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| Margaret Rutherford and Robert Morley |
(1963). Director: George Pollock.
Murder at the Gallop is the second of four Miss Marple films starring Rutherford. The original novel, entitled After the Funeral or Funerals are Fatal, actually featured Christie's Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot instead of Marple. The murder methods have also been changed to death by horse and engine. Much of the humor of the film is derived from the comical antics of those two old pros, Rutherford and Morley, but the film does not stint on the suspense, making this a near-perfect blend of laughs and mystery. Rutherford is marvelous as this alternate-Marple, and the other performances from those named -- as well as Stringer Davis as Marple's friend and Flora Robson as Miss Milchrest -- are uniformly excellent.
Jane Marple (Margaret Rutherford) is up to her old tricks of sticking her nose in police business and exasperating Inspector Craddock (Charles Tingwell). This time the old lady sleuth is out to find out which of four heirs did away with a wealthy old man found dead in his enormous mansion. Suspects include Michael Shane (James Villiers of Some Girls Do), George Crossfield (Robert Urquhart), and Hector Enderby (Robert Morley of Theater of Blood). Much of the story takes place at Enderby's inn and riding academy.
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| Rutherford with Flora Robson |
Verdict: Good show! More well-done fun with Miss M. ***1/4.
Love these too. Rutherford is my favorite Miss Marple. It's a good time to watch them all again!
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It's interesting how the British TV adaptations of Christie's novels, while generally more faithful than the Rutherford-Marple films, also take many liberties with the stories. An adaptation of "The Mirror Crack'd" seemed based more on the Liz Taylor movie than on the novel!
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