It starts off incredibly bright and vibrant with the Indian dancers, you can't beat a bit of Julian Wadham. The music is quite nice too. We get a glimpse of young Gwen, and the sad tail of her mother's death. They clearly tried to do something different, and it's all started off really well.
Sadly it starts to go a little off the boil...
Sophia Myles is a beautiful girl and makes a very good Gwen, but her realisation that she's been in that house before is forced through too quickly, it feels rushed. Sophia does act her scenes out brilliantly though and her terror at the flashback is truly well done.
The Theatre scene is stunning, DAME Harriet Walter on stage, joyous, once again Myles is up to the mark.
Charles Vanstone's voice overs are cringe worthy, and serve no real purpose. Where did he get that ridiculous voice from!!
Una Stubbs is how can i put it, unusual in the role I have to admit, and she looks like Geraldine's grandmother, which way have they done her up!!!! Geraldine herself looks a big ragged in Sleeping Murder, she's wearing some dubious cotton seconds.
I hated the Funnybones, each of them are actresses and actors of some quality, but they are given a shambles of a script. Sarah Parish is marvellous through, definitely the best of the bunch, Dawn French is NO singer.
I am a lifelong fan of Hickson's versions, and they are glorious, I did not want to do the usual comparisons because they are totally different, but they are leagues apart. Personally I was always a fan of changes to the scripts and updates, I know the JH version and the book so well, I welcome a few changes, good ones that is, largely they got them wrong here.
I'm one of the few that loved McEwan's Jane Marple, I loved the twinkle in the eye, but she was very poorly written for in this one.
It get's a 6, largely because of the performances of Sophia Myles and Phil Davies, without them it would have been a 5. The script is a little disjointed, it could have been so good, especially with the stellar cast. The last 20 minutes are the high point, really good. Shame the rest wasn't the same quality.
Sadly it starts to go a little off the boil...
Sophia Myles is a beautiful girl and makes a very good Gwen, but her realisation that she's been in that house before is forced through too quickly, it feels rushed. Sophia does act her scenes out brilliantly though and her terror at the flashback is truly well done.
The Theatre scene is stunning, DAME Harriet Walter on stage, joyous, once again Myles is up to the mark.
Charles Vanstone's voice overs are cringe worthy, and serve no real purpose. Where did he get that ridiculous voice from!!
Una Stubbs is how can i put it, unusual in the role I have to admit, and she looks like Geraldine's grandmother, which way have they done her up!!!! Geraldine herself looks a big ragged in Sleeping Murder, she's wearing some dubious cotton seconds.
I hated the Funnybones, each of them are actresses and actors of some quality, but they are given a shambles of a script. Sarah Parish is marvellous through, definitely the best of the bunch, Dawn French is NO singer.
I am a lifelong fan of Hickson's versions, and they are glorious, I did not want to do the usual comparisons because they are totally different, but they are leagues apart. Personally I was always a fan of changes to the scripts and updates, I know the JH version and the book so well, I welcome a few changes, good ones that is, largely they got them wrong here.
I'm one of the few that loved McEwan's Jane Marple, I loved the twinkle in the eye, but she was very poorly written for in this one.
It get's a 6, largely because of the performances of Sophia Myles and Phil Davies, without them it would have been a 5. The script is a little disjointed, it could have been so good, especially with the stellar cast. The last 20 minutes are the high point, really good. Shame the rest wasn't the same quality.