I have to say, I'm a traditionalist and I think the adaptations on non-Miss Marple books and inserting her in have failed. The Tommy and Tuppence one 'By the Pricking of my Thumbs' was particularly dreadful. The really excellent ones have been the faithful adaptations.  I really would not mind if the screenwriters adapted them and they were good TV, but the ones that aren't close to the original story have generally been exceptionally silly and cartoonish in style. I agree with the view that they have enough Marple short stories to work with and they should stick to those rather than putting her in situations where she simply does not fit in.

I've personally not read any non series AC books where Miss Marple would fit in. The only one that comes to mind is 'Dead Man's Folly' which is a Poirot book. It's my least favourite Poirot as well and maybe I'm hoping that Miss Marple would fit in with all the miserable characters and sort them out!

I don't understant all the nonsense about ratings being important. I don't think it's an issue here in Australia where we have 4 channels!! ;-)I've enjoyed some of the recent adaptations, and the ones I've enjoyed ae the Marple ones.

I think the writers need to be a bit sharper when they try and fit her in where she doesn't fit!

By the way, I forgot to add. When I watch the episodes again on DVD, I never watch the ones that weren't proper AC Miss Marple books a second time. So there must be something in that!

3rdGirl

I've personally not read any non series AC books where Miss Marple would fit in. The only one that comes to mind is 'Dead Man's Folly' which is a Poirot book. It's my least favourite Poirot as well and maybe I'm hoping that Miss Marple would fit in with all the miserable characters and sort them out!

Your post was very apt.

btw the other non series book that was suitable for Miss Marple was Murder is Easy but somehow they managed to ruin that too.

I think the writers have done an all-right job including MM and explaining her appearance (particularly in By the Pricking of My Thumbs, which I really liked), but I really would appreciate slightly more faithful adaptations than ones we've been getting at a regular basis.

I mentioned that AC's daughter died in 2004. 2004 was the year of the last "faithful" Poirot series (DOTN was filmed then, thank goodness), and even then, the Marple series was considerably faithful (Murder Is Announced, 4:50 From Paddington; Murder at the Vicarage). Note that as soon as Matthew Pritchard 'takes over', we get adaptations like Cards on the Table, Nemesis, At Bertram's Hotel, and Appointment With Death over and over again, to the point where a faithful adaptation is a rarity. Coincidence? I think not.

I hadn't made that connection but it's an interesting point. Discussing the adaptations does depress me as I hate to see well loved texts altered beyond recognition. If the scriptwrtiers beleive they can write better stories/dramas than AC, then they should write completely new stories and not just try to show their 'cleverness' by changing existing ones. I wouldn't mind a series using Poirot or Miss Marple but new stories IF they were well written and faithful to the character.

But I doubt faithful is a word they understand.

You have mentioned your point nbefore go_leafs, It would be interesting to find out nwhy Matthew Pritchard has allowed all these Adaptations to be do unfaithful only then will we be able to perhaps see his point of view, by not telling us he is doing himself and his Grandmother an injustice, btw when was the GM version of Body In The Library as the ending of that was horrible. I can think of afew ACs where Miss Marple could fit in quite nicely;

After The Funeral, Murder On The Orient Express, Endless Night, Sparkling Cyanide and Evil Under The Sun but that is just my opinion, I don't like Endless Night and Sparkling Cyanide as you know but I like the others.

Tommy_A_Jones

I can think of afew ACs where Miss Marple could fit in quite nicely;

After The Funeral, Murder On The Orient Express, Endless Night, Sparkling Cyanide and Evil Under The Sun but that is just my opinion, I don't like Endless Night and Sparkling Cyanide as you know but I like the others.

I know that you don't like Endless Night, Tommy. But just b/c some people may not like it -- it doesn't warrant them to place Marple in it. For instance I didn't really care for The Sittaford Mystery book, however I still didn't like the fact that Marple was in it.

And MM really couldn't fit in Endless Night at all (though iI am sure the producers, etc will find some horrible and inconcivable way to do it) For several reasons:

ENDLESS NIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD

SPOILERS

SPOILERS

The first: The novel is a narrative and Michael Rogers is found out but essentially he is the one confessing it.

Two: Marple has a fluffy disposition and most of the mysteries AC put her in are not really all that gory, or dark. Endless Night has a particularly dark and moody feel that one can't ignore and Miss Marple would ruin the essence of it.

Thirdly: She doesn't fit in w/ the characters. They all seem so detatched and so much more serious and complex than her too.

Fourth: Endless Night was a favorite of AC's and her Max Mallowan and it would be a shame to see the plot ruined and to see different characters. I'm sure if AC were alive she would have opposed Marple in EN.

I'm almost sure she would have been horrified at Miss Marple being casually dropped into ANY story she hadn't originally written her into! Surely, if she had thought Miss Marple would have suited some of the other storylines, she would have put her in herself. I mean to say, SHE knew her work and her characters better than anyone else, and into which stories they all fitted.

You are right Puffinjill somebody on the site (I think it was go_leafs) pointed out that she was really cross at the MR films where MM tackles 2 of Poirot's cases but agreed to them because she hgad financial proiblems.

I am not advocating MM being put into non-MM books but I think if they have already been done properly it isn't as bad as her being put into Books that haven't ever been done as ITV and Chorion have scuppered the chance of them being done in the foreseweable future which is a crying shame,

To Bundle, I could see MM being in Endless Night, although changes would have to be made for instance at the Baginning there is an old woman, that could be MM and she could turn up and be a proffiseer (I think that is the word) and solve the case, I thought the way the Murderer told the story made the book even more painful for me.

MM would fit into Endless Night with no major difficulties, I'd say. She solved an almost identical case, anyhow; EN is merely an expansion of that MM short story, and a very poor expansion at that. It's just a very dull books, with characters that should be complex but instead are dull.

Tommy_A_Jones

I can think of afew ACs where Miss Marple could fit in quite nicely;

After The Funeral, Murder On The Orient Express, Endless Night, Sparkling Cyanide and Evil Under The Sun but that is just my opinion, I don't like Endless Night and Sparkling Cyanide as you know but I like the others.

No way... Poirot fits into all three of those books perfectly. Either way, MM and HP should never meet: one of them has to solve the case, and the other one will look like a dunce. If anything, the remaining books MM might fit into are Endless Night, Sparkling Cyanide, and Crooked House. The ones that the producers have been left with will never work with MM.

I didn't say Poirot didn't fit into those books, all I said was that MM could and putting MM in poirot's that DS has done is Far BETTER than putting her in books that haven't been shown PROPERLY and now thanks to ITV, Chorion and others PROBABLY NEVER WILL NOW!

I still disagree, because of the "dunce" scenario I mentioned, but also because it would be confusing. Imagine the following: you open your TV Guide, and wow! Evil Under the Sun is on that night! Naturally, you see it. But wasn't it a Poirot? Why is Julia Mackenzie in it? And what on earth is the Sapphire of Amon-Ra doing in the movie? I don't remember anything about the drunk homosexual son-in-law of the American jazz singer... And... why did they move the setting to Bertram's Hotel?

See what I mean?

That mock scenario of Evil Under the Sun was too reminiscent to something the producers and screenwriters (etc) would actually be interested in doing for the Marple series. Please don't give them any ideas go leafs! :0)

I don't understand your last post go_leafs, Firstly, I credit the Public with more in telligence than you seem to be willing to do, Secondly, I didn't understand about about The Sapphire of mon Ra and Thirdly there is no need to have Jazz Singers, Homosexuals etc, all I am suggesting is replace Poirot with Miss Marple, I am not trying to give the writers Ideas Bundle all I am trying to say (Is that putting MM in Poirot stories which we have already seen DS do is FAR! FAR! FAR! better than putting her in Adaptations of books we have Never seen done before, I don't weish to be rude but perhaps you and go_leafs should take the trouble to rezad my posts properly.  

Tommy, mon ami, you misunderstood me I'm afraid. My post was directed to go leafs not you. And even then I was just joking. If you refer to it again I put a happy face after my post: :0) . I didn't really mean that go leafs was giving anyone any bad ideas.

In fact I see what you are saying Tommy about it being better to put MM in Poirot adapts rather than the non series ones as it would make more sense. But at the same time I see what go leafs is saying too. In short, you both make vaild points.

Tommy, if you give the writers leeway enough to replace Poirot with MM, you might as well expect a completely altered plot which either makes no sense or is silly. "Because," the producers will smile, "you can see the Suchet version for a faithful one."

Bundle and go_leafs PLEASE PLEASE FORGIVE ME, I didn't mean to sound rude and have a re-think I was hoping to get back on and take the rude bit away before you posted anymore, please accept my apologies but go_leafs I think it is possible to replace Poirot with MM without changeing a great deal like this;

Murder On The rient Express

In the book Bouc is a Director of the Train Company, surely there are more, perhaps Col Bantry was one and on his death his Shares are inherited by Dolly along with his position and she has a free trip with MM

After The Funeral

Perhaps MM could be an Executor of The Will

Evil Under The Sun

perhaps Raymond could pay for a Holiday for MM and she goes with Bunch or Dolly or Cherry, that would mean very few changes would have to be made.

The problem, like I said, is that if you allow them to replace the detective, this will give them a self-declared license to destroy the novel. Those happen to be three of Poirot's best cases, where he fits perfectly, and where MM won't fit. Introduce MM, and you're guaranteed a liberal plotline. It's Marple; it's practically guaranteed. Very few changes have to be made, but they will be made either way. So keep away from Poirot books, Marple & Co.!

Why would MM be in Istanbul? She couldn't travel with Dolly because HP had trouble fitting in the train by himself (unless you're proposing a stunt similar to Molina's MOTOE, which we all agree was dreadful). As for the other two, mille fois non, non, non! We've already had "dear" Raymond shuffle Miss Marple around earlier in the series... And I'm quite opposed to another MM adaptation of ATF- Margaret Rutherford tried her hand at that, and it wasn't too great.

Withg regards to Murder On The Orient Express I agree Creative License would have to be made, but I am sure room would be made for a Director of the Company and a Friend, with regards to "Dear Raymond" shuffling MM of on holiday, the repition wouldn't be that bad to take after all she had the Calthorpe's she stayed with and Bunch appeared alot and as for Margaret Rutherford in ATF not being too great well I am afraid go_leafs that is your opinion, I liked the films she did as MM and I repeat putting MM in Poirot's we have already seen is much better by far than putting MM in books which have not been adapted for the screen Properly but like you with MR ala ATF that is my opinion, btw when you put French can you please translate iot as I don't speek it thanks Awfully Old Boy.