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The Pale Horse

bob_smith 30 Aug 10 at 6:57 p.m. GMT

Why does the new TV story 'The Pale Horse' have Miss Marple in it when she isn't in the original story or book?

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MissQuin 01 Sep 10 at 10:36 a.m. GMT

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Did anyone notice the simularities with TV version of Mr Osborne and Graham Young?

 Mr Osborne in the programme, was a murder as a child and who experimented with posions, who killed his stepfather. The was inprisoned, the let out to do the same thing again.

This is simular to the Bovingdon Bug case killer, where the murderer was caught because the doctor read the Pale Horse! In fact I think they based the TV Mr O on Graham Young.

shanty_sleuth 01 Sep 10 at 12:01 a.m. GMT

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GKCfan, that's exactly the solution to the adaptation. Don't worry, they didn't change any aspects of that.

The only death that isn't a part of the "murder-for-hire" scheme is that of the new character, Captain Cottam, who is killed to further implicate Mr Venables as the mastermind (as Venables and Cottam are feuding). He's murdered not with thallium, but with a lethal dose of Spanish fly aphrodisiac, that burned his insides (rather a cruel method of murdering someone).

GKCfan 31 Aug 10 at 8:46 p.m. GMT

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I haven't seen the adaptation yet (it won't air until next year in the U.S.), but in the original book, the deaths are essentially part of a murder-for-hire scheme.  Someone makes a perfectly legal bet with a lawyer that someone will live for a certain period of time.  The lawyer bets that the person will be dead by that time.  The person in question dies, and the lawyer collects the money.  Since there's nothing inherently illegal about the bet, and there's no evidence of foul play, no one suspects.  In any case, people don't believe that witchcraft can actually kill anyone, so the whole idea of suspicious deaths is automatically dismissed.  The killer performs the actual poisonings and got a hefty cut of the proceeds. 

MissQuin 31 Aug 10 at 8:23 p.m. GMT

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The Pale Horse review contains spoilers. I just finnished watching it and I thought it was a well made adaptation. When I heard that The Pale Horse would be a Marple I was pretty put out! But I watched it with a critacal eye:

The good points: It wasn't too far away from the orignal plot, the basics were the same. So was the killer.

The music was very well done, very atmospheric, adding to the eerie feel.

The acting was very good. It would be easy for the witches to be too hammy, but they oozed creepiness.

JJ Feild was excellent as the murderer, he really chilled me at the end.

Julia McKenzie played Miss Marple fantastically, her delicacy towards unpleasant things, mixed with sadness at her friends death. Then the slight touch of humour when she pretends not to hear the Inspector tell her not to meddle.

The Bad points: This would have been a faultless adapt if it hadn't been the seedy plot involving the man, his wife and his housekeepers "arrangement". Also Sybil was portrayed as trying to be alluring, especially during the senace scene. Very unlike the books rather more mysterious character.

But apart from these niggles, it was very good. I look forward to the other episodes. Plus raise a toast to Julia McKenzie who has really fitted into miss Marple's shoes.

What did anyone else think of the episode?

Tommy_A_Jones 31 Aug 10 at 12:56 p.m. GMT

I quite enjoyed it last night, The Murderer did it for Money, spoiler spoiler spoiler The Murderer had a nice little Bussiness Going

It doesn't explain WHY The Producers think that does it? GKC

squatty 31 Aug 10 at 9:08 a.m. GMT

Well, I watched it last night. And, I'm none the wiser.

Its probably 25 years since I read the book but I was left bemused - why did the murderer do it?

GKCfan 30 Aug 10 at 8:28 p.m. GMT

We've all been asking that question for months...

Apparently the producers of "Marple" think it would be a really great idea to insert Miss Marple into a bunch of novels that she doesn't appear in, so that's why The Pale Horse was filmed with her in it.