User Reviews

The sleepy peaceful home of the Bantry's is woken to the shattering news that the body of a young platinum blond woman has been found in the Library. Somehow she seems unreal, Dolly Bantry seeks the help of her friend Jane Marple, and the pair seek to unravel the mystery, enquiries lead them to the seaside.

This version mirrors the book in so many ways, it's a truly faithful adaptation, as the saying goes 'if it ain't broke don't fix it.' I understand that a few elements are missed, but it would have been impractical to attempt to squeeze it all in.

Straight away Joan Hickson shows us why she is the definitive Miss Marple, endorsed by Agatha Christie herself, she'd play the role from 1984 - 1992 and make it her own. She is truly wonderful, even after her introduction you just know that she is Miss Marple.

Other performances I liked, firstly Gwen Watford, she is delightful as the ditsy Dolly Bantry, so excited that a body has been found, she clearly loved a bit of drama, I'm so glad she returned in the final episode too. David Horovitch played Slack so well, I can see why he was made a recurring character, I'm sure he was overused but I get why. Trudie Styler is a brilliant Josie Turner, she helps to make the ending quite brilliant, all in a look.

It is very long, they certainly put as much of the book in it as possible, it's very faithful, possibly guilty of being a little slow in parts. That somehow seems not to matter, it's a gorgeous production and well worth watching. 8/10

A simple plot: a the body of a young woman is found in the library of a manor house in Kent. She can be traced to a sea-side hotel, and the list of suspects is endless. The police are baffled. So, who do you call in? Scotland Yard? The FBI? No. Just call Miss Marple, the elderly sleuth from St Mary Mead. She may look innocent, but her mind has plummeted the deaths of human inequity, and is as sharp as a meat cleaver.

This is the first of the twelve adaptations made by the BBC between 1984 and 1992, all featuring the late, great Joan Hickosn, who is regarded as the definitive Miss Marple. Hickson truly shines as Miss Marple, able to convey a sense of depth in the character, and to really capture Miss Marple as Christie described her: on the outside, seemingly dotty - a fluffy, gentle old lady more concerned with knitting than murder; but on the inside, a detective genius, but very modest, also.

The supporting cast are really quite good, too. Gwen Watford is delightful as Mrs Bantry, in whose library the body is found. Her dependence on Miss Marple, and the way that she acts as though Miss Marple were her nanny, always asking questions in a sweet, child-like way is quite charming. Moray Watson (whom you may recognise from the Darling Buds of May) is also very good as the proud, military man Colonel Bantry, who appears very strong, but, as Miss Marple says, like most military men, is unusually sensitive. The rest of the cast are good too, particularly, David Horovitch as Chief Inspector Slack, the zealous police officer who is always trying to outdo Miss Marple in detective skills, but rarely succeeds, much to his own chagrin!

The period detail is also excellent, and really recreates a Britsoh sea-side resort in the years directly after WWII, with people gradually starting to enjoy themselves again, and really getting into the swing of leisure, dinner and dancing. The costumes are realistic, as are the characters. The eventual solution will surprise you!

This adaptation far surpasses the new ITV series featuring Geraldine McEwan, who, in my opinion, is far too racy nd modern to play Miss Marple. If you want a more wholesome, realistic Miss Marple, who is more like the Miss Marple of the books, I highly recommend that you watch this.

I have been watching on TV the 1984 version of Miss Marple.

This one is with Joan Hickson in the eponymous role.

What a delight having been subjected to the unsuited Geraldine McEwan version (2004) series in recent times.

The difference between the two is so marked as to be astonishing.

Maybe you should watch both just to see how good Joan Hickson is.

So if you are an aspiring actress do compare and contrast.

Poor Geraldine McEwan, how could you follow what is a definitive portrayal ?

So if you like Christie and Marple - Joan Hickson is number one and second is some far distant even broad daylight. I'd say Geraldine McEwan was in the rear of the pack myself.

Joan Hickson played the role as if she was born to do it, same as David Suchet for Poirot. Both are definitive performances and that's all there is to say.

Geraldine McEwan is a fine actress. Sadly, she follows in Hayes' and Rutherford's footsteps in completely failing to capture Miss Marple such as Christie wrote her, a frail old lady with wise eyes and a mind beyond sharp. I even caught a glimpse of McEwan with a positive SPRING in her step in one of her scenes, for Goodness' sake!! Way too youthful, way too OTT.

Joan Hickson, RIP.

The ending was a total surprise. My guess as to the killer's identity was flat wrong. But, of course, once the explanation is given, the events make perfect sense. There are clues all over the place, but they're very subtle. Some are in the dialogue. If spoken words were taken at face value, we would know instantly who the villain is. Instead, we take these words only in the context of the discussion. Thus, we overlook their significance. This film is probably one of the better TV murder mysteries derived from an Agatha Christie novel.

Casting and acting are fine. As Miss Marple, Joan Hickson plays it low-key and deferential. Other actors are also a delight. Andrew Cruickshank as Conway Jefferson, Raymond Francis as Sir Henry Clithering, and Frederick Jaeger as Chief Constable Melchett enhance the overall quality of acting.

The plot does seem a tad strung out. The story doesn't really justify a two and a half-hour plot. Several sequences, especially in the first half, could have been shortened or deleted. I'm assuming the story takes place in the early 1950s, but the script doesn't really specify.

I like the spine-tingling suspense near the end. All we see of the killer is a shadowy figure and a pair of black-gloved hands. Marvelous! And Miss Marple sums up the entire story: "It's a mystery. But then we all are, aren't we? Even to ourselves, especially to ourselves".

While I slightly prefer A Murder is Announced(my personal favourite of the 12 feature length adaptations) and Sleeping Murder, The Body in the Library is a beautifully done adaptation of a very good book. And yes, it is much better than the Geraldine McEwan version, which was spoiled significantly by that wretched ending. I know people will say it is unfair to rag on the Geraldine McEwan adaptations, but I have to admit while I don't despise them with the exception of about four they are disappointing, particularly Nemesis, Sittaford Mystery and At Bertram's Hotel.

Back to this version. While a tad overlong and a little slow, The Body in the Library is an interesting and very worthwhile adaptation, not to mention more faithful. It is lovingly photographed, with the photography, costumes and scenery as always beautiful, and the music is lovely. The story rarely loses interest, the direction is attentive and the script is sophisticated and thoughtful. The acting once again is very good, with Joan Hickson simply terrific as Miss Marple(and I concur with the reviewers who say she was the best Miss Marple, she is certainly the warmest and the wisest) and Gwen Watford delightful as Mrs Bantry. So in conclusion, a very good start to 12 worthwhile, beautifully filmed and thoughtfully acted and written adaptations with Joan Hickson. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is a lovely adaptation of The Body in the Library.

One of the best things about it is the relationship between the Melchett's. The two actors have such great chemistry, and you really get a sense of how solid their relationship is. How well they work together.

Hickson plays Marple brilliantly. She's kind, and sweet. If one doesn't pay attention, they will miss the twinkle of genuine intelligence in her eyes. The way they take everything in, missing nothing. Knowing and studying all.

The locations, set design, and direction are all similarly brilliant. You get a wonderful sense of place and time.

However, the adaptation does fall down in one area. And it is a major one.

The casting of Trudie Skylar in a pretty major role. If you know anything about the story, you'll understand immediately what I mean.

She's just... awful. Absolutely, stunningly awful in the role. It's not often one performance rips me from a film so completely that I wish she was not in it at all.

Skylar does this each time she appears. It is hard to understand how she could be allowed to give a performance like this unless everyone on set was asleep while she was there.

Even the minor characters are better equipped than she is to handle the task.

I do wonder if it is a failure of direction or whether she's just an awful actress, as I have not seen her before. I do not understand how she was cast or how anyone could fathom that her performance was good enough to print.

Other than her, however, what you have here is a good bit of English cosy mystery that is well worth a watch.

I loved these BBC Marples but hadn't seen them for a while. Sadly they aren't as great as I remember. Hickson is wonderful as always, but some of the supporting cast are just awful. Dolly's awful voice and accent. The wooden acting of some of the cast,, especially the tennis player - how did he get cast he is not an actor. - Josie is frightful and pretty scary to look at.

The scenery and plot is beautiful, unfortunately the episodes are totally spoilt by the incidental music. When the bloke in the wheelchair turns around, we have dah, dah, dah - as in old horror films. Why? He hadn't appeared earlier. Silly jingling bells as Marple thinks of something. Jolly music is turned to dour music as Bantry walks around.

These Marples need to be re-made with a proper actors and with no silly music.

This gem is indeed far superior to the Geraldine McEwan version. Although it is a very good attempt and the supporting cast are superb,the period detail very good and is faithful to the book, Miss McEwan just does not have the x factor for Miss Marple. In fact with the contrived voice and the gestures she tries just that bit too hard to achieve what Joan Hickson did with so much ease.

I understand that so far only four of the series have been re-filmed out of a total of twelve, and I am sure that out of the available Miss Marple contenders. i.e. Angela Lansbury, Helen Hayes, Maragret Rutherford,Joan Hickson and Geraldene McEwan it will be found that Miss Hickson is the definitive.

For a Christie near-addict, I find it difficult to even watch the Geraldine McEwan versions...esp. since Hickson was so flawless! I gather Christie herself had chosen her originally. Geraldine: way to ditsy. Rutherford: trying too hard to be comical and the novels are not comedies ! Hickson is scarily CONVINCING as the amazingly shrewd, analytical "old maid" who can still flutter and cluck on occasion...but the intelligence she brings to the role should discourage others. It's like Olivier in Richard III...and possibly Henry V. Case closed; find something else to play. Also: why fiddle with the setting? Christie set it in prewar England. And the supporting cast: most of whom I gather have sadly passed on--just show how deep the "bench" was in the matter of character actors of a certain generation. I doubt you could rustle up the same caliber today.

To be honest, a 2-and-a-half-hour episode of the Joan Hickson Miss Marple series may seem like a fearsome prospect to some, given the fact that most of the regular approximately 100-minute episodes feel slow and plodding. Surprisingly, "The Body In The Library" turns out to be not only the longest, but also probably the best-paced film in the series out of the 8 I've seen so far! The "body" of the title is discovered right away, and the murder investigation begins shortly afterwards. Therefore, you're caught up in the mystery before you have the chance to start worrying about its length. And this particular Agatha Christie story is thick enough to support that length: there are few slow spots, and although you might figure out bits of the plot (like the relevance of the second dead body), the revelation of the killer(s) is still a shocker! Personally I have not been crazy about Joan Hickson's interpretation of Miss Marple so far, but this is one of her best outings and she has some good introspective moments. The supporting cast is solid, and David Horovitch's Inspector Slack is (thankfully) not the off-putting loudmouth of such later episodes as "They Do It With Mirrors". (***)

EDIT: Having now seen all the Marple films twice, "The Body In The Library" is, in my opinion, the best of the series. If you don't like this, "A Murder Is Announced" and "Nemesis", don't even bother with the rest.

The Bantry's wake up in their home one morning to find the body of a young woman they have never seen before, lying in their library. They duly call the police and the girl is identified as a dancer from the Majestic hotel (several towns away) and the time of death is established. However, with more of a link to the girl than he realised and no alibi for the time of the murder, Colonel Bantry finds himself a suspect at worst and a point of gossip at best. Mrs Bantry decides to get away for a bit and, hoping to clear her husband's name, asks her friend Miss Marple to accompany her to the seaside and the Majestic Hotel, to carry out their own investigation.

Structuring the delivery of the story a bit differently from some of the other BBC Marple films I had seen, this film jumps right into the mystery and only really gives background in flashback scenes during interviews and the investigation generally. This approach works well early on because it sets out a solid pace and urgency early on. The BBC Marple films generally have a slow pace so, even though it did gradually settle down to what I expected, it gave it a nice boost early on. The story is the usual complex mix of mystery and characters delivered with a good sense of period; it won't win over those used to 45 minute chunks of CSI etc but it does have a certain style and charm of its own. I'm not being snobby when I say that about CSI because I must confess that at times I found it frustratingly slow and occasionally a bit too subtle for my tastes but generally the quality of the material works.

The material is also structured well to, as normal, use the police almost as much as it uses Miss Marple. Looking back it seems risky (can you imagine a Columbo where he is sidelined for big sections?) but it works well and compliments the feel of the film. Hickson is, as many have said, the definitive Marple and only looks better and better the more ITV insist on wheeling out McEwan in their versions. She is classy and thoughtful and she very much fills the idea of the elderly spinster that I have in my head (and it seems Christie had in hers). She benefits from having Watford as a companion for much of the film and she is quite fun as a contrast. Horovitch gives his usual good turn; he is not as good as Marple of course but unlike some other "bumbling cop" performances he is given a good cop and he always plays it as such. Support from the rest of the cast is roundly good without anyone dominating the rest of them.

Overall then this has the usual "faults" of the BBC Marple series in that it is quite complex (and doesn't really help you out along the way) and it can be frustratingly slow at times. However for fans of the series these may not be faults; either way the film is an engaging mystery that is well written and well delivered by the cast. I could have happily had it 30 minutes shorter and tighter/slicker as a result but as it was it still worked well enough and certainly fans will enjoy it.

This movie in three parts was very enjoyable but much too long. The cast is first rate and the script is very clever, especially for Miss Marple's character, as performed by Joan Hickson. I have seen Joan Hickson in several of these Agatha Christie mysteries and I cannot imagine anyone else so good. As soft spoken and unassuming as Hickson appears, her character is the dominant figure in any scene she is in. On the other hand, her friend played by Gwen Watford, is the excitable and opinionated Dolly Bantry, in awe of Miss Marple's analytical mind and powers of observation. Dolly seeks her out to investigate a murder when a body is discovered in her library.

We encounter an interesting cast of characters as the movie progresses and takes Dolly and Miss Marple to a nearby luxury hotel where the murder occurred. The body in question is that of a young woman working as a dancer in the hotel. She had managed to become a favourite of a wealthy resident and secured herself a legacy in his will. We see the old boy network at work as Colonel Bantry, Dolly's husband, and the chief inspector get together to limit the damage to the family. The chief inspector keeps tight control of his investigating police officer as he works closely with the Bantrys to bring the case to a satisfactory conclusion. Jane Marple provides key clues along the way as she analyzes and huddles with others on the hunt. A very good mystery could have been better, if shortened from three hours to two.

I remember seeing the Miss Marple series when they were first broadcast as a child, and I still have fond memories of them. Sometimes you find that some shows do not age well, but this series is a joy. Certainly it makes a cracking start with this absorbing and somewhat complex mystery. The Body in the Library does what it says on the tin. One morning Colonel Bantry and his wife are woken up by a maid who tells them there is a body in their library. Puzzled, they go down to discover that a body of a young girl is indeed lying on the rug in their library. But they have no idea who she is or what she is doing there. Naturally the police are called in, but while that is going on Dolly Bantry (Gwen Watford) has invited her old friend Jane Marple (Joan Hickson) to come and have a gawp at the corpse herself (as you do). Heading the police investigation is Inspector Slack (David Horowitz), who is brusque and impatient to get a quick result (some hope!). He sees an opening when a dancer by the name of Ruby Keene is reported missing from a hotel 15 miles away. But quite why she would be lying dead in a stranger's library miles away is anyone's guess.

So starts the mystery. To say more would only spoil things, but it is a puzzle that has many twists and turns and revelations to come before it all becomes clear. And it thoroughly justifies it's 3 part format. It takes it's time in taking in the facts and clues as they materialize, plus questioning of the suspects as vital clues (or red herrings) are revealed. The Body in the Library is how mystery dramas used to be like. As with the PD James series or Wexford mysteries it would allow the viewer time to work out the clues over several episodes and get to know the characters, and the pace of The Body in the Library makes this thoroughly absorbing. It also delights in the attention to detail with the period settings that because of when it was filmed (1984) now feels as if it really is in the 1940's. And the opening credits deserve some mention, depicting everyday village folk - such as the women shoppers, vicar by the churchyard, woman at the window - all with suspicious or maybe dubious expressions on them, giving you the hint that no one can be trusted.

The remarkable feature in all this is Joan Hickson. When she was cast in 1984 she was 78 years old. This was some risk to start what would prove a long running TV series, as imagine if Hickson had died within the year? As it was she went on to live until she was 92, and after years of being a character actress it made her a deserved star. She was Agatha Christie's own choice to play Jane Marple and she really does fit the part. There are some criticism of Hickson's portrayal, with the usual accusation of her being "fluffy" and cuddly. It's a bizarre accusation as her performance is anything but. The outside appearance may be of a amiable flustered old lady who everyone chats to, but there are times when she is chatting to Dolly Bantry (or gossiping with the old girls in The Murder at the Vicarage) where she is quite acerbic in her observations. She likes a good gossip like anyone else, but has no qualms about dissecting a person's character for scrutiny. It is this that makes Hickson's performance all so believable. Only her fuddle headed way of trying to explain things to a bemused Inspector Slack when she goes to mention a newspaper report on a missing schoolgirl lets her down a bit. Other than that she is perfect because she is real, not a grotesque or caricature like in the awful 2005 ITV remake with Geraldine McEwan.

There are also good support from other cast members. David Horowitz as Slack is a fascinating character; swift, determined to get a result but lacking the patience or tack that would make him a great detective. As such he rubs people up the wrong way, but there are times when you can sympathize with him. One of the few irritations in this is straight from the off his superior Colonel Melchett (Frederick Jaegar) insists that Miss Marple be assigned to the case, and is later echoed by Sir Henry Clithering (Raymond Francis). You can't blame Slack for baulking at this. Can you imagine a police investigation being told to let a little old lady tag along to help with their inquiries? It would be laughable. It's emphasized by them to such a point as how marvellously clever she is "with the mind like a meat cleaver" it becomes a little embarrassing and is the one real duff note in an otherwise excellent adaptation. Thankfully later adaptations would not be so blunt with their approach in introducing her to cases. There are also a couple of cast members who are a little too pompous or theatrical in their performances, such as Andrew Cruickshank as Conway Jefferson. But there are others who are good value for their money. Mentions go to Gwen Watford and Trudie Styler, while Ciaran Maddern is always convincing in anything I've seen her in. But I do wish she and Keith Drinkel as Jefferson's in-laws had been given more scenes to show off their talents. However, I quite enjoyed Anthony Smee's performance as Basil Blake, who is wonderfully mischievous at time, while there is an added joy of seeing Arthur Bostrum as Ruby Keane's dancing partner, just a year before he would find fame as Officer Crabtree in 'Allo 'Allo. And Andrew Downer (son of Dilys Laye) deserves a mention as Peter Carmody, Jefferson's grandson, who is just enjoying playing amateur sleuth and inadvertently finds an important clue for Miss Marple. It's a lovely enthusiastic performance, and is such a shame to learn he died so young of cancer at just 38.

Overall, this adaptation is a huge success. It's pace suits the complex mystery and gives the viewer time to take things in and try and guess not just who did it, but why and how! It's thoroughly understandable why it progressed to such a long running series, and we can only be even more thankful that the BBC's choice of the 78 year old Joan Hickson paid off. For me she IS Miss Marple, but credit should also go to David Horowitz as Inspector Slack. Without his different clash of personality, this could of progressed to being a gentle amble through a period mystery of yore. As it is, it gives the mystery the edge and sometimes urgency it needs. A superb debut for Miss Marple.

On a rare day to myself I decided to watch both versions: Hickson and McEwan. While McEwan is good, Hickson is the definitive Miss Marple. While most of this comes down to just being what I envisioned long before these films were made, part of it is also due to the scripts and overall productions. While I agree with others about the Hickson version being overly long, (remember though it had to fill a certain time slot I'm sure), the McEwan version is too short to allow her to present the character with the same depth. The McEwan script has a rushed feel to it. The Hickson version presents a nice slow peek into village life from its opening sequence to people staring out their windows to see what juicy tidbits are happening outside. My biggest beef with the Hickson version is the dreadful ending. No flashbacks, just a rushed explanation. Like they ran out of production time! I mean, there were other flashback sequences yet they couldn't be bothered with the most important one!? And they're all sitting there laughing despite the fact that Miss Marple has just explained the plot behind the death of two young people! So callous.

As for the others, it's a good thing for Trudie Styler that she's married to Sting because I can't imagine her actually earning a living by acting. She is absolutely dreadful. No force of personality whatsoever. The actress in the McEwan version was much more charismatic. This character is supposed to be a take charge kind of person. Styler speaks in an annoying whisper most of the time and I could barely hear her.

Slack, Melchett, Clithering all great. No need really for the additional detective. Lake was it?

Addie as a flirt was not what I recall from the book. I suppose it was just meant to reinforce her sudden awakening after declaring her widowhood over.

Blake and Dinah were ok, not nearly as feisty and fun as they were in the McEwan version. This Dolly Bantry was so much better than the campy, ridiculously over the top Joanna Lumley of the newer version.

I give this version a B+ and the McEwan version a C.

It's 2023 so it's fun to read the reviews stretching back nearly 20 years!

Mrs. Dolly Bantry (Gwen Watford) tries to inform her husband of the reported body. Hert husband (Moray Watson) accuses her of imagining this due to reading trashy books in the bed at night.

As usual, Jane (Joan Hickson) is always in the right place to view the potential suspects. Clues are everywhere; yet who would mix bodies and books?

The runtime seems a bit long for the Mrs. Marple series at 151 minutes. This is one of 12 feature length presentations. As it was made for TV (1984), I suspect that this video is a composite of a series. And there are places where it takes leaps to different situations without any transition.

You can guess the plot in general, but the details are surprising. It is wrapped up so quickly that you will need to run the ending a few times to put it all in perspective.