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Murder is Easy

Jemma 08 Sep 09 at 1:43 p.m. GMT

Tune in to ITV1 this Sunday at 8pm to watch Murder is Easy. Julia McKenzie stars as Miss Marple in this adaptation of a classic Christie novel.

Let us know what you think!

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24 replies

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murder_is_easy123 29 Oct 11 at 10:20 a.m. GMT

I agree with Miss Quin - it felt more like Midsomer Murders.  The cast were the type of people you would find in an episode of MM and the motive was very similar

Tommy_A_Jones 31 Aug 11 at 12:19 p.m. GMT

I think it is a pity ITV messed up the chance to do a Great Adaptation, There is an arguement for putting MM in this one as the book needs her IMHO but the Deaths at the beginning happened much to quickly and the Change of Motive was unnecessary. I think Benedict Cumberbatch was good though and Julia McKenzie was good in this one but that is all I can say in its favour, If you don't see this you won't waste your time, if you do there are good bits, I like the fact there are 3 sleuths

popbubble 30 Aug 11 at 4:03 p.m. GMT

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I really liked this book, but the film was not nearly as good as I expected! I usually like it when miss.Marple is put in stories which she didnt originally exist in, and I dont mind when the plots get changed a little, but this was just . In this one they took out about three victims (the chauffer with the pinapple, Tommy pushed out the window, ect). The motive was totally changed, and miss.Wayneflete was way to young. I almost expected for them to not have miss.Waynflete as the murderer. 

But this is just my oppinion, Im not trying to stop people from watching this film or anything.

MissQuin 06 Jul 10 at 4:12 p.m. GMT

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Oh and we have the "gathering the suspects in the room" again... That Miss Marple forced a sobbing woman to admit to a room full of people that her brother raped her? Then she killed him? Miss Marple wouldn't do that.

There whole witchcraft storyline that was the main plot of the book, was switched to one about politlics. Did they think that's more exciting?!

I actually like Mr Ellsworthy! I have no idea why, I think it's because he's the wicked villian. He wasn't in this.

I love the sinister undercurrant of meance, but there wasn't nothing like that in this TV version. Murder is Easy has an edge to it, it can be compared to Chrisite's greats.

 the TV adapt felt like a Midsomer Murder's episode. Now I confess, I like some Midsommer-because it's entertaining. It has two diamensional characters, silly plots and such and it's not Chrisite. None of the character's had much depth.

The murderer was shown in a way that you could understand her actions. She wasn't a saditiac mad woman on a revenge rampage. Yet I liked the books version better. Ther are people who kill because their evil or because they have a mental health problem. They don't have to be given a "reason". I think Chrisite knew and understood that.

Am I one of the few who didn't like this? Or do people  dislike it, but dont feel it's worth writing about. Sorry, Ive been what might be seen as a rant. But Ive said my piece. I wasn't looking for faults, they just felt too unbearable for me to ignore. I read the book for the first time a few weeks before the programme was on actually.

Some peopel like to read all the Poirot and marple's first. But they haven't read the non series books. So I hope this adapt hasn't stopped people reading the book.

MissQuin 06 Jul 10 at 4:03 p.m. GMT

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Huge spoilers for Murder Is Easy and Sleeping Murder.

Ok, I know this is an old post. But Judy mentioned she didn't enjoy this on the Christe wall. It reminded me. I watched Pocket Full Of Rye and I was impressed. I like Julia mcKenzie as Miss Marple. So I sat down to watch Murder Is Easy, thinking it would be good... that I'd enjoy it. Well I was wrong..

Where to beguin? I don't know, theres so much. One is that it lacked any zest. The costumes seemed quite drab. The way they spoke felt wrong for the time. It made me wonder if they'd been major budget cuts.

One, when that old lady was pushed down the escalator (instead of killed by a hit and run driver) there was no-one else around. This is london and whenever Ive been on those, it's always packed and seems from my readings it always has been.

Another is, if there's a crazy serial murderer on the loose, the woman in the bath didn't lock her front door?? And Miss M doens't know Luke but goes to stay with him and he's a stranger?

Luke's character seemed quite dopey, I'm sorry but that's the only  word I can see him as! Another spare part, because Miss Marple's now the sleuth. Bridget was no longer our savvy, smart Gothic heroine. No she's a young woman with a bad American accent. Well turned out though, for a brother and sister's incestrous offspring! No sign of warped genes.

AC did write incest into at least one of her books and also in her youth wrote a play about incest. It wasn't a subject she shied away from. Yet Sleeping Murder was dealt with in a delicate, senstive way. This "adapt" just made me feel miserable.

Bundle_ 17 Sep 09 at 7:06 p.m. GMT

I understand what you mean now, Frn.

Frndorfoe 17 Sep 09 at 4:13 p.m. GMT

Yes, Bundle you are right. But what I'm trying to say is that sometime there are situations when things do get a little out of hand. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that all brother-sister relationships are like that. I'm just saying that it is not something unheard of.

S_Sigerson 17 Sep 09 at 3:54 p.m. GMT

Yes, to suggest Van Aldin had a "thing" for his daughter is hogwash. He was concerned (understandably so) since his daughter was a heiress. Her status would attract unscrupulous men who were only interested in her money. 

Bundle_ 17 Sep 09 at 3:41 p.m. GMT

Frndorfoe

But I do think somewhere deep down there is sexual jealousy involved without the brothers even really knowing about it. It's all very confusing and complex.

In that case, I wish actor JJ Feild was my brother!! LOL

But seriously , I always thought that maybe it was the big brother being protective of their little sister. Like if a guy does the sister wrong then they do them wrong too because their kin: they have the same blood. They probably feel almost like the same person, sort of.

go_leafs_nation 17 Sep 09 at 3:34 p.m. GMT

Bundle_

go_leafs_nation

If you really wanted to stretch it, you could say Rufus van Aldin's overprotectiveness of his daughter in Blue Train are signs of something else altogether...

Ah! What do you mean? You think Rufus was in love w/ his daughter? Mmm....

No, I meant that if you really wanted to the thread of probability, you could probably include Rufus van Aldin. Personally, I think it's hogwash.

S_Sigerson 17 Sep 09 at 3:20 p.m. GMT

About half the states in the United States prohibit 1st cousins from marrying. You stand a very good chance of having a baby with birth defects either mental or physical because of recessive genes coming to the surface since you are closely related one another.  If you think about marrying your 1st cousin is almost like marrying your sibling (once removed).  Yes, you are correct in the UK, Europe and most of the world you can marry your 1st cousin; however, given the probability of having children with birth defects it is not a good idea.

It might explain why insanity runs through the British aristocracy.

Incest is sexual activity between members of a family who are closely related. In the United States where 1st cousins are not allowed to marry sexual activity between 1st cousins is probably considered incestuous.

S_Sigerson 17 Sep 09 at 2:59 p.m. GMT

I found an excerpt from a book, Everyman's Guide to Agatha Christie, online that talks about incest in Agatha Christie's novels. It mentions a play Agatha Christie wrote that every manager she submitted it to refused to put it on. In her autobiography and I quote from the article she said "I once wrote a gloomy play about incest. It was refused by every manager I sent it to.---The curious thing is that nowadays (meaning 1960's) it is the kind of play which might quite likely  appeal to a manager."

http://books.google.com/books?id=llucs4iX_7cC&pg=PA219&lpg=PA219&dq=agatha+christie+wrote+about+incest&source=bl&ots=sFSP3ABVgF&sig=j9VJ43_oYSjq6fT3Gzsxprsf7yY&hl=en&ei=5VOySoqXGYjvlAfa9syWDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=agatha%20christie%20wrote%20about%20incest&f=false

The excerpt mentions Sleeping Murder.

Frndorfoe 17 Sep 09 at 2:45 p.m. GMT

Oh Sleeping Murder. I didn't feel it was sexual. He was just very, very possessive of her. I've seen that happen in many families. Many brothers (and sometimes even fathers) don't think anyone is good enough for his sister (or daughter), that someone may try to take them away form the family and it does get kind of weird. It happens more often when the brothers are years older than the sisters. The urge to protect her from the world gets stronger and soon things kind of get out of hand. But I do think somewhere deep down there is sexual jealousy involved without the brothers even really knowing about it. It's all very confusing and complex.

Tommy_A_Jones 17 Sep 09 at 2:31 p.m. GMT

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It is legal for 1st Cousins to marry so the possible instances of incest aren't.

To Sigerson I think you mean Sleeping Murder.

To Go_leafs, I don't think Nemesis can be compared to Sleeping Murder, Nemesis was a Farce from start to finish but Murder is Easy was fine until the last Murder 

Frndorfoe 17 Sep 09 at 2:23 p.m. GMT

Huh? I've read every Miss Marple ever written and I certainly don't remember anything like that.

S_Sigerson 17 Sep 09 at 2:17 p.m. GMT

I vaguely remember an Agatha Christie mystery that has a brother who killed his natural sister because he was in love with her (in a sexual way). I believe it was a Miss. Marple, but I can't recall the name of the mystery. Perhaps the name will come to me later.

Bundle_ 17 Sep 09 at 11:45 a.m. GMT

go_leafs_nation

If you really wanted to stretch it, you could say Rufus van Aldin's overprotectiveness of his daughter in Blue Train are signs of something else altogether...

Ah! What do you mean? You think Rufus was in love w/ his daughter? Mmm....

Bundle_ 17 Sep 09 at 11:44 a.m. GMT

GKCfan

There are a couple of cases where cousins are romantically involved:

Don't forget The Hollow. David liked Henrietta and Midge and they were all related.

go_leafs_nation 17 Sep 09 at 11:37 a.m. GMT

If you really wanted to stretch it, you could say Rufus van Aldin's overprotectiveness of his daughter in Blue Train are signs of something else altogether...

Either way, Murder is Easy went from a cozy village-murder to "Tuppence's Retirement Home Adventures". The plot's plausibility was weaker than most of the other episodes (heck, Nemesis' Nazis and nuns are more plausible!). However, this new story is somewhat entertaining, and Julia Mackenzie shined in her role.

How to sum it up? Murder is Easy is the Nemesis of Series 4-- vastly atered, yet guiltily entertaining.

GKCfan 17 Sep 09 at 1:34 a.m. GMT

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There are a couple of cases where cousins are romantically involved: Mysterious Affair at Styles and Sad Cypress (the latter by marriage).  As go_leafs noted, adoptive siblings fall in love in Ordeal by Innocence, but I don't think that Christie liked writing about twisted sex at all- there are hardly any definitively proved sex crimes in her books.  A film version of Towards Zero added an incest plot that wasn't in the book, and Christie's daughter insisted that they remove Christie's name from the film and change the title- they called it "Innocent Lies."