I really enjoyed this version of "A Caribbean Mystery," with Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple. I know I saw the Helen Hayes version, but I don't remember if I saw the Joan HIckson one.
It's a neat story. Miss Marple is visiting St. Honore, a tropical island, to recover from some health problems. She stays at a resort, the Golden Palms, owned by a married couple, Tim and Molly Kendall.
The place is heavily booked, with the Hillingdons and their American friends, the Dysons, a businessman, Jason Rafiel, his assistants, and the gossipy Major Palgrave.
Major Palgrave loves a good scandal, and one night goes into one of his stories. He actually has a photo of a serial killer, he says, and pulls it out. Suddenly, he decides not to show it. The next day, he's dead, supposedly of a heart attack. Too coincidental for Miss Marple, who wants to see that photo, which has disappeared. Before she can solve the case, there are other murders, mistaken identity, and secrets uncovered.
Very good story and well done, with beautiful scenery and production values. Julia McKenzie is a good Miss Marple and close to what I pictured while reading the books: charming, lively, with a keen mind and good powers of observation, based on watching the behavior of people in St. Mary Mead.
There was probably more emphasis on voodoo here than in other adaptations. My favorite here was the gruff Rafiel (Antony Sher) who becomes a real admirer of Miss Marple's intelligence. They have a very genuine and nice relationship. The ending is lovely.
Very good.
It's a neat story. Miss Marple is visiting St. Honore, a tropical island, to recover from some health problems. She stays at a resort, the Golden Palms, owned by a married couple, Tim and Molly Kendall.
The place is heavily booked, with the Hillingdons and their American friends, the Dysons, a businessman, Jason Rafiel, his assistants, and the gossipy Major Palgrave.
Major Palgrave loves a good scandal, and one night goes into one of his stories. He actually has a photo of a serial killer, he says, and pulls it out. Suddenly, he decides not to show it. The next day, he's dead, supposedly of a heart attack. Too coincidental for Miss Marple, who wants to see that photo, which has disappeared. Before she can solve the case, there are other murders, mistaken identity, and secrets uncovered.
Very good story and well done, with beautiful scenery and production values. Julia McKenzie is a good Miss Marple and close to what I pictured while reading the books: charming, lively, with a keen mind and good powers of observation, based on watching the behavior of people in St. Mary Mead.
There was probably more emphasis on voodoo here than in other adaptations. My favorite here was the gruff Rafiel (Antony Sher) who becomes a real admirer of Miss Marple's intelligence. They have a very genuine and nice relationship. The ending is lovely.
Very good.