In 1992, after 8 remarkable years the final Miss Marple mystery was broadcast starring Joan Hickson. She was a remarkably risky choice considering she was 78 when she was cast, but she went on to become the definitive Miss Marple. When she filmed this final mystery in 1992 she was 86 and showing her age. Sadly so does this adaptation, and the feeling of an end to an era is prevalent throughout it.
Right from the opening scene when Dolly Bantry (a welcome return for Gwen Watford) returns to St Mary Mead it reveals she is now a widow after Arthur's death. Part of her reason for being there again is to visit old friend Jane Marple, who is now struggling with her movement and has been lumbered with a carer called Miss Knight, who is monstrously overbearing with good intentions and "what is good" for Miss Marple. Played by Margaret Courtenay, it's surprisingly to learn that she actually played Dolly Bantry in the 1980 film version, but she does overbearing well here (whether good or bad, depending on your view). Again Miss Marple's infirmary feels like a decline that seeps through this story, and is further accentuated when it's revealed that Dolly is there to take one last look at her old home Gossington Hall after selling it to American film star Marina Gregg (played by English actress Claire Bloom) upon Arthur's death. In a way it's fitting that we return to Gossington Hall, as this is where it all began with The Body in the Library in 1984, and there are return appearances for Rev Hawes, Mrs Brogan and Miss Hartnell - but sadly not for Mrs Price-Ridley (played so wonderfully by Rosalie Crutchley).
They are all eager to view the place now that Marina Gregg has refurbished it, and get their chance when she agrees to hold the village fete in the grounds. Again, looking at the Hall now feels sad as it has now been designed as a movie star palace, but just looks cold and unhomely compared to the Bantrys cosy old fashioned home. Not that anybody says so, as they are all agog to see the bathroom (too much drink already, perhaps?). Others are eager to talk to the actress Marina Gregg, including fan Heather Badcock (Judy Cornwell), but during the fete Heather collapses and later dies. The toxicology reports reveal she was poisoned, but who would want to poison harmless Heather Badcock? When it is later revealed that Marina had handed her own drink to her after Heather's glass was spilt, police become convinced that Marina was the intended target after all.
In steps Det Insp Craddock (John Castle), who immediately has to figure out who would want to kill Marina Gregg. Well, after seeing 20 minutes of her in this, practically anybody! It's hard to warm to Claire Bloom as Marina Gregg or to care that her life is threatened, and it's never a good sign when you compare her to Elizabeth Taylor in the (frankly awful) 1980 version. Taylor really fitted the look of a glamorous film star, but Bloom sadly does not have the presence here. Barry Newman fares much better as Jason Rudd, the seemingly devoted husband to Marina, while other suspects include secretary Ella Zeilinski, who is in love with Marina's husband, her medic Dr Gilchrist, the butler Guiseppe Murano (surely not the butler did it?), Ardwyck Fenn and Lola Brewster, a film producer and rival actress on the new set of the new movie Marina is filming, plus a mysterious woman who Dolly Bantry spots at the fete taking photos and recalling the look of shock on Marina's face. Miss Marple had also spotted the photographer, having seen her a few days before in church praying for forgiveness.
It all sounds very intriguing, and there are further plot twists of anonymous letters, mysterious phone calls, plus another murder to come. But at nearly two hours it feels remarkably drawn out and slow. It's surprising that the makers cut out a couple of scenes from the book, such as one of the murders, as well as the revelation that Arthur Badcock was Marina's first husband, but maybe the latter would of stretched incredulity, so is cut from this adaptation. And there is one glaring inconsistency in the fact that Inspector Craddock has now become Miss Marple's nephew. It's a clunky error that does not fit well, especially as Craddock had previously appeared in A Murder is Announced and no such mention had been made of it. John Castle is however a welcome presence in the mystery, given the job by a newly promoted Superintendent Slack (David Horowitz), who also gives him his assistant Sgt Lake (Ian Brimble) to help him. Lake is now an established character in the series, and it's nice to see Brimble able to develope his character somewhat, even getting to make inquiries of his own and pull in suspects.
Very few make a memorable impression among the suspects, except maybe Norman Rodway as the irrascible Dr Gilchrist, but he has too few scenes for my liking. Elizabeth Garvie is notable as the raspy voiced, amorous asthmatic secretary Ella Zeilinski, but her heavy breathing eventually gets her into trouble in more ways than one. As to the others, Glynis Barber has little to do as Lola Brewster, while Constantine Gregory as Fenn and Amanda Elwes as the mysterious photographer Margot Bence give solid performances. More irritating are Christopher Hancock and Rose Keegan as Arthur Badcock and Gladys Dixon, a maid at Gossington Hall during the fete, but this is more down to the makers trying to drag out the plot towards the end as Miss Marple tries to find out crucial information that both have. Both questionings feel like extracting teeth when it would only take a couple of sentences to get to the point and feel like padding, and her session with Gladys the maid is so excruiating that it's the one time you wish that the "curse of the domestic" had fallen upon this mystery. No such luck, however.
Overall, this is a slow and ponderous mystery padded out to it's limits, but one that at least feels like a whodunnit, unlike A Caribbean Mystery. The characters of American film stars and the film industry grate somewhat and do not really fit with the quiet English village of St Mary Mead - though that is more the book's flaw than any problem with the adaptation. And in a way it's a representation of changing times, as the series itself was coming to an end. From the death of Dolly Bantry's husband to the sale and revamping of Gossington Hall - even Miss Marple's frail counternance - few things are the same from when we were first introduced to the inhabitants of St Mary Mead. Inspector Slack feels as though he has only been included for sentiment's sake as he has little to do, but it's always nice to see some old familiar faces to see the series out. In the end this adaptation has an almost maudlin feel to it. It's sad to see it end, but this adaptation really feels like an end to an era.
