Although A Murder is Announced is easily the best of the Miss Marples, I have to say Sleeping Murder is my favourite. It's one I remember vividly as a kid, and it's beautiful countryside setting masks what turns out to be a hidden and sinister murder. It seems to divide some people, but I think this is due to the fact that it is unlike many of the usual Marple mysteries. Instead of a selection of characters presented and then a murder taking place, this involves the subject of memory and trying to discover if a crime has been committed from scratch.
The story begins with newly married couple Giles and Gwendoline Reed (John Moulder-Brown and Geraldine Alexander) looking for a place in the country when Gwenda spots a house that for some reason just appeals to her. As they explore the property, she becomes more convinced that it is her perfect home, even seemingly knowing where certain rooms are. But as they happily descend the stairs Gwenda suddenly gets a feeling of foreboding looking down, though she can't explain why. It doesn't stop the couple buying the house and planning to redecorate. But the familiarities persist, including opening up a cupboard to discover poppies and cornflower wallpaper inside - just as she had wanted. When Giles goes down to London to visit his uncle Raymond and Aunt Joan (plus great aunt Jane Marple), Gwenda is left alone in the house but feels so apprehensive that when he rings to invite her down she accepts. Unfortunately for her, Raymond and his wife Joan's idea of cheering up their guests is taking them to see The Duchess of Malfi at the theatre, leading to a memorable scene where Gwenda has the screaming hab dabs.
It is this that triggers why Gwenda is so fearful of the house, as she relays to Miss Marple of images of a woman lying dead in the hallway by the stairs and a man "with monkey's paws" stood over her, quoting the line from The Duchess of Malfi that gave Gwenda her screaming fits. Only problem is that Gwenda is a New Zealander and has never been in England before, so how can she recall so much of the house? She even knows the dead woman's name is Helen, but doesn't even know a Helen. Is she going mad? It is here that Miss Marple proves so practical. After inquiring about Gwenda's past, of being raised abroad by her aunt after the death of both her mother and father, that she suggests that maybe they had actually lived in England before going to New Zealand. Not only does this prove true, but it turns out that her father had remarried after the death of Gwenda's mother, to a woman called Helen Kennedy. With this little bit of information Gwenda and Giles decide that they have to find out more, such as if her father did indeed live in their new home, and what happened to Helen. It is here that Miss Marple warns them against raking up the past, but there is little chance of them listening to this - otherwise we wouldn't have a story!
This is how it differs to so many other Marple mysteries. Because we know so little, only what Gwenda can remember from when she was a child, any bit of information they come across is as much of a revelation to them as it is to us. We are basically playing detective with the couple. And some revelations are particularly hard to stomach for Gwenda, such as the revelation by Helen's brother Dr Kennedy (Frederick Treves) that her father ended up in an asylum because he kept believing he had strangled Helen, despite there being no body. One particularly effective scene is when Gwenda visits the asylum and speaks to the doctor there (John Ringham), who at one point says "Of course I expect you already know that your father committed suicide." Only she didn't, and the expression on her face tells it all. For Gwenda, this is not just about unearthing a possible murder as an emotional journey of discovery into her past and of her father, and at times the revelations are painful. She doesn't know what she will uncover because she has been told so little of her past, and it is this aspect that I find so fascinating - and at times touching - in this adaptation. For all she knows her father may of been a murderer, but she knows she has to press on regardless, for Helen's sake.
It marries these tender moments beautifully as the couple decide to delve into Helen's background and character, and discover that she had a number of suitors before her disappearance. They range from former fiance Walter Fane, dodgy wideboy Jackie Afflick and married colonel Richard Erskine. All are visited upon (with numerous excuses for being there), along with her father's housemaid at that time Edith Paget (Jean Heywood) in a bid to try and work out just what happened all those years ago, and the flashbacks add colour to the mystery. I particularly enjoyed Jean Heywood's performance of Paget, while Eryl Maynard adds colour as the maid Lily Kimble, who spots their notice in the newspaper and wonders to her husband (an amusingly taciturn turn by Ken Kitson) if she should come forward with what she remembers of the day Helen disappeared. Has she never seen the other Marple adaptations? Does she not know that nothing good ever seem to happen to domestics in Agatha Christie stories? As to the other suitors, Terrence Hardiman gives a lovely performance as the dull but seemingly decent Walter Fane, but it's John Bennett that stands out the most for me as Colonel Erskine. There's a scene when Gwenda contrives to return to his house when his jealous wife is out (a chilling Geraldine Newman) on the pretext of a lost ear ring so she can talk to him about Helen that is beautifully played. Bennett is outstanding as the weary but gracious former lover, reflecting on a romance long ago while trapped in a marriage with a jealous wife, and he and Geraldine Alexander play that scene perfectly. The only odd note is Kenneth Cope (who I loved in Randall & Hopkirk) as Jackie Afflick. There's nothing really wrong with his performance, it's just that he doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the casting.
But it's Geraldine Alexander who is the star turn here. Acting with a New Zealand accent that is surprisingly decent, she has to carry this mystery as Gwenda and she does so magnificently. She has to go through a range of emotions, as she eventually discovers information about her father and stepmother that has been buried away for years, as well as the traumatic memory of witnessing a murder. Her scene during The Duchess of Malfi is electrifying, while the final climax is suitably memorable (especially for me as a child). She is ably supported by John Moulder-Brown, while Frederick Treves is also memorable as Dr Kennedy. This adaptation serves up on so many levels. It's not just a murder mystery, but something far deeper emotionally. The hidden (or sleeping) murder eventually impacts on everyone they question, reopening old wounds that many thought had healed and the solution is deeply sinister. Few Miss Marple adaptations have such emotional subtext as this, which is probably why it has stayed with me ever since.
The story begins with newly married couple Giles and Gwendoline Reed (John Moulder-Brown and Geraldine Alexander) looking for a place in the country when Gwenda spots a house that for some reason just appeals to her. As they explore the property, she becomes more convinced that it is her perfect home, even seemingly knowing where certain rooms are. But as they happily descend the stairs Gwenda suddenly gets a feeling of foreboding looking down, though she can't explain why. It doesn't stop the couple buying the house and planning to redecorate. But the familiarities persist, including opening up a cupboard to discover poppies and cornflower wallpaper inside - just as she had wanted. When Giles goes down to London to visit his uncle Raymond and Aunt Joan (plus great aunt Jane Marple), Gwenda is left alone in the house but feels so apprehensive that when he rings to invite her down she accepts. Unfortunately for her, Raymond and his wife Joan's idea of cheering up their guests is taking them to see The Duchess of Malfi at the theatre, leading to a memorable scene where Gwenda has the screaming hab dabs.
It is this that triggers why Gwenda is so fearful of the house, as she relays to Miss Marple of images of a woman lying dead in the hallway by the stairs and a man "with monkey's paws" stood over her, quoting the line from The Duchess of Malfi that gave Gwenda her screaming fits. Only problem is that Gwenda is a New Zealander and has never been in England before, so how can she recall so much of the house? She even knows the dead woman's name is Helen, but doesn't even know a Helen. Is she going mad? It is here that Miss Marple proves so practical. After inquiring about Gwenda's past, of being raised abroad by her aunt after the death of both her mother and father, that she suggests that maybe they had actually lived in England before going to New Zealand. Not only does this prove true, but it turns out that her father had remarried after the death of Gwenda's mother, to a woman called Helen Kennedy. With this little bit of information Gwenda and Giles decide that they have to find out more, such as if her father did indeed live in their new home, and what happened to Helen. It is here that Miss Marple warns them against raking up the past, but there is little chance of them listening to this - otherwise we wouldn't have a story!
This is how it differs to so many other Marple mysteries. Because we know so little, only what Gwenda can remember from when she was a child, any bit of information they come across is as much of a revelation to them as it is to us. We are basically playing detective with the couple. And some revelations are particularly hard to stomach for Gwenda, such as the revelation by Helen's brother Dr Kennedy (Frederick Treves) that her father ended up in an asylum because he kept believing he had strangled Helen, despite there being no body. One particularly effective scene is when Gwenda visits the asylum and speaks to the doctor there (John Ringham), who at one point says "Of course I expect you already know that your father committed suicide." Only she didn't, and the expression on her face tells it all. For Gwenda, this is not just about unearthing a possible murder as an emotional journey of discovery into her past and of her father, and at times the revelations are painful. She doesn't know what she will uncover because she has been told so little of her past, and it is this aspect that I find so fascinating - and at times touching - in this adaptation. For all she knows her father may of been a murderer, but she knows she has to press on regardless, for Helen's sake.
It marries these tender moments beautifully as the couple decide to delve into Helen's background and character, and discover that she had a number of suitors before her disappearance. They range from former fiance Walter Fane, dodgy wideboy Jackie Afflick and married colonel Richard Erskine. All are visited upon (with numerous excuses for being there), along with her father's housemaid at that time Edith Paget (Jean Heywood) in a bid to try and work out just what happened all those years ago, and the flashbacks add colour to the mystery. I particularly enjoyed Jean Heywood's performance of Paget, while Eryl Maynard adds colour as the maid Lily Kimble, who spots their notice in the newspaper and wonders to her husband (an amusingly taciturn turn by Ken Kitson) if she should come forward with what she remembers of the day Helen disappeared. Has she never seen the other Marple adaptations? Does she not know that nothing good ever seem to happen to domestics in Agatha Christie stories? As to the other suitors, Terrence Hardiman gives a lovely performance as the dull but seemingly decent Walter Fane, but it's John Bennett that stands out the most for me as Colonel Erskine. There's a scene when Gwenda contrives to return to his house when his jealous wife is out (a chilling Geraldine Newman) on the pretext of a lost ear ring so she can talk to him about Helen that is beautifully played. Bennett is outstanding as the weary but gracious former lover, reflecting on a romance long ago while trapped in a marriage with a jealous wife, and he and Geraldine Alexander play that scene perfectly. The only odd note is Kenneth Cope (who I loved in Randall & Hopkirk) as Jackie Afflick. There's nothing really wrong with his performance, it's just that he doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the casting.
But it's Geraldine Alexander who is the star turn here. Acting with a New Zealand accent that is surprisingly decent, she has to carry this mystery as Gwenda and she does so magnificently. She has to go through a range of emotions, as she eventually discovers information about her father and stepmother that has been buried away for years, as well as the traumatic memory of witnessing a murder. Her scene during The Duchess of Malfi is electrifying, while the final climax is suitably memorable (especially for me as a child). She is ably supported by John Moulder-Brown, while Frederick Treves is also memorable as Dr Kennedy. This adaptation serves up on so many levels. It's not just a murder mystery, but something far deeper emotionally. The hidden (or sleeping) murder eventually impacts on everyone they question, reopening old wounds that many thought had healed and the solution is deeply sinister. Few Miss Marple adaptations have such emotional subtext as this, which is probably why it has stayed with me ever since.