- Murder, She Said
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Murder, She Said Directed by George Pollock Written by David D. Osborn Based on 4.50 from Paddington by
Agatha ChristieStarring Margaret Rutherford
Arthur Kennedy
Muriel PavlowMusic by Ron Goodwin Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Release date(s) 1961 Running time 87 minutes Country United Kingdom Language English
GermanMurder, She Said (1961) is a murder mystery film directed by George Pollock, loosely based on the novel 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie. The production starred Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple along with Arthur Kennedy and Muriel Pavlow, and features Rutherford's real life husband Stringer Davis.
Contents
Plot
While passing by on a different train, Miss Marple witnesses the strangulation of a young woman in the opposite carriage. The local police dismiss her story as the ramblings of a senile and bored old woman, so, undaunted, she conducts her own investigation, and comes to the conclusion that the body must be buried on the grounds of Ackenthorpe Hall, which adjoins the railway line.
Wheedling her way into a job as housemaid there, Marple copes with the pompous machinations of her difficult employer, Luther Ackenthorpe (James Robertson Justice), so she can search for the mysterious corpse, and eventually finds it while supposedly practicing her golf shots.
As she begins collecting suspects, accompanied by her long suffering companion Jim Stringer (Stringer Davis), Marple finds herself faced with an increasingly devious and resourceful killer, who begins casting his shadow over Ackenthorpe's heirs...
Differences from the novel
In Christie's original story, an elderly character called Elspeth McGillicuddy witnessed the murder, not Miss Marple, who wasn't introduced until later. As with most of her appearances in the role, Margaret Rutherford's flamboyant, comical portrayal of the sleuth was quite different from Christie's languid, passive depiction. The tone of the novel was also changed somewhat; instead of Christie's trademark suspense and underlying darkness, the film relied heavily on light, even whimsical, comedy of manners.
The name of the manor house where Marple conducts her inquiries was called Rutherford Hall in the novel, and was changed to Ackenthorpe in the film to avoid comparison with the leading actress' surname.
Cast
- Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple
- Arthur Kennedy as Dr. Paul Quimper
- Muriel Pavlow as Emma Ackenthorpe
- James Robertson Justice as Luther Ackenthorpe
- Thorley Walters as Cedric Ackenthorpe
- Bud Tingwell as Inspector Craddock
- Conrad Phillips as Harold Ackenthorpe
- Ronald Howard as Brian Eastley
- Joan Hickson as Mrs. Kidder
- Stringer Davis as Jim Stringer
- Ronnie Raymond as Alexander Eastley
- Gerald Cross as Albert Ackenthorpe
- Michael Golden as Hillman
- Barbara Leake as Mrs. Hilda Stainton
- Gordon Harris as Sergeant Bacon
- Peter Butterworth as Ticket collector
- Richard Briers as "Mrs Binster"
- Lucy Griffiths as Lucy
- Cast notes
- Joan Hickson would later star as Miss Marple in the popular BBC Miss Marple TV series
Reception
Despite Christie's dislike of this adaptation, Murder, She Said received a generally positive response from critics, and maintains an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[1] Almar Halfidason, a critic for the BBC film website, awarded the picture four stars out of a possible five, calling it "delightfully dotty" and "fun".[2]
References
External links
- Murder, She Said at the Internet Movie Database
- Murder, She Said at the TCM Movie Database
- Murder, She Said at AllRovi
Miss Marple Creator Characters and places Books The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) • The Body in the Library (1942) • The Moving Finger (1942) • A Murder is Announced (1950) • They Do It with Mirrors (1952) • A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) • 4.50 from Paddington (1957) • The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1962) • A Caribbean Mystery (1964) • At Bertram's Hotel (1965) • Nemesis (1971) • Sleeping Murder (1976)The Thirteen Problems (1932) • The Regatta Mystery (1939) • Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950) • The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960) • Double Sin and Other Stories (1961) • Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories (1979)Film adaptations Murder, She Said (1961) • Murder at the Gallop (1963) • Murder Most Foul (1964) • Murder Ahoy! (1964) • The Alphabet Murders (1965)The Mirror Crack'd (1980)OtherTelevision adaptations Agatha Christie's Marple (2004-09) (Series One (2004-05) • Series Two (2006) • Series Three (2007–09))OtherSee also Category
1950s Stranger in Town (1957) · Rooney (1958) · Sally's Irish Rogue (1958) · Don't Panic Chaps! (1959) · Broth of a Boy (1959)1960s And the Same to You (1960) · Murder, She Said (1961) · Village of Daughters (1962) · Kill or Cure (1962) · Murder at the Gallop (1963) · Murder Most Foul (1964) · Murder Ahoy! (1964) · Ten Little Indians (1965)Categories:- 1961 films
- British films
- Black-and-white films
- 1960s crime films
- English-language films
- Films based on Miss Marple books
- Mystery films
- Films directed by George Pollock
- Rail transport films
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