A Pocket Full of Rye was hugely enjoyable, and a definitive improvement over the other recent Marples with Geraldine McEwan. I will admit I was worried, after how poorly Nemesis and Sleeping Murder were adapted. Julia McKenzie, though she could have done with more screen time, was terrific as Jane Marple. While Joan Hickson is the definitive Marple, MacKenzie fitted the part much better than Geraldine McEwan. When I picture Miss Marple I picture a wise and clever woman, exactly how Joan Hickson portrayed her, and MacKenzie actually manged to stay true to the character of the books too. As for the adaptation itself, I admit I haven't read the book, it was beautifully filmed, and the music was good too. The acting is very fine, from Kenneth Cranham, Prunella Scales, Rupert Graves to the late Wendy Richard, and are careful not to overshadow MacKenzie as she clearly enjoys herself here, and as the series develops as I do hope it will, she will develop too. The story is very clever, and the final solution with a couple of red herrings along the way, is very unpredictable, I was left gob smacked when I found out who the murderer really was. And I never realised Sing A Song Of Sixpence had such an ominous feel to it, and it ws put to good use here. All in all, hugely enjoyable, and a definitive improvement on the Geraldine McEwan outings. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Review of A Pocket Full of Rye
