Agatha Christie Marple: The Sittaford Mystery (2006) (TV)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Paul Unwin

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel) and
Stephen Churchett (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 April 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

The death of the presumptive future PM is predicted during a séance in a snowbound country hotel and, not surprisingly, he is found stabbed to death the next morning.

Plot Keywords:

Miss Marple | Member Of Parliament | Prime Minister | Snowstorm | Stabbed To Death

Cast

Geraldine McEwan	...	Miss Jane Marple
Michael Brandon	...	Martin Zimmerman
Laurence Fox	...	James Pearson
Robert Hardy	...	Winston Churchill
Patricia Hodge	...	Mrs. Evadne Willett
Paul Kaye	...	Dr. Ambrose Burt
Matthew Kelly	...	Donald Garfield / Smith-Jones
Jeffery Kissoon	...	Ahmed Ghali
Carey Mulligan	...	Violet Willett
James Murray	...	Charles Burnaby
Mel Smith	...	John Enderby
Zoe Telford	...	Emily Trefusis
Rita Tushingham	...	Miss Elizabeth Percehouse
James Wilby	...	Stanley Kirkwood
Timothy Dalton	...	Clive Trevelyan

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie - Marple: The Sittaford Mystery (Australia) (DVD title)

Runtime:

Finland:93 min | USA:100 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:TV-14 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Dorney Court, Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Agatha Christie

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the scene where Miss Marple explains the murder's solution, just after 'Charles' falls into the ground, the feet of a crew member can be seen at the left bottom of the screen.

Quotes:

Stanley Kirkwood: [Referring to the dead body] Shall we shift him into the garage while the guests are having dinner?
Dr. Ambrose Burt: e should pack snow around the body... to prevent leakage.

Comedy of Judgemental Error in Full Regale

Bastardization of the classic Agatha Christie tale, done for reasons known only to warped TV execs somewhere in London.

DO NOT WASTE EVEN 5 MINUTES on these recent travesties that pass as Mystery! installments here in America. Better to join Netflix and rent the older saner versions, which are still quite good. All of the Geraldine McEwan Marple tales; Sittaford, Bertrams, etc., aren't simply modern adaptations done for modern viewer trolling purposes, as we get so often with Shakespeare. Nor is it the writing of fresh tales using the familiar characters as was done quite successfully with Sherlock Holmes during the second world war. I guess that requires real talent and imagination by writers that apparently the schlock Grenada television people cannot find. No, what is done here is quite different and quite frankly legally dubious in my opinion. You keep the title, keep the characters, their names at any rate, but CHANGE the story. Yes, you heard me, quite literally Change the story! So Agatha Christie who I believe is the most widely read author ever, if we can leave Harry Potter out of the conversation, Agatha Christie stories according to the producers just ain't good enough anymore to portray as they were originally written. Of course the Agatha Christie franchise is still strong enough to use and abuse and falsely lure unsuspecting viewer, but the stories apparently need rewriting lol. If only to deprive some diseased minds from knowing somebody else watched this drivel, I implore you, the would be viewer, not to. And as respect for literature and plain old honesty in broadcasting are not enough to guide television executive decision making, perhaps shunning this garbage might just bring about some much needed change.