Agatha Christie's Marple (TV 2004)
"Agatha Christie Marple: The Body in the Library" (original title)

Dolly Bantry calls upon her old friend Miss Marple when the strangled corpse of an unknown blonde girl is found in the library of her home, Gossington Hall.

Director:

Andy Wilson

Writers:

Kevin Elyot (screenplay), Agatha Christie (novel)

Stars:

Geraldine McEwan, Ian Richardson, Tara Fitzgerald

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Geraldine McEwan	...	Miss Marple
Ian Richardson	...	Conway Jefferson
Tara Fitzgerald	...	Adelaide Jefferson
Jamie Theakston	...	Mark Gaskell
Giles Oldershaw	...	Edwards
Florence Hoath	...	Pamela Reeves
Joanna Lumley	...	Dolly Bantry
James Fox	...	Colonel Arthur Bantry
Simon Callow	...	Colonel Melchett
Ben Miller	...	Basil Blake
Emma Cooke	...	Dinah Lee
Robin Soans	...	Dr. Haydock
Bruce Mackinnon	...	Scamper (as Bruce MacKinnon)
Jack Davenport	...	Superintendent Harper
Mary Stockley	...	Josie Turner

Storyline

A young woman's corpse is dumped in the library of Gossington Hall, home of Jane Marple's friend Dolly Bantry and her husband Arthur. Pompous Chief Constable Melchett suspects a connection with Basil Blake, an arty young man who lives locally but Blake is dismissive when Melchett visits him. Then Superintendent Harper rings from the coastal town of Danemouth. Ruby Keane, a young girl employed as a dancer at the Majestic Hotel there, has gone missing, and her cousin Josie Turner identifies the corpse as Ruby's. Ruby is in favour with millionaire Conway Jefferson, whose own son and daughter were killed in a wartime air raid, and he wants to adopt her. His son-in-law Mark Gaskell, and daughter-in-law Adelaide react variously to the news. Miss Marple is convinced that the solution to Ruby's murder may be found at the hotel and she and Dolly book into a suite to investigate. There is no shortage of suspects, not only family members but the handsome Raymond Starr, another of the hotel's ...

---

Plot Keywords:

library | miss marple | murder | schoolgirl | resort hotel | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

Details

Official Sites:

PBS [us]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's Marple

Filming Locations:

Dorney Court, Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada, WGBH Boston, Agatha Christie

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This adaptation of The Body in the Library changes the identity of the murderer, and adds a lesbian relationship that wasn't in the original novel.

---

Quotes

[repeated line]
Dolly Bantry: Isn't she marvelous?

---

Connections

Followed by Marple: What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw (2004)

---

Soundtracks

"Blue Moon"
(uncredited)
Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
(dance music)

User Reviews

Not a patch on the previous version.

What a waste of talent. Dreadful overacting combined with apparently unnecessary changes in what was already an excellent plot.

Geraldine McEwan looks perfect and at times is excellent. But as I heard someone on the radio say, she's brings a 'smugness' that I don't think Christie ever intended.

The stand out performance must be Joanna Lumley who looks like she was born for the part.

Finally some of the scenes at the end were disappointing and again complete out of character with the style of the rest of the film, just as many modern films seem to need a single swear word in them to give them some sort of credibility.