MURDER SHE SAID

This is a 1961 British mystery comedy film, based on the 1957 novel '4.50 from Paddington' by Agatha Christie.  

It stars Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, but as a very different character to that in the novels.  

Here she is an energetic, assertive and somewhat eccentric character which plays to Rutherford's strengths as a comedic actor.  It is also means that she can take a more active role in the solving of the crime, by becoming a maid in the household under suspicion, something which Christie's creation would never have done.

Christie purists are likely to be offended by this take on the character.  

In other respects though, the film follows the plot of the novel quite closely.  Unfortunately it is not one of Dame Agatha's best, in that due to the absence of any clues Miss Marple doesn't get to do any detection and it is well nigh impossible for her to solve the murder, despite her claim at the end to have done so.

Whether Jane has correctly identified the murderer or not is actually irrelevant since she traps the murderer by the tried and trusted method of using herself as bait, which is actually an improvement on the novel.  In both novel and film it is convenient, given the absence of any concrete evidence, that the murderer readily confesses when confronted.  

The film was such a success that it spawned three sequels in quick succession and despite my reservations it's easy to see why, given its easy charm.

RATING: ✓ Cheers