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gbennie
Reviews
Sparkling Cyanide (2003)
not what i expected
After reading the book years ago and seeing the 1983 film version, (which was very dated), I was looking forward to this adaptation. I really thought that this film version would do all the right things and be set in the proper 1940s era.
However, I was wrong and very disappointed at the modern take. It just did not work. The film tried to combine the traditional British aspects of the book with a modern setting, and the modern clothing really detracted from the whole atmosphere and elegance presented in the novel.
It might have been to do with the scene of Iris in the shower that put me off, which was completely unnecessary or the fact that it was too similar to the modern mysteries nowadays (like "Lewis" and "Midsomer Murders") and lacking the clever old fashioned Agatha Christie touch.
I can't remember the specific things about the cast - I do remember thinking how different Aunt Lucilla was portrayed in this version compared to the 1983 one.
My advice: if you watch this do not associate it with the ingenuity of Agatha Christie, but rather see it as just another modern murder mystery. Even the 1983 version seems to succeed this in the end, despite its 1980's touches.
In the Beginning (2000)
okay, but casting a problem
I was somewhat bemused by some of the odd casting choices in this TV film. First of all, there is a great variety in nationalities such as British, American, Indian, Pakistani etc. Getting down to character specifics, some of the cast worked and others did not.
Martin Landau was rather good as Abraham but perhaps too dominant, with anger in his voice in the opening scene. Jacqueline Bisset had a natural complexion but was too young and her grey wig was quite obvious. In this film she is supposed to be way past maternity age yet it seems surprising that in "Joan of Arc" the year before she played Joan's mother quite convincingly. Geraldine Chaplin as Yocheved might have been a better choice for Sarah, by switching their roles. Joseph looked the part but unfortunately had an American accent. As other reviews stated, I did not think Moses was done too badly apart from his prosthetic nose in the last scene. Perhaps the candidate for the worst acting was Sara Carver as Hagar, who as an African American, asked too many questions that her role did not call for. She also had a strong British accent. I was also surprised by the scene where Abraham attempts to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, where he is described as a "boy" in the Bible and not 24, Luke Mably's age.
Amongst these casting frustrations, others delivered well such as Rachel and Leah (who bore enough similarities so that they could be possibly mistaken for one another), Rebeccah and Rameses II.
The stories had to be abridged but did not need such a simple script. Sarah's line about Hagar being beautiful, in particular, was definitely not necessary.
The effects were attempted well though the snakes turned from staffs looked animated as did the thunder on top of Mount Sinai, when Moses was getting the Ten Commandments. The plagues were skipped through rather quickly with little build up to the parting of the Red Sea. The Garden of Eden looked like a set especially when Adam and Eve were being banished and running through the thunder and wind. Also, before Moses pushed it over, the golden calf looked like it was made from paper-mache.
I like the fact that this was not a Hollywood adaptation and tried to be realistic in the scenery. However, at times this film was perhaps too dull and uninteresting that I found myself fast-forwarding sections.
Do not expect great performances or special effects but this adaptation still tries to remain true to the Biblical stories.
Miss Marple: The Moving Finger (1985)
classic mystery
I remember seeing this adaptation many years ago and remembered it as being rather scary, so recently I borrowed a taped version to verify my memory. Being an adept Agatha Christie fan and owning almost all her novels, this film sets the mood well of an old-fashioned quaint mystery, like most of the Joan Hickson series. I have seen both Margaret Rutherford and Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple and undoubtedly Hickson exceeds them. In The Moving Finger, Miss Marple does not play a huge role and it is perhaps not the most clever or suspenseful of her cases. Whilst it moves at a slow pace, it does present realistic reactions to the murders. The film sets the scene well in the English countryside with stereotypical characters. The outfits in the Geraldine McEwan adaptations are a bit ambitious and too glamorous for quiet English settings, whereas they are more accurate in this with garments of tweed and natural hairstyles. The casting is suitable as it did not contain any famous movie stars (eg. Joanna Lumley in the recent 'Body in the Library') giving the film its authentic touch. For me, the most interesting and distinctive parts of the film were the murders. Although not violent, the body of Beatrice in the cupboard used to haunt me and when I re-watched the film it still did. I did notice Mrs Symmington's body twitching as though she were still breathing but this did not subtract from the brilliance of the acting. Elizabeth Counsell portrays a very loath-able character, providing a motive for any of the characters due to sheer hatred. Despite this, the murderer appeared rather obvious in my opinion, but that may be because I have read the book. Some may be disappointed at the very basic solution. Instead of calling the characters into the room and giving a fifteen minute monologue (with the help of flashbacks), here Joan Hickson explains it briefly in a few minutes with little ingenuity. Nevertheless, this film will impress those looking for a simple straightforward murder mystery because it has all the basic ingredients - clues, suspects, red herrings (such as the comment that the sender of the poison-pen letters is a woman) and the murderer caught trying to kill at the end. Overall this adaptation is hard to find but it is worth it. It is not too long and provides for a pleasurable night (just beware of Beatrice in the cupboard soon after the first murder, which may give nightmares). 'The Moving Finger' is not the most thrilling or clever Agatha Christie film but it is still well done.