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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
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DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't
Slay Me and More
Read More: Agatha Christie , Amazon.Com , Animation , Ballerina ,
Disney , Dvds , Heidi Klum, Love Boat , Love-Boat , Miss Marple , Netflix , Project Runway , Project-
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Jr, The Soloist , Tigger , Tim Gunn , TV Shows , Entertainment News
I never imagined Basil Rathbone would ever be
surpassed when it came to playing SherlockHolmes. But surely now Jeremy Brett is the
definitive detective. For some, Margaret
Rutherford holds the same place of honor when itcomes to Miss Marple, the deceptively sweet and
mild-mannered little old lady with a keen eye for
clues. Others give TV's Joan Hickson first place ofhonor. But we can all agree the recent relaunch of
Miss Marple with the excellent actress Geraldine
McEwan was a flop. Miss Marple with a long-lost love? One shudders. They've started from scratch
(again) because they know mystery buffs will line up and watch anything with stately homes,
British accents...and murder .
But surely they're pushing it with the desultory batch of episodes in Agatha Christie Marple Series4 ($59.99; Acorn). The new Miss Marple is Julia McKenzie, of the delightful miniseries Cranford.
(Well worth renting, that one.) Her Jane Marple is certainly a little more Marple-ish than
McEwan's but still not spot-on for my taste. This Marple actually seems a bit overwhelmed and
flustered at times, even rather confused. (Very mildly, of course.) Yes, she gently prods the local
police towards the proper clues but there isn't as much fun made of this as there might be.
I might be reading too much into a banal reaction shot, but one touch I did like was a hint of
passion for Marple: when her predictions come true and another person is murdered, a close-up of
Marple reveals the barest hint of a thrill of delight coursing through her. At another point, she'sasked if she would ever consider heading to a mansion where murder is feared and the close-up
shows Marple pretending to weigh the idea when of course wild bulls couldn't keep her away.
But no Marple could overcome the rote nature of these productions. We're offered 4 complete
mysteries, each about 90 minutes in length. The first ("A Pocket Full Of Rye") takes a beastly half
an hour to involve Marple properly in the goings-on and is unfortunately rather broadly comic intone. In the last, she takes a bit of a back seat to young people investigating their first crime (Sean
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]Biggerstaff of Harry Potter is the main one).
Yes, all four include the usual array of top-notch British talent: Brian Cox, Rupert Graves, Shirley
Henderson, Matthew Macfayden, Jemma Redgrave, Prunella Scales, Samantha Bond, Alex
Jennigns and even Joan Collins are all on hand. But every episode contains a clutch of lesserperformers who are genuinely bad and overact in the extreme, to the point of provoking laughter.
(Blood...will... out!" sputters one young woman in "They Do It With Mirrors," rather hilariously.)
And the casting of big names, as so often happens, provides the most obvious clues of all. If Iranked the episodes, I would be choosing which one was the least weak. So the biggest crime here
is the one committed against Agatha Christie.
Also Out This Week:
Ballerina ($24.95; First Run) -- It took me a few weeks to catch up with this documentary about
five dancers in the Russian Kirov (aka Mariinsky). The five women range in age and disciplines, but
their talent and extreme hard work link them completely. You see rehearsals and exercise and pain
and talk with them while preparing for performances of crowd-pleasers like Swan Lake and Romeo
& Juliet . But even those warhorses are incredibly demanding. Obviously, dance lovers will love this,
but it's a testament to the sweat that goes into any artistic endeavor worth the name and anyone
can appreciate it. Also out is the charming Carmen & Geoffrey ($24.95; First Run), which captures
the remarkable love story and artistic accomplishments of dancers Carmen de Lavallade and
Geoffrey Holder. You'll appreciate my ignorance of the world of dance when I tell you I only knew
Holder as the guy from those 7-Up ads and the James Bond film Live and Let Die.
Race To Witch Mountain ($39.99 Special Edition and $44.99 BluRay; Disney) -- Okay, before I
bemoan the changes made to Escape To Witch Mountain (what, kids think the word "escape" is
too dull so they changed it to "race") not to mention the inclusion of The Rock, let's be clear. I had
fond thoughts for the original Seventies kid flick but it was pretty tame, even at the time. So Race
To Witch Mountain doesn't soil a beloved classic, it just takes a high concept idea and revamps it
for today. No harm, no foul. But no good movie, either. The BluRay costs $5 more than the SpecialEdition but only $3 more on sale at Amazon ($25.99 versus $22.99). But the single disc edition
costs only $15.99 on sale, which is a very substantial difference. It's nice to see BluRay and SpecialEdition DVDs coming closer in price, but until they're regularly under $20, fans won't bother witheither. The BluRay does contain a regular DVD along with the digital copy that also comes with the
Special Edition. Is all that confusing? For $26 instead of $16, you can get a lot of flexibility (a copy
for the BluRay player, a regular DVD for the kid's room and road trips and a digital copy to carryon a laptop or other device). But that's a lot of money for a little convenience. Kudos to them forreleasing all three versions at the same time, but cut out all the bonus features or keep them and
lower the price and drop the stripped down one-disc version and send those only to video stores
and Netflix. The array of choices is confusing and wasteful and tiresome and BluRay is about to go
under for good if it hasn't already as an option.
Flight of the Conchords Second Season ($29.98; HBO) -- During the first season of this
show about a New Zealand duo looking for pop success in the US, I often fast-forwarded to the
always delightful musical numbers. But slowly the show is growing on me or the guys are justfinding their rhythm. In either case, it's become a quiet charmer...even when they're not singing.
The Soloist ($29.98; DreamWorks) -- Oscar bait, but no one was nibbling. The TV movie-ready
story of a down on his luck newspaper reporter (Robert Downey Jr) helping out a talentedhomeless man (Jamie Foxx) with a gift for classical music) is pure mawkishness that two fine
actors can't overcome.
The Shape of the World ($59.99; Athena) -- This six-part PBS miniseries turns the science of
cartography -- map-making -- into an exploration of the globe. Narrated by Patrick Stewart, it does
have the air of a lecture, but a very good lecture indeed. Teens might think they won't be interested,but they will be. It's often damning with faint praise to say a series can inform and educate you, but
that surely was the goal here and they achieved it.
Project Runway Season 5 ($27.95; Genius) -- The most star-studded PR yet, with guests like
Sandra Bernhard, LL Cool J, Brooke Shields and Natalie Portman popping in alongside Tim Gunn
and Heidi Klum. The men were completely shut out of the female-dominated final three and rightlyso. And while a reality series might be the wrong place to make this argument, why do they wait till
right before the beginning of the new season to release a show on DVD? In the UK, they release
shows on DVD as soon as the series ends (sometimes, even while it's still airing) and thatpiggybacking on all the reviews and publicity seems smart to me. Anyone who wants to catch up
before the new season only has a blink of an eye to do it here. (That's really a pain when it comes to
24, for example.) Get it out as soon as the show ends; don't hold onto it until right before the new
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]
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The Tigger Movie: 10th Anniversary Edition ($29.99; Disney) -- I don't like endless spin-
offs of Disney characters. I really don't like the direct-to-DVD mush (though this one was released
theatrically) and I don't think a character like Tigger -- a classic supporting role if ever there was
one -- should be front and center, any more than I want to see a Peanuts film focusing on Snoopy.
So sue me, I was wrong. The Tigger Movie is the exception, thanks to songs by the legendary
Sherman Brothers, great voice work and a better than average script. Gentle fare that can hold its
head high. And if it leads you to reading the A.A. Milne books aloud to your kids, all the better.
Extras include two new Tigger shorts.
The Love Boat Season 2 Volume 2 ($36.98; Paramount) -- How in God's name did I sit and
watch this series every Saturday night as a kid? It is almost embarrassingly predictable and trite,
with the least sexy crew-members on a cruise ship ever. (And where are the gay cruise shipemployees?) Heartily condemned by critics at the time and now I'm old enough to know they wereright. Not that this stopped me from skipping ahead to the episode starring Charo and you may feel
compelled to search out the ones with Sonny Bono, Corey Feldman, Reggie Jackson, Minnie Pearl
and the like, depending on your taste or age range. Sure, regular folk had Social Security. But aging
celebs had The Love Boat . (Now, I guess they have Dancing With The Stars .)
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
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Michael Giltz I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz 4 fans permalink
Thanks everyone for weighing in. Clearly, there is NO definitive Marple yet, as made clear by the
comments. I am penalizing the excellent actress McEwan for being saddled with a string of movies thatwere very weak -- frantic editing, ridiculous flashbacks to Marple in love and so on -- that have nothingto do with her actual performance. But saddled she was. I agree with those who claim the Christiebooks are thin on character compared to some of the great detective novelists working today, but thedetectives themselves are certainly memorable as Suchet proved with Poirot. I think the truly greatmodern Marple is still waiting to appear.
QuietAmerican I'm a Fan of QuietAmerican 11 fans permalink
In my book, Joan Hickson was to Miss Marple what Jeremy Brett was to Sherlock Holmes - definitiveindeed.
Watching the Geraldine McEwan episodes, I could only think -- what were the director and editors
thinking? I loved her work in "Mulberry," but the jarring music-video-type editing of McEwan's Marpleepisodes never seemed to give her a chance to get her bearings as Miss Marple -- the production stylewas completely out of character for what was supposed to be a slower-paced time than our Twitter-based society. It was as though the directors and editors themselves were impatient with their owncreation and wanted to rush each story through to its conclusion before they themselves fell asleep.
Thank goodness they've slowed down a bit for this latest Marple incarnation (and I am a fan of Julie
McKenzie), still - Joan Hickson owns it.
margo152 I'm a Fan of margo152 permalink
A vote for Margaret Rutherford. Oh that's right Margaret is not with us any more. But someone likeMargaret would be great. The new Miss Marple has hit a real high for being BORING! The last one wasbest described as a fragile Miss Marple.
wm1066 I'm a Fan of wm1066 22 fans permalink
I loved Geraldene McEwan, she was great! This latest person on PBS is NOT the Miss
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]
Marple I envision. But then if you thought Rutherford ,with her slapstick humor, was a great
Miss Marple there is no use talking to you Michael.
Sleepyjohns I'm a Fan of Sleepyjohns 2 fans permalink
Co-sign on Margaret Rutherford.
Blissable I'm a Fan of Blissable permalink
Margaret Rutherford slapstick? Rutherford took herself and the role very, very seriously. Itwas her big disappointment in life that no-one else did. Say what you will about her Miss
Marple, (Christie herself was none too keen on it) but slapstick it most definitely was not. Poor
Margaret would be spinning in her grave.
wm1066 I'm a Fan of wm1066 22 fans permalink
Maybe slapstick was too strong a word for you, but if you watched thoseproductions they had a hokey soundtrack that evoked humor that was outof character for a murder mystery.
Sleepyjohns I'm a Fan of Sleepyjohns 2 fans permalink
Joan Hickson and Geraldine McEwan were spot on Marples. I find it odd that your characterization ofMcEwan's work in the role as a "flop" has to do with a fictive addition developed by the writers ratherthan a real critique of her take on Jane Marple. Odd and insulting. While Hickson nailed the 'I've seeneverything of the world from my garden' and gave the character compelling sagacity, McEwan'stwinkling-eye and impish smile further fleshed out this beloved character. Just watch McEwan andJohn Hanna interact in The 4.50 From Paddington; watching them together makes the whole film worthit.
3reddogs I'm a Fan of 3reddogs 2 fans permalink
Sorry, but if you had actually read any of Agatha Christie's "Miss Marple" books you'd knowthat Hickson's and McEwan's portrayals (stature, mannerisms, etc) come a lot closer to JaneMarple than Julia McKenzie's robust stature, bland personality, and totally uninspired
performances.
That said, I think we agree that no one (Robert Downey, Jr. included) will ever match Jeremy Brett's
take on Sherlock Holmes. Two different actors played Dr. Watson but, let's face it, you're so riveted byBrett's screen presence that you barely notice Watson :-)
sallythewerewolf I'm a Fan of sallythewerewolf 4 fans permalink
Didn't Helen Hayes play Miss Marple once?
rzan1 I'm a Fan of rzan1 27 fans permalink
Geraldine McEwan was totally delightful as Miss Marple and brought a bit more depth to the character.You are wrong in your assessment.
countfloyd I'm a Fan of countfloyd 3 fans permalink
"They've started from scratch (again) because they know mystery buffs will line up and watch anythingwith stately homes, British accents...and murder."
I will watch a mystery where you can't figure out who did it in the first 30 seconds, are well written and
feature really good actors in the lead. That eliminates almost all american cop shows.
Ponderus I'm a Fan of Ponderus 165 fans permalink
Geraldine McEwan brought something almost unrecognizable to the paper thin "characters" is
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]
Christieland: recognizable humanity. Maybe that's what threw you off, Mr. Giltz. She went
deeper than any of the Marples before her -- and McKenzie continues in this vein with her
unshockable, subtly worldly, cooly amused -- but morally adamant -- take on Miss M.
You're just mistaken -- and wrong.
Rocket Age Magician I'm a Fan of Rocket Age Magician permalink
Sorry, Michael, but we can't ALL agree that Geraldine McEwan's tenure as Miss Marple was a flop. It
certainly wasn't business-wise, her three series did extremely well in England and were very popular.In the NY Times and SF Chronicle reviews of the McKenzie series, both hold McEwan up as the goldstandard Marple, one proclaiming Joan Hickson "icy," and the other a bore. Hickson was for sometastes, but not all. David Suchet is the definitive Poirot, but there simply isn't one for Marple, and all thecontenders, including Lansbury, Rutherford, Hickson, McEwan, and now McKenzie (for that matter,even Gracie Fields from her one appearance) have a claim to the old busybody's knitting needles.
sexyrexy I'm a Fan of sexyrexy 9 fans permalink
let's not forget Albert Finney as Poirot in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. loved thecostumes..
love McEwan generally but not as Marple.
NHBill I'm a Fan of NHBill 8 fans permalink
Finney is great in almost everything, but his Poirot was a unforgettable.
wm1066 I'm a Fan of wm1066 22 fans permalink
David Suchet seems lost without Hastings!
3reddogs I'm a Fan of 3reddogs 2 fans permalink
I miss Hastings too. Hard to believe Suchet's been doing Poirot for 20
years!! Also bummed that there's only going to be two Poirots this timearound - Cat Among the Pigeons and Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Maybe
Hastings will show up to exclaim over Mrs. McGinty's carcass :-)
sexyrexy I'm a Fan of sexyrexy 9 fans permalink
true about Jeremy Brett as the definitive Holmes.. and I personally feel the same way about JoanHickson.. she spoilt Miss Marple for me.
Angelea Lansbury played her in MIRROR CRACK'ED.. and now it Julia's Mc Kenzie.. not the same..
Miss Hickson it is.
by the way-- I had the good fortune to meet Agatha Christie's daughter with her husband on set of
Inspector Poirot.. I had such a big kick out of it..
NHBill I'm a Fan of NHBill 8 fans permalink
I think Brett benefited from more modern sensibilities and greater production values
than Rathbone. But
ole Basil left an indelible mark.
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]Agatha Christie DVDs www.daedalusbooks.com
Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot 17 DVDs for $74.98
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Michael Giltz
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DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't
Slay Me and More
Read More: Agatha Christie , Amazon.Com , Animation , Ballerina ,
Disney , Dvds , Heidi Klum, Love Boat , Love-Boat , Miss Marple , Netflix , Project Runway , Project-
Runway-Season-5 , Race To Witch Mountain , Sherlock Holmes , Sherlock-Holmes-Robert-Downey-
Jr, The Soloist , Tigger , Tim Gunn , TV Shows , Entertainment News
I never imagined Basil Rathbone would ever be
surpassed when it came to playing SherlockHolmes. But surely now Jeremy Brett is the
definitive detective. For some, Margaret
Rutherford holds the same place of honor when itcomes to Miss Marple, the deceptively sweet and
mild-mannered little old lady with a keen eye for
clues. Others give TV's Joan Hickson first place ofhonor. But we can all agree the recent relaunch of
Miss Marple with the excellent actress Geraldine
McEwan was a flop. Miss Marple with a long-lost love? One shudders. They've started from scratch
(again) because they know mystery buffs will line up and watch anything with stately homes,
British accents...and murder .
But surely they're pushing it with the desultory batch of episodes in Agatha Christie Marple Series4 ($59.99; Acorn). The new Miss Marple is Julia McKenzie, of the delightful miniseries Cranford.
(Well worth renting, that one.) Her Jane Marple is certainly a little more Marple-ish than
McEwan's but still not spot-on for my taste. This Marple actually seems a bit overwhelmed and
flustered at times, even rather confused. (Very mildly, of course.) Yes, she gently prods the local
police towards the proper clues but there isn't as much fun made of this as there might be.
I might be reading too much into a banal reaction shot, but one touch I did like was a hint of
passion for Marple: when her predictions come true and another person is murdered, a close-up of
Marple reveals the barest hint of a thrill of delight coursing through her. At another point, she'sasked if she would ever consider heading to a mansion where murder is feared and the close-up
shows Marple pretending to weigh the idea when of course wild bulls couldn't keep her away.
But no Marple could overcome the rote nature of these productions. We're offered 4 complete
mysteries, each about 90 minutes in length. The first ("A Pocket Full Of Rye") takes a beastly half
an hour to involve Marple properly in the goings-on and is unfortunately rather broadly comic intone. In the last, she takes a bit of a back seat to young people investigating their first crime (Sean
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]Biggerstaff of Harry Potter is the main one).
Yes, all four include the usual array of top-notch British talent: Brian Cox, Rupert Graves, Shirley
Henderson, Matthew Macfayden, Jemma Redgrave, Prunella Scales, Samantha Bond, Alex
Jennigns and even Joan Collins are all on hand. But every episode contains a clutch of lesserperformers who are genuinely bad and overact in the extreme, to the point of provoking laughter.
(Blood...will... out!" sputters one young woman in "They Do It With Mirrors," rather hilariously.)
And the casting of big names, as so often happens, provides the most obvious clues of all. If Iranked the episodes, I would be choosing which one was the least weak. So the biggest crime here
is the one committed against Agatha Christie.
Also Out This Week:
Ballerina ($24.95; First Run) -- It took me a few weeks to catch up with this documentary about
five dancers in the Russian Kirov (aka Mariinsky). The five women range in age and disciplines, but
their talent and extreme hard work link them completely. You see rehearsals and exercise and pain
and talk with them while preparing for performances of crowd-pleasers like Swan Lake and Romeo
& Juliet . But even those warhorses are incredibly demanding. Obviously, dance lovers will love this,
but it's a testament to the sweat that goes into any artistic endeavor worth the name and anyone
can appreciate it. Also out is the charming Carmen & Geoffrey ($24.95; First Run), which captures
the remarkable love story and artistic accomplishments of dancers Carmen de Lavallade and
Geoffrey Holder. You'll appreciate my ignorance of the world of dance when I tell you I only knew
Holder as the guy from those 7-Up ads and the James Bond film Live and Let Die.
Race To Witch Mountain ($39.99 Special Edition and $44.99 BluRay; Disney) -- Okay, before I
bemoan the changes made to Escape To Witch Mountain (what, kids think the word "escape" is
too dull so they changed it to "race") not to mention the inclusion of The Rock, let's be clear. I had
fond thoughts for the original Seventies kid flick but it was pretty tame, even at the time. So Race
To Witch Mountain doesn't soil a beloved classic, it just takes a high concept idea and revamps it
for today. No harm, no foul. But no good movie, either. The BluRay costs $5 more than the SpecialEdition but only $3 more on sale at Amazon ($25.99 versus $22.99). But the single disc edition
costs only $15.99 on sale, which is a very substantial difference. It's nice to see BluRay and SpecialEdition DVDs coming closer in price, but until they're regularly under $20, fans won't bother witheither. The BluRay does contain a regular DVD along with the digital copy that also comes with the
Special Edition. Is all that confusing? For $26 instead of $16, you can get a lot of flexibility (a copy
for the BluRay player, a regular DVD for the kid's room and road trips and a digital copy to carryon a laptop or other device). But that's a lot of money for a little convenience. Kudos to them forreleasing all three versions at the same time, but cut out all the bonus features or keep them and
lower the price and drop the stripped down one-disc version and send those only to video stores
and Netflix. The array of choices is confusing and wasteful and tiresome and BluRay is about to go
under for good if it hasn't already as an option.
Flight of the Conchords Second Season ($29.98; HBO) -- During the first season of this
show about a New Zealand duo looking for pop success in the US, I often fast-forwarded to the
always delightful musical numbers. But slowly the show is growing on me or the guys are justfinding their rhythm. In either case, it's become a quiet charmer...even when they're not singing.
The Soloist ($29.98; DreamWorks) -- Oscar bait, but no one was nibbling. The TV movie-ready
story of a down on his luck newspaper reporter (Robert Downey Jr) helping out a talentedhomeless man (Jamie Foxx) with a gift for classical music) is pure mawkishness that two fine
actors can't overcome.
The Shape of the World ($59.99; Athena) -- This six-part PBS miniseries turns the science of
cartography -- map-making -- into an exploration of the globe. Narrated by Patrick Stewart, it does
have the air of a lecture, but a very good lecture indeed. Teens might think they won't be interested,but they will be. It's often damning with faint praise to say a series can inform and educate you, but
that surely was the goal here and they achieved it.
Project Runway Season 5 ($27.95; Genius) -- The most star-studded PR yet, with guests like
Sandra Bernhard, LL Cool J, Brooke Shields and Natalie Portman popping in alongside Tim Gunn
and Heidi Klum. The men were completely shut out of the female-dominated final three and rightlyso. And while a reality series might be the wrong place to make this argument, why do they wait till
right before the beginning of the new season to release a show on DVD? In the UK, they release
shows on DVD as soon as the series ends (sometimes, even while it's still airing) and thatpiggybacking on all the reviews and publicity seems smart to me. Anyone who wants to catch up
before the new season only has a blink of an eye to do it here. (That's really a pain when it comes to
24, for example.) Get it out as soon as the show ends; don't hold onto it until right before the new
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
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The Tigger Movie: 10th Anniversary Edition ($29.99; Disney) -- I don't like endless spin-
offs of Disney characters. I really don't like the direct-to-DVD mush (though this one was released
theatrically) and I don't think a character like Tigger -- a classic supporting role if ever there was
one -- should be front and center, any more than I want to see a Peanuts film focusing on Snoopy.
So sue me, I was wrong. The Tigger Movie is the exception, thanks to songs by the legendary
Sherman Brothers, great voice work and a better than average script. Gentle fare that can hold its
head high. And if it leads you to reading the A.A. Milne books aloud to your kids, all the better.
Extras include two new Tigger shorts.
The Love Boat Season 2 Volume 2 ($36.98; Paramount) -- How in God's name did I sit and
watch this series every Saturday night as a kid? It is almost embarrassingly predictable and trite,
with the least sexy crew-members on a cruise ship ever. (And where are the gay cruise shipemployees?) Heartily condemned by critics at the time and now I'm old enough to know they wereright. Not that this stopped me from skipping ahead to the episode starring Charo and you may feel
compelled to search out the ones with Sonny Bono, Corey Feldman, Reggie Jackson, Minnie Pearl
and the like, depending on your taste or age range. Sure, regular folk had Social Security. But aging
celebs had The Love Boat . (Now, I guess they have Dancing With The Stars .)
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
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Michael Giltz I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz 4 fans permalink
Thanks everyone for weighing in. Clearly, there is NO definitive Marple yet, as made clear by the
comments. I am penalizing the excellent actress McEwan for being saddled with a string of movies thatwere very weak -- frantic editing, ridiculous flashbacks to Marple in love and so on -- that have nothingto do with her actual performance. But saddled she was. I agree with those who claim the Christiebooks are thin on character compared to some of the great detective novelists working today, but thedetectives themselves are certainly memorable as Suchet proved with Poirot. I think the truly greatmodern Marple is still waiting to appear.
QuietAmerican I'm a Fan of QuietAmerican 11 fans permalink
In my book, Joan Hickson was to Miss Marple what Jeremy Brett was to Sherlock Holmes - definitiveindeed.
Watching the Geraldine McEwan episodes, I could only think -- what were the director and editors
thinking? I loved her work in "Mulberry," but the jarring music-video-type editing of McEwan's Marpleepisodes never seemed to give her a chance to get her bearings as Miss Marple -- the production stylewas completely out of character for what was supposed to be a slower-paced time than our Twitter-based society. It was as though the directors and editors themselves were impatient with their owncreation and wanted to rush each story through to its conclusion before they themselves fell asleep.
Thank goodness they've slowed down a bit for this latest Marple incarnation (and I am a fan of Julie
McKenzie), still - Joan Hickson owns it.
margo152 I'm a Fan of margo152 permalink
A vote for Margaret Rutherford. Oh that's right Margaret is not with us any more. But someone likeMargaret would be great. The new Miss Marple has hit a real high for being BORING! The last one wasbest described as a fragile Miss Marple.
wm1066 I'm a Fan of wm1066 22 fans permalink
I loved Geraldene McEwan, she was great! This latest person on PBS is NOT the Miss
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]
Marple I envision. But then if you thought Rutherford ,with her slapstick humor, was a great
Miss Marple there is no use talking to you Michael.
Sleepyjohns I'm a Fan of Sleepyjohns 2 fans permalink
Co-sign on Margaret Rutherford.
Blissable I'm a Fan of Blissable permalink
Margaret Rutherford slapstick? Rutherford took herself and the role very, very seriously. Itwas her big disappointment in life that no-one else did. Say what you will about her Miss
Marple, (Christie herself was none too keen on it) but slapstick it most definitely was not. Poor
Margaret would be spinning in her grave.
wm1066 I'm a Fan of wm1066 22 fans permalink
Maybe slapstick was too strong a word for you, but if you watched thoseproductions they had a hokey soundtrack that evoked humor that was outof character for a murder mystery.
Sleepyjohns I'm a Fan of Sleepyjohns 2 fans permalink
Joan Hickson and Geraldine McEwan were spot on Marples. I find it odd that your characterization ofMcEwan's work in the role as a "flop" has to do with a fictive addition developed by the writers ratherthan a real critique of her take on Jane Marple. Odd and insulting. While Hickson nailed the 'I've seeneverything of the world from my garden' and gave the character compelling sagacity, McEwan'stwinkling-eye and impish smile further fleshed out this beloved character. Just watch McEwan andJohn Hanna interact in The 4.50 From Paddington; watching them together makes the whole film worthit.
3reddogs I'm a Fan of 3reddogs 2 fans permalink
Sorry, but if you had actually read any of Agatha Christie's "Miss Marple" books you'd knowthat Hickson's and McEwan's portrayals (stature, mannerisms, etc) come a lot closer to JaneMarple than Julia McKenzie's robust stature, bland personality, and totally uninspired
performances.
That said, I think we agree that no one (Robert Downey, Jr. included) will ever match Jeremy Brett's
take on Sherlock Holmes. Two different actors played Dr. Watson but, let's face it, you're so riveted byBrett's screen presence that you barely notice Watson :-)
sallythewerewolf I'm a Fan of sallythewerewolf 4 fans permalink
Didn't Helen Hayes play Miss Marple once?
rzan1 I'm a Fan of rzan1 27 fans permalink
Geraldine McEwan was totally delightful as Miss Marple and brought a bit more depth to the character.You are wrong in your assessment.
countfloyd I'm a Fan of countfloyd 3 fans permalink
"They've started from scratch (again) because they know mystery buffs will line up and watch anythingwith stately homes, British accents...and murder."
I will watch a mystery where you can't figure out who did it in the first 30 seconds, are well written and
feature really good actors in the lead. That eliminates almost all american cop shows.
Ponderus I'm a Fan of Ponderus 165 fans permalink
Geraldine McEwan brought something almost unrecognizable to the paper thin "characters" is
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]
Christieland: recognizable humanity. Maybe that's what threw you off, Mr. Giltz. She went
deeper than any of the Marples before her -- and McKenzie continues in this vein with her
unshockable, subtly worldly, cooly amused -- but morally adamant -- take on Miss M.
You're just mistaken -- and wrong.
Rocket Age Magician I'm a Fan of Rocket Age Magician permalink
Sorry, Michael, but we can't ALL agree that Geraldine McEwan's tenure as Miss Marple was a flop. It
certainly wasn't business-wise, her three series did extremely well in England and were very popular.In the NY Times and SF Chronicle reviews of the McKenzie series, both hold McEwan up as the goldstandard Marple, one proclaiming Joan Hickson "icy," and the other a bore. Hickson was for sometastes, but not all. David Suchet is the definitive Poirot, but there simply isn't one for Marple, and all thecontenders, including Lansbury, Rutherford, Hickson, McEwan, and now McKenzie (for that matter,even Gracie Fields from her one appearance) have a claim to the old busybody's knitting needles.
sexyrexy I'm a Fan of sexyrexy 9 fans permalink
let's not forget Albert Finney as Poirot in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. loved thecostumes..
love McEwan generally but not as Marple.
NHBill I'm a Fan of NHBill 8 fans permalink
Finney is great in almost everything, but his Poirot was a unforgettable.
wm1066 I'm a Fan of wm1066 22 fans permalink
David Suchet seems lost without Hastings!
3reddogs I'm a Fan of 3reddogs 2 fans permalink
I miss Hastings too. Hard to believe Suchet's been doing Poirot for 20
years!! Also bummed that there's only going to be two Poirots this timearound - Cat Among the Pigeons and Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Maybe
Hastings will show up to exclaim over Mrs. McGinty's carcass :-)
sexyrexy I'm a Fan of sexyrexy 9 fans permalink
true about Jeremy Brett as the definitive Holmes.. and I personally feel the same way about JoanHickson.. she spoilt Miss Marple for me.
Angelea Lansbury played her in MIRROR CRACK'ED.. and now it Julia's Mc Kenzie.. not the same..
Miss Hickson it is.
by the way-- I had the good fortune to meet Agatha Christie's daughter with her husband on set of
Inspector Poirot.. I had such a big kick out of it..
NHBill I'm a Fan of NHBill 8 fans permalink
I think Brett benefited from more modern sensibilities and greater production values
than Rathbone. But
ole Basil left an indelible mark.
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Michael Giltz: DVDS: New Miss Marple Doesn't Slay Me and More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-new-miss-marple-does_b_252210.html[8/25/09 5:19:25 PM]Agatha Christie DVDs www.daedalusbooks.com
Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot 17 DVDs for $74.98
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