Murder She Said

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Murder She Said
Murder she said322.jpg
Directed by George Pollock
Screenplay byDavid Pursall
Jack Seddon
Story byDavid D. Osborn (adaptation)
Based on 4.50 from Paddington
1957 novel
by Agatha Christie
Produced byGeorge H. Brown
Starring Margaret Rutherford
Arthur Kennedy
Muriel Pavlow
James Robertson Justice
Cinematography Geoffrey Faithfull
Edited byErnest Walter
Music by Ron Goodwin
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • 26 September 1961 (1961-09-26)(UK)
  • 7 January 1962 (1962-01-07)(US)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Murder She said is a 1961 comedy/murder mystery film directed by George Pollock, based on the 1957 novel 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie. The production stars Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple, along with Arthur Kennedy, Muriel Pavlow, James Robertson Justice, and Stringer Davis (Rutherford's husband).

Contents

MGM made three sequels, Murder at the Gallop , Murder Most Foul and Murder Ahoy! , all with Rutherford starring as Miss Marple. She also cameoed as Marple in MGM's The Alphabet Murders , which starred Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot.

Plot

While travelling by train, Miss Marple witnesses the strangling of a young woman in another train on a parallel track. The police find nothing to support her story, so she conducts her own investigation, and with the aid of her close friend Jim Stringer, comes to the conclusion that the body must have been thrown off the train near the grounds of Ackenthorpe Hall.

Wheedling her way into a job as housekeeper, Miss Marple copes with her difficult employer, Luther Ackenthorpe, and searches for the missing corpse. She eventually finds it concealed in a stable, much to the chagrin of Police Inspector Craddock.

Stringer uncovers the details of Ackenthorpe's will: the family fortune is to go to his long-suffering, attentive daughter Emma; his sons Cedric, Harold and Albert; and Alexander, his intelligent and insightful grandson (A fourth son, Edmund, was killed in the war and a second daughter, Edith, Alexander's mother, died of illness). Also, Dr Quimper, Ackenthorpe's physician, and Emma are secretly in love. The gardener, Hillman, and the part-time servant Mrs Kidder round out the establishment and the list of suspects.

Alexander finds the first clue, a musical compact that plays "Frère Jacques", near where the body must have landed. When Emma reveals that she recently received a letter from a French woman named Martine, who claims that she married Edmund shortly before he died and is therefore an heir, the identity of the dead woman and the motive for the crime seem clear.

Arsenic in the curried duck prepared by Miss Marple sickens all who eat it, but only Albert dies. Then Harold is killed by his own shotgun. The police are unsure if it was suicide by a remorseful murderer or the third victim. Miss Marple, however, is not deceived, and sets a trap, using the compact as bait. Dr Quimper is revealed as the villain. The dead woman was not Martine at all, but his own wife. Quimper feared that the compact, a gift to his wife, could be traced to him. He intended to dispose of the other heirs and marry Emma. He administered a second, fatal dose of arsenic while supposedly attending to Albert.

Differences from the novel

As with most of her portrayals of Miss Marple, Margaret Rutherford's interpretation was quite different from Agatha Christie's. In addition, Agatha Christie's suspense and underlying darkness are largely replaced by light, even whimsical touches typical of a comedy of manners.

In the novel, an elderly woman named Elspeth McGillicuddy witnesses the murder, not her friend, Miss Marple, who is introduced later. Also in the novel, a young acquaintance of Miss Marple's, not Miss Marple herself, is sent to pose as a housekeeper at the suspect location. The manor house where Miss Marple conducts her inquiries is called Rutherford Hall in the novel, but this was changed to Ackenthorpe Hall in the film to avoid using the leading actress's surname. Crackenthorpe, the family name in the novel, was shortened to Ackenthorpe.

Cast

Reception

Critical

Murder, She Said maintains an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [1] Almar Halfidason, a critic for the BBC film website, awarded the picture four stars out of a possible five, calling it "delightfully dotty" and "fun". [2]

Agatha Christie disliked this adaptation. [3]

Box office

The film made a profit of $342,000 (U.S.). [4]

MGM's head of British production, Lawrence Bachmann said it was an "exceptionally satisfactory money spinner" and commissioned sequels. [5]

Related Research Articles

Miss Jane Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Miss Marple lives in the village of St Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one of Christie's best-known characters and has been portrayed numerous times on screen. Her first appearance was in a short story published in The Royal Magazine in December 1927, "The Tuesday Night Club", which later became the first chapter of The Thirteen Problems (1932). Her first appearance in a full-length novel was in The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930, and her last appearance was in Sleeping Murder in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Rutherford</span> British actor (1892–1972)

Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, was an English actress of stage, film and television.

<i>Sleeping Murder</i> 1976 Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie

Sleeping Murder: Miss Marple's Last Case is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in October 1976 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed for £3.50 and the US edition for $7.95.

<i>The Mirror Crackd from Side to Side</i> 1962 Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side, a novel by Agatha Christie, was published in the UK in 1962 and a year later in the US under the title The Mirror Crack'd. The story features amateur detective Miss Marple solving a mystery in St. Mary Mead.

<i>After the Funeral</i> 1953 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

After the Funeral is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in March 1953 under the title of Funerals are Fatal and in UK by the Collins Crime Club on 18 May of the same year under Christie's original title. The US edition retailed at $2.50 and the UK edition at ten shillings and sixpence (10/6).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Hickson</span> British actress (1906–1998)

Joan Bogle Hickson OBE was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series Miss Marple. She also narrated a number of Miss Marple stories on audiobooks.

<i>The Moving Finger</i> 1942 novel by Agatha Christie

The Moving Finger is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the USA by Dodd, Mead and Company in July 1942 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1943. The US edition retailed at $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence.

<i>The Mirror Crackd</i> 1980 film by Guy Hamilton

The Mirror Crack'd is a 1980 British mystery film directed by Guy Hamilton from a screenplay by Jonathan Hales and Barry Sandler, based on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novel The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1962). It stars Angela Lansbury, Geraldine Chaplin, Tony Curtis, Edward Fox, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, and Elizabeth Taylor. Scenes were filmed at Twickenham Film Studios in Twickenham, London, and on location in Kent.

<i>A Murder Is Announced</i> 1950 novel by Agatha Christie

A Murder Is Announced is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in June 1950 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in the same month. The UK edition sold for eight shillings and sixpence (8/6) and the US edition at $2.50.

<i>A Pocket Full of Rye</i> 1953 Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie

A Pocket Full of Rye is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 9 November 1953, and in the US by Dodd, Mead & Co. the following year. The UK edition retailed at ten shillings and sixpence (10/6) and the US edition at $2.75. The book features her detective Miss Marple.

<i>4.50 from Paddington</i> 1957 Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie

4.50 from Paddington is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie, first published in November 1957 in the United Kingdom by Collins Crime Club. This work was published in the United States at the same time as What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!, by Dodd, Mead. The novel was published in serial form before the book was released in each nation, and under different titles. The US edition retailed at $2.95.

<i>A Caribbean Mystery</i> 1964 Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie

A Caribbean Mystery is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 16 November 1964 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at sixteen shillings (16/-) and the US edition at $4.50. It features the detective Miss Marple.

<i>Nemesis</i> (Christie novel) 1971 Miss Marple novel by Agatha Christie

Nemesis is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie (1890–1976) and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November 1971 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retailed at £1.50 and the US edition at $6.95. It was the last Miss Marple novel the author wrote, although Sleeping Murder was the last Miss Marple novel to be published.

<i>Murder at the Gallop</i> 1963 British film by George Pollock

Murder at the Gallop (1963) is the second of four Miss Marple films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was based on the 1953 novel After the Funeral by Agatha Christie, with Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, Charles "Bud" Tingwell as Inspector Craddock and Stringer Davis as Jane Marple's friend Mr Stringer returning from the previous film.

<i>Murder Most Foul</i> (film) 1964 film by George Pollock

Murder Most Foul is the third of four Miss Marple films made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Loosely based on the 1952 novel Mrs McGinty's Dead by Agatha Christie, it stars Margaret Rutherford as Miss Jane Marple, Ron Moody as the theatre company director H. Driffold Cosgood, Charles Tingwell as Inspector Craddock, and Stringer Davis as Mr Stringer. The story is ostensibly based on Christie's novel, but notably changes the action and the characters. Hercule Poirot is replaced by Miss Marple and most of the other characters are not in the novel. Throughout the investigation, Marple quotes from "The Shooting of Dan McGrew".

<i>Murder Ahoy!</i> 1964 British film by George Pollock

Murder Ahoy! is a 1964 British film directed by George Pollock, based on elements from Agatha Christie's 1952 novel They Do It With Mirrors on a mostly original screenplay adaptation by David Pursall and Jack Seddon with Margaret Rutherford returning as Miss Jane Marple from the previous three films; Murder, She Said (1961), Murder at the Gallop (1963), Murder Most Foul (1964), along with Charles 'Bud' Tingwell as (Chief) Inspector Craddock and Stringer Davis as Mr. Stringer. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and the film score was by Ron Goodwin. Location shots included Denham Village and St Mawes, Cornwall.

<i>The Alphabet Murders</i> 1965 British film by Frank Tashlin

The Alphabet Murders is a 1965 British detective film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Tony Randall, Anita Ekberg and Robert Morley. It is based on the 1936 novel The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie.

<i>Miss Marple</i> (TV series) BBC adaptation of the novels by Agatha Christie starring Joan Hickson

Miss Marple, titled Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the series, is a British television series based on the Miss Marple murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie, starring Joan Hickson in the title role. It aired from 26 December 1984 to 27 December 1992 on BBC One. All twelve original Miss Marple novels by Christie were dramatised.

Appointment with Death is a 1945 play by crime writer Agatha Christie. It is based on her 1938 novel of the same name.

A Caribbean Mystery is a 1983 American made-for-television mystery film based on the 1964 Agatha Christie novel A Caribbean Mystery and starring Helen Hayes as Miss Marple.

References

  1. ↑ "Murder, She Said Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
  2. ↑ "BBC - Films - review - Murder, She Said (1961)". Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  3. ↑ ""It's Shockingly Bad, And Should Never Have Been Made" – 12 Author's Who Can't Stand The Film Adaptations Of Their Work". Archived from the original on 22 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  4. ↑ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  5. ↑ "Metro's Prod Chief in London Sees Britain as Future Film Centre". Variety. 2 May 1962. p. 89. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
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