Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery (1989)

While on vacation at a resort hotel in the West Indies, Miss Marple correctly suspects that the apparently natural death of a retired British major is actually the work of a murderer planning yet another killing.

Director:

Christopher Petit

Writer:

T.R. Bowen (screenplay)

Stars:

Joan Hickson, Donald Pleasence, Adrian Lukis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joan Hickson	...	Miss Marple
Donald Pleasence	...	Jason Rafiel
Adrian Lukis	...	Tim Kendal
Sophie Ward	...	Molly Kendal
T.P. McKenna	...	Dr. Grahame
Michael Feast	...	Edward Hillingdon
Sheila Ruskin	...	Evelyn Hillingdon
Frank Middlemass	...	Major Palgrave
Robert Swann	...	Greg Dyson (as Robert Swan)
Sue Lloyd	...	Lucky Dyson
Barbara Barnes	...	Esther Walters
Stephen Bent	...	Jackson
Joseph Mydell	...	Inspector Weston
Valerie Buchanan	...	Victoria
Isabelle Lucas	...	Aunty Johnson

Storyline

Feeling poorly, Miss Marple's nephew sends her to Barbados for a bit of a holiday. She finds the holiday a bit of a bore and nowhere near as interesting as life in St. Mary Mead. Things get a bit more interesting when one of the guests, the elderly Major Palgrave, is found dead. The death is put down to natural causes until one of the maids finds medication belonging to another guest in the late major's room. When the maid is also found dead it is clear that the Major's oft-repeated tale of knowing a murderer - he was in the colonial police after leaving the army - convinces Miss Marple that the murderer is someone at the hotel.

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Plot Keywords:

old man in a wheelchair | man in a wheelchair | caribbean island | pill bottle | miss marple | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

A TV movie made for the A&E network.

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Goofs

Miss Marple finds a library copy of the Pelican edition of "To Define True Madness: Commonsense Psychiatry for Lay People" in Molly Kendall's room, with Date Due stamps ranging from 1941 to 1951; this book was first published by Penguin in hardback in 1953, and the Pelican edition was released in 1955.

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Quotes

Jason Rafiel: I had to think about this quite a bit before mentioning it to you.
Inspector Weston: And why is that, Mr. Rafael?
Jason Rafiel: It wasn't my idea, and the person who had it - the idea, I mean - is a little old lady who knits and wears lace. She also has a mind like a bacon slicer.
Inspector Weston: Why didn't she come to me herself?
Jason Rafiel: She didn't think you'd take her seriously.
Inspector Weston: I might have done.
Jason Rafiel: I doubt it. It's a very good disguise. She even had me fooled for a minute.
[He laughs]
Inspector Weston: Better have her name for the record.
Jason Rafiel: Miss Marple.
[...]

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Connections

Follows Miss Marple: The Body in the Library (1984)

User Reviews

A brilliant, superior adaptation.

I cannot believe the lack of positive comments on this episode. Everything works together, the acting, the locations, the music, the subtle changes to the book. To make what is in my humble opinion a wonderful piece of drama, Joan Hickson is as always incredibly good in the role. Superior in every way to the inferior Helen Hayes version, Adrian Lukis and the gorgeous Sophie Ward are superb, and the closing scene between them is superbly acted and gripping. It would be really interesting to see if ITV can produce something as good as this when it comes around to it, will also be interesting to see who will be starring as Miss Marple. Sit back and enjoy this wonderful drama. 10/10

Details

Country:

UK USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1989 (UK)

Also Known As:

Miss Marple: A Caribbean Mystery

Filming Locations:

Coral Reef Club, St. James, Barbados

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), A+E Networks, 7 Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1