I mean, Helen Hayes and Bette Davis - you're not going to beat it, so why redo it? Julia McKenzie stars as Miss Marple in this version of "They Do it With Mirrors," also starring Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton, and Elliot Cowan.
Ruth Van Rydock (Joan Collins) asks Miss Marple to find out what's going on with her sister Carrie-Louise, as there have been some strange happenings at her home. Carrie Louise has two daughters, Gina, who is adopted, and Mildred, her biological daughter, and she is currently married to her third husband, Lewis Serrocold (Brian Cox). Add this to the fact that Carrie Louise runs a training school for ex-cons on her property, and the place has lots of potential for problems.
Marple goes to stay at the house and learns that a fire destroyed most private papers; then Christian, Carrie Louise's stepson from her first marriage, is killed, and a note is found warning that someone is trying to poison Carrie-Louise. Then someone else is murdered.
The script for this stuck more to the actual story than some of these adapted mysteries do - there are some situations added, but nothing huge. Wilton was a very different Carrie-Louise, younger and rather than being fragile, as Davis was, she's more of an airhead, and her characterization works well. Ian Ogilvy is a visiting ex-husband, and it was nice to see him again as I really liked him on "The Saint." All in all, a good adaptation, and I really like McKenzie's Marple. Joan Collins was wasted in a small role; and she can do a better American accent than what she did here.
Ruth Van Rydock (Joan Collins) asks Miss Marple to find out what's going on with her sister Carrie-Louise, as there have been some strange happenings at her home. Carrie Louise has two daughters, Gina, who is adopted, and Mildred, her biological daughter, and she is currently married to her third husband, Lewis Serrocold (Brian Cox). Add this to the fact that Carrie Louise runs a training school for ex-cons on her property, and the place has lots of potential for problems.
Marple goes to stay at the house and learns that a fire destroyed most private papers; then Christian, Carrie Louise's stepson from her first marriage, is killed, and a note is found warning that someone is trying to poison Carrie-Louise. Then someone else is murdered.
The script for this stuck more to the actual story than some of these adapted mysteries do - there are some situations added, but nothing huge. Wilton was a very different Carrie-Louise, younger and rather than being fragile, as Davis was, she's more of an airhead, and her characterization works well. Ian Ogilvy is a visiting ex-husband, and it was nice to see him again as I really liked him on "The Saint." All in all, a good adaptation, and I really like McKenzie's Marple. Joan Collins was wasted in a small role; and she can do a better American accent than what she did here.