Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (2007) (TV)

Director:

Dan Zeff

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Tom MacRae (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 April 2007 (Canada)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Miss Marple spends a holiday in a luxurious London hotel. The sinister atmosphere, the odd disappearance of a clergyman and the murder of the commissionaire moves her on the trail of a clever criminal gang.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Maid | Reference To Rembrandt | Murder Mystery | Multiple Storyline

Cast

Geraldine McEwan	...	Miss Marple
Isabella Parriss	...	Young Miss Marple
James Howard	...	Hotel Doorman 1891
Adam Smethurst	...	Cab Driver
Tony Bignell	...	Newsboy
Vincent Regan	...	Mickey Gorman
Mark Heap	...	Mr. Humfries
Emily Beecham	...	Elvira Blake
Mary Nighy	...	Brigit Milford
Martine McCutcheon	...	Jane Cooper
Charles Kay	...	Canon Pennyfather
Ed Stoppard	...	Malinowski
Nicholas Burns	...	Jack Britten / Joel Britten
Mica Paris	...	Amelia Walker
Francesca Annis	...	Lady Selina Hazy
Peter Davison	...	Hubert Curtain
Shenton Dixon	...	Louis Armstrong
Polly Walker	...	Bess Sedgwick
Hannah Spearritt	...	Tilly Rice
Danny Webb	...	Mutti
Stephen Mangan	...	Inspector Larry Bird
Sarah London	...	Miss Tibbs
Georgia Allen	...	Mrs. Rice
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Laurence Richardson	...	Policemen (uncredited)

Directed by
Dan Zeff

Writing credits
Agatha Christie		(novel)
Tom MacRae		(screenplay)

Produced by
Michele Buck	....	executive producer
Phil Clymer	....	executive producer: Chorion
Rebecca Eaton	....	executive producer: WGBH
Lesley McNeil	....	line producer
Karen Thrussell	....	producer
Damien Timmer	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Dominik Scherrer

Cinematography by
Cinders Forshaw		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Lois Bygrave		(as Lois E. Bygrave)

Production Design by
Michael Pickwoad

Art Direction by
Justin Warburton-Brown		(senior art director)

Set Decoration by
Dominic Capon

Costume Design by
Sheena Napier

Makeup Department
Christine Allsopp	....	makeup designer
Carolyn Cousins	....	makeup artist
Andrea Finch	....	makeup artist
Claire Whiteley	....	makeup artist (as Claire Whitely)
Christine Allsopp	....	hair designer (uncredited)

Production Management
Ian Hutchinson	....	unit manager
Kate Stannard	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lisa Radin	....	third assistant director
Ben Sweet	....	second assistant director
Nige Watson	....	first assistant director
Andy Gradwell	....	crowd third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Noel Cowell	....	prop master
Gene D'Cruze	....	construction manager
Kevin Day	....	stand-by props
Sarah Forbes	....	assistant set decorator
Stuart Headley-Read	....	stand-by props (as Stuart Read)
Martin Kane	....	props
Beth Pell	....	art department assistant
Dan Taylor	....	stand-by art director (as Daniel Taylor)
James Wakefield	....	assistant art director
Will Ayres	....	dressing props (uncredited)
Craig Cheeseman	....	dressing props (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Downer	....	supervising sound editor
Billy Mahoney	....	dubbing mixer
Sarah Morton	....	dialogue editor
Bruce Wills	....	sound mixer
Bruce Wills	....	sound recordist
Steve Wright	....	boom operator
Paul William Edwards	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Arran Mahoney	....	foley editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ben Ashmore	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Dolores McGinley	....	digital visual effects

Stunts
James Fiddy	....	stunt double: Nicholas Burns (uncredited)
Tom Lucy	....	stunt coordinator
Jo McLaren	....	stunts (as Jo McClaren)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Boorer	....	grip
Anthony Cupples	....	electrician
Lee Eldred	....	best boy
Woody Gregson	....	clapper loader
Nathan Mann	....	focus puller
Campbell McIntosh	....	gaffer
William Richards	....	stand-by rigger (as Bill Richards)
Xandy Sahla	....	camera operator
Jo Gibbs	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera (uncredited)
Woody Gregson	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Julian Morson	....	camera operator: "b" camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Susie Parriss	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Claire Collins	....	costume assistant
Jason Gill	....	costume assistant
Philip O'Connor	....	costume assistant
Gabrielle Spanswick	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Chris Beeton	....	telecine colorist
Sinead Cronin	....	on-line assistant editor
Gerald Morris	....	assistant editor (as Gez Morris)
Shane Warden	....	on-line editor

Music Department
Richard Hammarton	....	composer: additional music
Mike Sheppard	....	composer: additional music
Mike Sheppard	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Carl Isherwood	....	transportation captain: facilities
Nick Kenyon	....	unit driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Natalie Cheary	....	publicist
Jenny Elliott	....	production coordinator
Lorely Farley	....	script supervisor
Ian Hutchinson	....	assistant location manager
Pat Karam	....	supervising location manager
Michael Larkins	....	production accountant
Jude Liknaitzky	....	script editor
Tim Maw	....	location manager
Luke Morrison	....	publicist
Alex Protherough	....	production secretary
Patrick Smith	....	publicist
Tracey Waller	....	title designer
Jon Williams	....	production executive
Mel Churcher	....	acting coach (uncredited)
Andrew Dalmahoy	....	location scout (uncredited)
Claire Finbow	....	assistant: Ms McEwan (uncredited)
Ian Hughes	....	set runner (uncredited)
Callum Heckstall Smith	....	additional floor runner (uncredited)
Philippa Woodward	....	production runner (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Agatha Christie (in association with) (as Agatha Christie Ltd {a Chorion Company})
• Granada Television (uncredited)
• ITV Productions
• WGBH (a co-production of)

Distributors

• Elephant Films (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Magyar Televízió (2008) (Hungary) (TV) (M1)

Other Companies

• Pepper Post Production  post-production facilities

Also Known As:

"Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

USA:84 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Agatha Christie

Trivia:

In the opening minutes, as Miss Marple stares in wonderment at the lobby of Bertram's Hotel, the manager is on the phone and says, "Uh, no, I'm afraid Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today." The line is from the 1934 Cole Porter song "Miss Otis Regrets" performed by many artists including Ella Fitzgerald and 'Nat 'King' Cole', and more recently by Bette Midler on the final episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Elvira Blake and Brigit Milford enter the dining room and talk to Miss Marple, Brigit is in front. When the scene cuts back to them a second later, Elvira's shoulder is in front of Brigit's. The cut is too quick for their positions to change.

Quotes:

Miss Marple:Who sends a written death threat? Surely not someone who truly intends to kill the recepient. It's common sense not to warn them.

Absolutely Horrible

I have never read the book this movie was supposed to be based on. So when I say it was crap, I am critiquing it on its own terms.

I did, however, suspect that it was an abomination from the original story line because Agatha Christie is just too good to write something this horrible. And based on others' accounts, it appears I was correct.

Everything about this production was bad - the directing, the screen writing, the cinematography, the makeup. Even Dominik Scherrer's score was misdirected - presumably that is since most of his work is brilliant.

These last few years of Marple productions, from the Geraldine McEwan episodes to the Julia McKenzie ones, have displayed oscillations from some of the best of British murder mysteries (A Pocket Full of Rye - 2008 which was as good as anything I've ever seen) to the absolute worst (This and Murder Is Easy for example).

Every time I sit down to watch a post 90s Marple, it's a crap shoot what I'm going to see. Hopefully, the producers will recognize the brilliance of Rye and attempt to replicate it.

I am being gracious by awarding this 2 stars.