Agatha Christie : The Miss Marple Collection (12 Disc Box Set) [DVD] [1984]

Joan Hickson does not play Miss Marple in this series, like other actresses before her and since. She IS Miss Marple. Just like Larry Hagman was J.R. This is a thoroughly absorbing set of jolly hockey sticks English murder stories that is contextualised by quintessential, romanticised notions of old fashioned English values: doing the right thing; knowing your place in this class ridden society where the maids are white but very thick or simple (or both) and the middle class are also white, privately school, well spoken, well educated and live off unearned income or pensioned from the services - having served as an officer, of course. English culture is also narrowed to an absurd degree to revolve around going to a picturesque Church on Sundays, nice cups of tea with home made scones and discussing the weather, sending invitation cards to announce social events, or gossiping about other villagers at the post office or whilst pruning the roses. In St Mary Mead, the home of Miss Marple, the poor don't exist, except as maids who speak very badly, nor do any ethnic minorities exist except as eccentric cooks who can barely speak English and thow fits of paranoia whenever a murder is uncovered - assuming, quite correctly, that they will be accused before anyone else is because they are 'foreign' and a have a natural bent toward dishonesty. But the butcher, the baker and candlestick maker do exist - as do village murders that can only be solved by reciting nursery rhymes not by calling the police. But, hey, who cares how politically incorrect and silly that is? By today's standards, and even during the time this series was made, the settings for each story was about as realistic and factual correct as the Lochness Monster is genuine, but it's fun escapism, nevertheless and makes great viewing - whilst tucking into freshly baked scones, home made jam and nice pot of tea on standby, of course!

I absolutely love Agatha Christie (who doesn't?)! Watching David Suchet bring Hercule Poirot to life is just icing on the cake... he personifies him to such a degree it is astounding.I was quite disappointed that Miss Marple did not have such luck - Julia McKenzie does an agreeable job and when I watched Geraldine McEwan, I thought she captured an essence of her; I thought I'd found the closest I was gonna get.But then I read reviews of "Joan Hickson this", "Joan Hickson that". I was quite hesitant to see it and watch the rest of my hopes get dashed to the wind.OHMIGOSH - She nails it! She breathes Miss Marple as I am sure Dame Christie meant her to be. It is amazing to watch her fill the screen; I find myself stopping everything just to make sure I hear her roll out the clue we all missed. I found missing wishing that there were as many Miss Marple books as those of Hercule Poirot.This set has all of her books, which I appreciated. The previous set I purchased starring Geraldine McEwan had 10 plus 2 books doctored as Marple mysteries - which I notice is becoming a trend. That may have been possible is Joan Hickson had done them...I would like to say the price is steep compared to other set... but it is worth every pence!!!!

This boxed set provides the viewer with not only the best Miss Marple portayal, but also that which is closest to the orginal written works. Joan Hickson, sadly no longer with us, gives a performance which in my minds eye is like the character that Agatha Christie describes. The later versions of this character, whilst well acted and produced, come nowhere near the understated version that Ms Hickson provides.All in all, a most enjoyable boxed set which provides my wife and I with entertainment on thos evenings when the rest of television is of poor quality.

There is no other Miss Marple.

Happy the shopper who drops this box of good things into a trolley! TV adaptations of all Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novels are contained here, production values are high and the settings and casting are exemplary. Winner of the RTS Television Award for best female actress in 1987, Joan Hickson is as close as anyone could come to receiving the author's approval also for playing the part of Jane Marple. She plays it not as a simpering twitterer nor as a comical eccentric, but as a rather stiff upright observer whose gaze can be unflinching. In these productions, true to the original, she is also seen spending time alone, thinking.Being of the generation who read many of these novels in their first editions, I don't wish for any tinkering with the plots that Agatha Christie devised herself. What you'll find here are faithful adaptations. One exception is the importation of the quietly sneering Inspector Slack into more than the two novels in which he originally featured - this to add extra tension and conflict for a viewing audience to enjoy.Expect fuller adaptations than the current TV market offers. Several adaptations here run for almost two and a half hours. The series of 12 DVDs is in a sturdy box cover, strong enough to survive travel half way around the world to outback Australia where I am enjoying its contents.