The
lowdown: 'Marple' is the latest television
adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous amateur detective. It stars
Geraldine
McEwan as Miss Jane Marple, the elderly spinster and amateur detective
who assists the police to solve
muders
in the crime-ridden village of St. Mary Mead (which, along with Inspector
Morse's Oxford, is clearly one of the
most
dangerous places in England to live). 'Marple' was first broadcast on ITV
on 12 December 2004; 12 telemovies
spanning
three seasons have been made to date. While the series has high production
values and features many well-
known
guest stars, it has often been criticised for significantly deviating from
Christie's original plots, much more so
than
the earlier series starring Joan Hickson. A particular criticism is the
fact that many non-Marple novels have been
adapted
to feature the title character.
'At Bertram's Hotel' is the
third episode in the third season of 'Marple', and is based on Christie's
movel of the same name.
While it has yet to be broadcast
in the UK, it was first shown on PBS in the US on 29 July 2007, as part
of the 'Mystery'
series. The telemovie again
sees Marple venture away from the crime haven of St. Mary Mead, to go on
holiday in London,
where she stays at Bertram's
Hotel, which she recalls fondly from her childhood. Marple finds that much
has changed
at Bertram's, including
the introduction of so-called "American rooms" to attract tourists from
the US. As usual when
Marple is around, mystery,
intrigue and murder are sure to happen. When one of the hotel's maids is
found dead on the
roof, Marple and another
maid who has an inquiring mind assist the police to identify the killer.
Meanwhile, other guests
have assembled at the hotel
for the reading of the will of Sir Richard Blake, who has been missing
for seven years and is
presumed to be dead. Marple
finds that the two cases are linked, while a number of red herrings, a
valuable painting and
the presence of possible
Nazi war criminals make for a complicated but engaging plot. Then there
is the puzzle of the
mysterious 'Blake guests',
who are not officially recorded as staying at the hotel.
Peter Davison features as
Hubert Curtain, the rather gormless and dodgy lawyer who is handling Sir
Richard's estate.
Davison is in fine form
in this instalment of 'Marple', and projects an air of untrustworthiness
in every scene he is in. He
does of course get his comeuppance,
and the scene where he is knocked out by an irate beneficiary of Sir Richard
is
priceless. Sadly, Davison
has very little screen time in 'At Bertram's Hotel', and his character
is very incidental to the plot.
But it is always a pleasure
to see him on TV, even though he is barely recognisable from his 'Doctor
Who' days!
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