Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (1987)

At Bertram's Hotel is not just one of the best Miss Marple episodes ever. It is a nostalgic trip to the late 1950s and shows a London/Britain as many would expect. The afternoon tea served at Bertram's in the episode is exactly how it should be. The best line is when Lady Celia tells Miss Marple about getting muffins in America that were "like tea cakes with raisins in them", to which Miss Marple replies. "The Americans have a lot to answer for." One of the best and funniest Miss Marple moments ever. The episode also includes rare footage of the De Havilland Comet 4 (the improved version of the first commercial jet liner) and of the roof terrace at the former department store Derry & Toms (which still exists as an exclusive venue for wealthy Kensingtonians). Wonderful.

It's such a faithful and warm production. When winter breaks and the nights draw in, I can think of nothing nicer then putting the fire on, pouring a brandy and curling up to watch Bertram's.I will say that some elements of the story are a little far fetched, and require a stretch in the imagination, some of the robberies etc, but the production is so velvety I didn't even give them a second thought.Caroline Blakiston needs a huge level of applause for bringing the character of Bess Sedgwick to life. When you read the book she is the standout character, the interest and focus, Caroline makes her seem wealthy, edgy and wild. To see what I mean please check Polly Walker's performance in the poor remake, a great actress but doesn't bring her to life. 'Bigamy, trigamy what's the difference, scotch?'Bertam's itself looks so believable, when I read the book this is exactly how I picture it, sleepy, subtly lavish and full of rich and retired gentle folk, eccentric in their ways and staid in their appearance, it's the reason Bess works so well, she is meant to stand out. The music as always is spot on, melodic and non obtrusive. The costumes too look gorgeous, especially the one Bess wears at the end. I've mentioned before my opinions on Joan's interpretation of Miss Marple (so I won't bore again,) but once again she's just magical, scenes with Blakiston and femme fatale Joan Greenwood are just too good.The ending is wonderfully done, so exciting, dare I sat it manages to out do the book.It was never going to get anything other then a 10 was it. 10/10

I've been an Anglophile since I was a kid, but only recently had the patience to read Agatha Christie's books (so much detail!!). Bertram's Hotel became one of my favorite because Miss Marple goes to the big city and visits places she knew as a child. We get a bit of Little Jane and what she enjoyed.The British have always been great at adapting books to film. This Bertram's is an excellent example. It maintains the integrity of a book while condensing it into a short span.Bertram's Hotel is all that and more. The plot, characters and environment are beautifully done and wonderful to watch. An aging Joan Hickson (one of her later Marples) appropriately plays the aging Miss Marple. A friend replies "She must be 100 years old," or something to that effect.The mystery is intriguing and I love seeing one of my favorite sleuths still able to see everything for what it really is, while fooling everyone with her elderly appearance. I love the actress who plays Bess Sedgwick. She hits the mark as Christie wrote her and she's fun to watch. I actually cared a great deal about her although some things about her character are not so hot. That pretty much goes for all the characters with one exception. Vadislaus Marinovsky is appropriately arrogant, still in keeping with the book.This episode of the Miss Marple series with Joan Hickson is absolutely wonderful. I bought the DVD set and watch it often.ONE WORD OF WARNING: If you're a newbie, do NOT mistake the two series. The new Marple series with Geraldine McEwan is terrible!!

One of the later Marple mysteries, it was first published in the swinging sixties, but has wisely been reset in the far gentler 1950s. It is one of Christie's lesser works and unfortunately this television production does not improve on it. Caroline Blakiston's central performance as the irrepressible Bess Sedgewick, is a master class in scenery chewing, and the plot borders on the ridiculous - a criminal mastermind uses an exclusive London hotel as a front for an assortment of nefarious activities. The supporting cast includes Joan Greenwood, in a nothing role, but still mesmerising us with her honeyed voice, radio stalwart Preston Lockwood, charmingly dippy as the absent minded Canon, and Irene Sutcliffe, suitably prim and proper as the hotel receptionist. George Baker is also around with his uninteresting interpretation of a dull policeman. This, alas, is one for die-hard Christie fans only.