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They Do It With Mirrors

(Contains spoilers!)

vansittart 04 Jan 10 at 1:03 a.m. GMT

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What did everyone think of Julia McKenzie's latest outing on UK telly? Personally I enjoyed it but not unreservedly. I like McKenzie's potrayal of Miss M - it's dignified, warm but shrewd with an appropriate amount of steel beneath the fluffiness. I had no real problems with the rest of the cast though Joan Collins' American accent wandered about a bit! I really liked Penelope Wilton as Carrie Louise BUT therein lay one of the problems for me.

In the book, everyone thinks Carrie Louise lives with her head in the clouds and it is only when Miss Marple realises that Carrie Louise sees the essential truth more clearly than anyone that she begins to unravel the mystery. Wilton's Carrie Louise was quite a sensible, down to earth woman from the start so that particular thread never came to anything. Apart from that, it was pretty faithful - yes, they added a few things but nothing too damaging (though I could have done without the oysters and Bellever's little subplot) and I liked it. However, and I know I'll be in the minority here, much as I prefer McKenzie to McEwen, I do miss the flamboyance of some of the earlier Marples. Films such as 'Vicarage', 'Moving Finger', 'Paddington' and even 'Library' were wonderfully stylish and vibrant. It helped to distinguish them from the more traditional (but still wonderful) Hickson films.

Still, a decent offering all in all I thought!

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MissQuin 12 Jan 10 at 8:23 p.m. GMT

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Ive just watched They do it with mirrors. I'm trying to think of something positive to say.. Tom Payne was excellent as Edgar. Maxine Peake and Julia McKenzie were also very good. The scenery and old house had the right feel. I thought the woman who played Gina was terrible! She made little squeaking noises to try and show how uspet she was! Why did Gina dress as her mother? I can't see any kind of sense in why that was added. I felt Carrie Louise seemed less gentle and more of a realist. I dont think any of the American accents were any good. I got rather bored with it by mid way and wished it would speed up. Ive never found TDIWM one of the best Marples, so maybe they did the best they could with it. On the other hand, using American actors or people who can DO American accents may have been better.

Tommy_A_Jones 05 Jan 10 at 3:10 p.m. GMT

Making Carrie Louise the oerson who set up the Institution didn't work for me, The losing money bit did but if Lewis wanted to save her he could have just said 'Look Darling, I can't throw anymore money at this thing, as it is bleeding us dry' or am I missing something? 

Puffinjill 05 Jan 10 at 6:42 a.m. GMT

I too prefer Julia McKenzies stab at Miss Marple to Geraldine McEwans attempt but thats not a difficult choice to make, seeing as I ran screaming from my TV after seeing the first couple with GM and stubbornly refused to watch most of the rest. So I'm not the best judge of them, not having seen many of them. Julia McKenzie seems to be turning in a more conventional interpretation of Miss M, but still falls wide of the mark for me. It's not that her performance is bad, just that the incomparable Joan Hickson has already turned in THE perfect (in my very humble opinion) portrayal of Miss Marple and, therefore, I'm going to find it hard to be unbiased whenever I watch any new adaptations.

Still, this latest one was quite pleasing, despite the changes they felt they needed to make. And I agree about the change of  character for Carrie Louise, vansittart. Having her as a down to earth woman who set up the institution herself didn't work for me. It seems, for some reason, they decided to swap around some of the character traits of of Carrie Louise and Lewis and I can't really see why. Anyway, as I said, faithful enough to please the majority of AC fans, I think. I fear it is when the powers that be decide to plonk Miss M into a non-series book that they get it ALL wrong (thinking back to Murder Is Easy) and not even a half decent portrayal of Miss M can save these. ITV can do it, if they want to, but I so dread the next episode.

Tommy_A_Jones 04 Jan 10 at 4:34 p.m. GMT

I didn't see Wilton's Carrie Louise like that, I thought she had her head in the Clouds right up until she told Miss Marple she must speak to the Inspector, I didn't mind Bellever's Sub-plot as it added something new, I don'yt mind Carbon copiues of Adaptations but I think this Book needs something else which the Bellever sub-plot gave it.

I am so Glad the newer Miss Marples are less Flamboyant as I have always thought the Flamboyance in Miss Marple stories Innapropriate, I really wish Julia McKenzie could do the Books Geraldine McKewan did because as everyone knows I prefer Ms McKenzie's Portrayal of Miss Marple. One thing I gree on though, It was a decent enough offering.