I also enjoyed the Miss Marples starring Joan Hickson and Geraldine McEwan
930452
I also enjoyed the Miss Marples starring Joan Hickson and Geraldine McEwan, but Julia McKenzie embodies THE Miss Marple.  It's a sad they cancelled such a fine series, but choose to leave garbage series on to run for decades.
653847
Geraldine McEwan is Brilliant as Miss Marple. By far the best Series on the Tele. Kudos to Amazon !!
3949453
I had the same problem as many of the reviewers had--getting used to a new Miss Marple--not only a different actress and a new Marple presentation.

Rather than being disappointed and throwing them away or storing them in a dark corner in the closet, I watched them 2 more times, each.  I think these are really quite charming.  AND, when I finally realized that this was a truly different Miss Marple, I believe these to be as good as Joan Hickson's Miss Marple.  Both excellent and verily different.

If we can accept Basil Rathbone's protrayal of Sherlock Holmes as well as Jeremy Brett's performances, then why can't we accept two different Miss Marples?--or even three if we consider Margaret Rutherford's comic version from the British MGM studios.
3480247
The original in black & white and a seconmd version in color. A double treat for this good old-fashioned melodrama.
1481875
First a confession: I've loved Christie since my high school days, but always stuck with Poirot. So I am a recent "discoverer" of the charms of Miss Marple. I watched with great interest and was more than pleasantly surprised by these new adaptations of four of the St. Mary Meade sleuth's cases. I thought they were produced with a great deal of care, presented in a very cohesive style and were very engaging. I very much like McEwan's Marple, and I also love the cast of fine talent that give her support in the roles of the victims, suspects and the police. Definitely not as stuffy as some of the older British-mysteries that have come along.

 But, there is no crime here, however. IMHO, the new videos can serve a new generation of fans who like me are new to Miss Marple. I'm sure the devotees of Joan Hickson as Marple will continue to watch their collection with the same affection. But for those of us who like their British mysteries a bit more quirky and their spinster sleuths freshly baked, then I'll take Geraldine McEwan's new Marple.

 And finally, if the new series will spur new readers to the book shop, bookshelves and libraries to rediscover or find for the first time ANY of Agatha Christie's great detectives and carefully crafted whodunnits, then cheers to the new series!
79122
Joan Crawford turned in a very good performance and I enjoyed watching the film.
1247731
If you love mysteries, then watch Agatha Christie's Marple. Love the story lines, locations, and the style of the time.
4699848
Do not think that any one can capture the original Miss Marple. But Angela Lansbury comes close. She and all the other members of the cast are great in their parts. costumes scenery and all the Brit's really do things up very nicely. Also the screenplay resembles the book which is always, good. Nice pleasant entertainment. Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson are superb and it was nice to see them again. Kind of a nostalgic trip.
678417
Oscar winner Dame Margaret Rutherford was the first to play the famous Agatha Christie amateur sleuth. This time around, Miss Marple is doing her usual charity drive and runs across a dead wealthy recluse. The death is cited as a heart attack due to his fear of cats, but Marple has a piece of hardened mud of a riding boot marking. She deliberately listens through the window of the reading of the will and none of the family seem to upset over the death but are keenly interested in what they might gain. The estranged sister declares he was murdered and Miss Marple finds her later stabbed through the back of a chair with a long hat pin. The nephew owns "The Gallop" a pseudo hotel riding stable and Ms. Marple declares to the always exasberated Inspector Craddock, she is going on holiday--much to his relief (or so he falsely assumes). It it at the Gallop the movie unfolds and clues mount complete with false leads until the killer is revealed. But only after Marple fakes a heart attack in order to corner the murderer of the brother and sister.

The Miss Marple MGM series made in the UK only totalled 4 films although a fifth installment was announced at the end of the 4th movie--it never materialized (possibly due to Ms. Rutherford's failing health).

There have been many Miss Marple incarnations, but Rutherford was the first and the best. She plays the role as Christie created her with great panache and wit. The spinster sleuth is as clever a detective as any of Mrs. Christie's inventions and other writers of the genre.

Rutherford is a delight, as usual and real-life husband Stringer Davis plays her friend and sidekick. Charles Tingwell is also great as the sometimes harassed Inspector Craddock who has to take the snooping Miss Marple with more than a just grain of salt.

The complete Miss Marple series has been compiled into a DVD set and is worth the investment because once you watch just one, you will want to see the other movies in this worthwhile but short-lived series.

Extremely well done.
2505171
A time of diversion with Miss Marple is always fun! And why is the "who done it" always different than I think? Well, that is part of the fun for me! :-)
2442430
Like the original Miss Marple character the best, but Julie does a good job too.  The stories are well done and brought back good memories of books well read.
2630179
State Fair is a pleasant but lightweight musical about the Iowa State Fair in the 1940s.  This version is a Rodgers & Hammerstein production from 1945 and stars Jeanne Crain as Margy Frake and Dick Haymes as her brother Wayne Frake.  Both Margy and Wayne are hoping to find love at the fair, while parents Abel (Charles Winninger) and Melissa (Fay Bainter) are preoccupied with winning state fair contests.

There are a number of pleasing musical numbers in the film including It Might As Well Be Spring, All I Owe Ioway, and Its a Grand Night for Singing. There are some humorous moments in the film too, such as when Harry Morgan (Colonel Potter of MASH) shows up as a dishonest carnival worker, and Margys mom wins a recipe contest by inadvertently submitting a mince meat pie doubly spiked with liquor.

Dana Andrews plays the city-wise news reporter who meets Margy and quickly becomes her new beau. Andrews acting was fine but he may have been a trifle old to play boyfriend to 20-ish Margy. But, the movie is just for fun and was undoubtedly a nice escape from the wartime era in which it was released.

If you like old-fashioned musicals you will most likely enjoy State Fair. The acting was good, the music pleasant, and Jeanne Crain looks wonderful.  But the story is a bit idyllic and syrupy at times. Nonetheless, I readily recommend it.
209284
Saw these years ago and had to have Joan Hickson's version of Miss Marple!  She is the BEST Miss Marple!!!
2506002
If you read my other AGATHA CHRISTIE'S MARPLE reviews, you'll know that I started with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Agatha-Christie-s-Marple-Complete-Series-5-Blu-ray/dp/B004VLYHQM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Agatha Christie's Marple: Complete Series 5 [Blu-ray</a>], and then went back to the beginning of the series (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Agatha-Christie-s-Marple-Geraldine-McEwan-Collection/dp/B003YCI238/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Agatha Christie's Marple: Geraldine McEwan Collection</a>) that initially starred Geraldine McEwan.

I've enjoyed both and Julia McKenzie's portrayal of Miss Marple is a bit different than McEwan's, but both actresses do a fine job.

If you're like me, you don't necessarily have to start in series order, unless the change in actress is too disruptive for your suspension of disbelief, because each episode in the series is like a stand-alone movie.

This set features great guest spots featuring Joan Collins and Benedict Cumberbatch, who is starring in his own series as the new incarnation of Sherlock Holmes (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sherlock-Season-One-Blu-ray/dp/B004132I20/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sherlock: Season One [Blu-ray</a>]), among others, and it takes place in the time period shortly after WW2.

I think the scenery and the cinematography, as well as wardrobe, is gorgeously done and never once looks anachronistic or faked. Also, I really wanted to get this series 4 on Blu-Ray, but I hardly notice the difference, meaning that resolution is just fine on DVD.

The only thing that this set is lacking is extras but they do provide text bios on Agatha Christie and Julia McKenzie, and each DVD contains photo gallery and features some of the cast members' filmograhies. There's also subtitles for the hearing impaired.

Not being very familiar with the Christie novels these movies are based on, I can't speak to whether or not they've been rewritten or butchered. I can say that I found each one very entertaining and wasn't bothered in the least with the camera techniques which seemed to put off another reviewer. When I read that review, I was expecting lightning fast editing like in the drug scenes in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Requiem-for-a-Dream-Director-s-Cut/dp/B00005Q4CS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Requiem for a Dream (Director's Cut)</a>, but they weren't like that at all.

And even though I know whodunnit, I'll be watching this series over and over again.
457634
This is a wonderful light-hearted satire of Merchant Ivory films.  I love them and I loved it. The sparks between 22 year old Emily, who is being pressured to marry, and George, a representative of "the scum of the earth" carry the movie well, as does the romance between aunt agnes and cedric's uncle.  Prunella Scales is so unlike her character in Fawlty Towers you need the credits to prove to yourself that she is the same actress.  The characters are convincing if extreme.
3911954
As a great fan of  Geraldine McEwan  who played Miss Marple in seasons 1-3, I was concerned when Julia McKenzie took over the role in Season 4 and 5.  However Julia McKenzie plays Miss Marple in a very different way, possibly more in line with the original story. The sets acting are every bit as good as Season 1-3, and I have very much enjoyed all of the episodes that i have watched
3653778
I admit to being a Trollope reader so this put the series into the high regard category almost sight unseen. Also an Anglophile ( brought up to be one) and a lover of costume dramas ( beautiful and stately homes included). In addition, there were great performances in this miniseries.
( It was especially interesting to see Tom Hollander in the title role, having recently seen him inhabit a totally different character in another TV miniseries) While predictable in plot, I still found this delightful. Maybe not for everybody, but I immediately recommended it to my sister in law, who reported that she loved it. And I loved the little visits from Julian Fellowes.