Let me start by saying that I certainly don't have anything against Julia McKenzie, who took over the title role from McEwan since the start of the fourth season of "Agatha Christie's Marple". Quite the contrary, I find it praiseworthy that she has her own style and interpretation of the character. It's just that McEwan depicted the perceptive old spinster from St. Mary Mead exactly how I always imagined her ever since I read my first Marple novel (which was "The Body in the Library") by Agatha Christie. I even prefer McEwan's portrayal over those of acclaimed and truly terrific actresses like Margaret Rutherford and Angela Lansbury.
The biggest difference between McEwan and McKenzie is that the latter is more pushy, intrusive even, and her facial expressions reveal that even Miss Marple can doubt, feel uncertain and be worried. McEwan was a master in staying motionless the background, without showing emotions or obvious judgement, whilst knitting.
The TV-film itself, "Murder is Easy", I found sorely disappointing. The hopes were set quite high, since this story features a lot more murders than in your average Marple tale. Miss Marple decides to travel to the little village of Wychwood after a woman she randomly met on a train dies in mysterious circumstances. The woman told her she suspected that two accidental deaths in Wychwood were, in fact, murder, and her own death seems to confirm this. When Miss Marple arrives in town, the murders cheerfully continue, and she teams up with a former police officer (Benedict Cumberbatch before his big breakthrough).
Can't fully explain why, but this installment isn't half as absorbing or entertaining as the previous 13. More than halfway through the film, I still couldn't tell the characters apart from each other, and especially struggled with their names ("Wait, ... who's Amy again? "Is that Honoria or Lydia?"). The changes to the script are unsatisfying, and even lead to some unanswered questions.
The biggest difference between McEwan and McKenzie is that the latter is more pushy, intrusive even, and her facial expressions reveal that even Miss Marple can doubt, feel uncertain and be worried. McEwan was a master in staying motionless the background, without showing emotions or obvious judgement, whilst knitting.
The TV-film itself, "Murder is Easy", I found sorely disappointing. The hopes were set quite high, since this story features a lot more murders than in your average Marple tale. Miss Marple decides to travel to the little village of Wychwood after a woman she randomly met on a train dies in mysterious circumstances. The woman told her she suspected that two accidental deaths in Wychwood were, in fact, murder, and her own death seems to confirm this. When Miss Marple arrives in town, the murders cheerfully continue, and she teams up with a former police officer (Benedict Cumberbatch before his big breakthrough).
Can't fully explain why, but this installment isn't half as absorbing or entertaining as the previous 13. More than halfway through the film, I still couldn't tell the characters apart from each other, and especially struggled with their names ("Wait, ... who's Amy again? "Is that Honoria or Lydia?"). The changes to the script are unsatisfying, and even lead to some unanswered questions.