect Miss Blocklock, Zoe Wanamaker brought out far more efectively the tender affection that she had for poor Bunny, making her murder all the more heartbreaking.

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Couldn't agree more with TrippyTrellis - this is my favorite Miss Marple novel as well - I just feel Christie got everything so right in this one. It's also my favorite of the Hickson Marples - everyone got it so right here, and the performances are of a very high calibre.

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[deleted]

This is one of my faves as well, especially because Christie shoved the biggest clue right in my face 2 or 3 times, but I never noticed it, even though in hindsight it seems so obvious! I LOVE when Christie makes a fool out of me!

She's like [*SLAP*] "HERE'S THE CLUE!" and I'm like, "la la la I'll figure this out", then she's like [*SLAP*] "OMG I SHOWED YOU *AGAIN*!" and I'm like "la la la she won't fool me this time!", then she's like "HELLO? ARE YOU EVEN PAYING ATTENTION?" [*SLAP* *SLAP* *SLAP*] "I CHANGED A VOWEL! I AM *SHOWING* YOU I CHANGED A FRICKIN' VOWEL!" [*SLAP*], but I'm like "la la la I am clueless, she's not giving us a single clue, la la la!"

Then Christie shows me how stupid I was not to have noticed what Marple noticed. Brilliant! Utterly satisfying! She got me *AGAIN*!

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I haven't read the book yet. But this one has a great story. And I think that Miss Marple gets her best dialogue here as well. Joan Hickson conveys a contrast of gentility and sharpness just right with her remarks. I just get the feeling that the real Miss Marple is really captured in this TV adaptation.

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Joan Hickson is far and away, the best Miss Marple, even better than Margaret Rutherford, who played her in the films. McEwan was the worst, and the series that featured her was my least favorite.

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I do love this story and both films. However my favourite, Why Didn't They Ask Evens" because how Agatha Christie came by that title. She overheard a conversation while on a pedestrian crossing. Two gentlemen talking and one said, Why didn't they ask Evens, made her think, what a wonderful title for a story.

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