Marple: Series 1
Jun. 2nd, 2009 01:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreI’ve been watching the recent Marple series (based on the Agatha Christie novels, which I haven’t read yet) over the last few weeks. Aside from my irrational irritation that it’s changed from Miss Marple to Marple (most likely to give the series a different title from the Joan Hickson version) it was difficult to adjust to the idea of anyone other than Hickson playing Marple. (Yes, I know she isn’t the only one to ever play Miss Marple before.) Once I got used to the idea, however, I decided that I quite liked Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple. And really, the acting overall is excellent, which is what I expected.
But there are…odd changes. I mean, I haven’t read the books, so I don’t know which adaptation is closer to the original, but this series seems to be trying for being “edgier,” but not with great results. One story, for example, changes the killer to…well…evil lesbians. Changing the killer, however, makes the motivation more difficult to understand. Another creates a new character so that it can turn a fairly straightforward romance into a love triangle that…doesn’t really add anything except for John Hannah. And it’s John Hannah, so that’s a good thing, but…
It’s hard to tell, though, how much is weak writing, and how much is trying to set it apart from past versions with ideas that don’t quite work as well as they should. And, of course, for me, there’s the constant comparing to a comfort viewing that I can’t really turn off. Regardless, though, the acting and production (not to mention the setting) still make for good viewing.
But there are…odd changes. I mean, I haven’t read the books, so I don’t know which adaptation is closer to the original, but this series seems to be trying for being “edgier,” but not with great results. One story, for example, changes the killer to…well…evil lesbians. Changing the killer, however, makes the motivation more difficult to understand. Another creates a new character so that it can turn a fairly straightforward romance into a love triangle that…doesn’t really add anything except for John Hannah. And it’s John Hannah, so that’s a good thing, but…
It’s hard to tell, though, how much is weak writing, and how much is trying to set it apart from past versions with ideas that don’t quite work as well as they should. And, of course, for me, there’s the constant comparing to a comfort viewing that I can’t really turn off. Regardless, though, the acting and production (not to mention the setting) still make for good viewing.
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Date: 2009-06-02 09:20 pm (UTC)