IMHO, this is a very odd script. We're introduced to a wealthy, mentally-twisted family that is supposedly helping abused boys recover from their childhood traumas.
Then, out of left field, the filmmakers throw in a subplot involving a theatre and some actors. Which really didn't coalesce with the main plot.
Later on, there is the spectre of the lead female protagonist being slowly poisoned. However (inexplicably) the people who believe this is happening to the woman remained mum. Thank God Miss Marple spilled the beans. Why anyone would knowingly allow a woman to be poisoned without warning her is an antisocial paradigm that was never credibly explained.
This slow, ponderous episode was unnecessarily convoluted and dramatically disjointed. Perhaps there was a mystery in there somewhere . . . Nevertheless I didn't see one.
Based upon other reviews, I sought out and watched the Helen Hayes version. IMHO, it's more fun to watch. Leo McKern was particularly effective as the inspector who served as a foil to Miss Marple. Sadly, Bette Davis was poorly cast. She was ill at the time of filming and it showed.
I enjoyed everything Helen Hayes did, with the exception of a gratuitous monologue by Miss Marple reciting Shakespearean passages. That scene was totally unrelated to the main plot and served no purpose other than to reassure Ms Hayes that she could still deliver the bard's lines with a flourish.
The takeaway is: both versions are poor mysteries. Which indicates the fundamental problem with this story was the plot written by Agatha Christie. Reviewers may fault the actors or the filmmakers but the real culprit was Dame Christie herself.
Then, out of left field, the filmmakers throw in a subplot involving a theatre and some actors. Which really didn't coalesce with the main plot.
Later on, there is the spectre of the lead female protagonist being slowly poisoned. However (inexplicably) the people who believe this is happening to the woman remained mum. Thank God Miss Marple spilled the beans. Why anyone would knowingly allow a woman to be poisoned without warning her is an antisocial paradigm that was never credibly explained.
This slow, ponderous episode was unnecessarily convoluted and dramatically disjointed. Perhaps there was a mystery in there somewhere . . . Nevertheless I didn't see one.
Based upon other reviews, I sought out and watched the Helen Hayes version. IMHO, it's more fun to watch. Leo McKern was particularly effective as the inspector who served as a foil to Miss Marple. Sadly, Bette Davis was poorly cast. She was ill at the time of filming and it showed.
I enjoyed everything Helen Hayes did, with the exception of a gratuitous monologue by Miss Marple reciting Shakespearean passages. That scene was totally unrelated to the main plot and served no purpose other than to reassure Ms Hayes that she could still deliver the bard's lines with a flourish.
The takeaway is: both versions are poor mysteries. Which indicates the fundamental problem with this story was the plot written by Agatha Christie. Reviewers may fault the actors or the filmmakers but the real culprit was Dame Christie herself.