Agatha Christie Marple: They Do It with Mirrors

Decent adaptation of one of Christie's lesser novels

It's pretty close to the original story but the changes were baffling.

Julia McKenzie is Enjoyable Miss Marple in "Mirrors"

Christie uses theatrical illusions in her plotting...

McKenzie makes it watchable,  But..........

Exterior and some interiors of Stoneygates

Fawley Court, Fawley, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Joan Collins and Julia McKenzie in They Do It with Mirrors (2009)

Ernest once took a great interest in financial matters.

Yes, got a bit ahead of myself, didn't I, ma'am?

He used to invest other people's money without their permission.

Ian Ogilvy in They Do It with Mirrors (2009)

Julia McKenzie and Nigel Terry in They Do It with Mirrors (2009)

Brian Cox in They Do It with Mirrors (2009)

Penelope Wilton in They Do It with Mirrors (2009)

Tom Payne in They Do It with Mirrors (2009)

Sean Hughes in They Do It with Mirrors (2009)

Sarah Smart in They Do It with Mirrors (2009)

Julia McKenzie

Elliot Cowan

Emma Griffiths Malin

Agatha Christie

Paul Rutman

A reformatory for delinquent boys run by Miss Marple&apos;s philanthropic friend becomes the scene of arson and poisoning, and ultimately murder.

Andy Wilson

They Do It with Mirrors

A murder is announced...

I only remember Agatha Christie&apos;s novel vaguely. What I do remember about &quot;They Do It With Mirrors&quot;, however, is that it was one of Dame Agatha&apos;s weakest novels. I was able, nonetheless, to spot a few changes to the plot, some minor, while others were major. However, this time around, changes only served to strengthen a somewhat flimsy plot for television, making it more cinematic, and overall, improving and endearing it.

The acting in this episode was absolutely first-rate. Julia McKenzie proves once more that she is a fantastic Miss Marple. Her charm, generally speaking, is just endearing. McKenzie needs to come across as extremely shrewd in this film, more than she has in other outings in the role. She not only handles this aspect well, but she still manages to conceal this with a seemingly harmless charm.

The entire supporting cast was extremely strong. Everyone fit their roles perfectly, and had fantastic chemistry with each other. Watch in particular for Emma Malin as Gina, in an extremely strong performance. I don&apos;t want to reveal too much, but her character always feels true. Another fantastic surprise is Brian Cox as Lewis Serrocold. In Christie&apos;s novel, something was missing from Lewis&apos; character, which I can&apos;t quite put my finger on. Whatever the problem was, I don&apos;t detect a trace of it in Cox&apos;s magnificent performance.

Once more, this film felt little like a made-for-TV movie. The direction was stellar. Andy Wilson is the director, whose previous Agatha Christie credits include David Suchet&apos;s fabulous &quot;Death on the Nile&quot; and Geraldine McEwan&apos;s &quot;4:50 From Paddington&quot;. Once more, he proves himself to be a capable director, and cleverly builds suspense, even during a (somewhat pointless) &quot;car-bike-and-pedestrian&quot; chase.

Paul Rutman adapted &quot;They Do it With Mirrors&quot;, and his writing was generally strong. The liberties he took with the plot served mainly to strengthen the cinematic adaptation. There is, however, one chase sequence (that I already mentioned) that feels rather pointless. Its purpose is never explained (or, if it was, merely in passing; I didn&apos;t catch any explanation), but I&apos;m sure it made the producers&apos; eyes light up.

So, to sum up, &quot;They Do It With Mirrors&quot; may have very well been the best film of Series 4. There is a certain emotional connection I felt with the characters that was absent from the novel itself, and that&apos;s a good thing. The direction was once more fantastic, as was Dominik Scherrer&apos;s music. The cast this time around was particularly strong. All these elements work together to create an extremely fine adaptation, and an enjoyable film to boot.

I only remember Agatha Christie's novel vaguely. What I do remember about "They Do It With Mirrors", however, is that it was one of Dame Agatha's weakest novels. I was able, nonetheless, to spot a few changes to the plot, some minor, while others were major. However, this time around, changes only served to strengthen a somewhat flimsy plot for television, making it more cinematic, and overall, improving and endearing it.

The acting in this episode was absolutely first-rate. Julia McKenzie proves once more that she is a fantastic Miss Marple. Her charm, generally speaking, is just endearing. McKenzie needs to come across as extremely shrewd in this film, more than she has in other outings in the role. She not only handles this aspect well, but she still manages to conceal this with a seemingly harmless charm.

The entire supporting cast was extremely strong. Everyone fit their roles perfectly, and had fantastic chemistry with each other. Watch in particular for Emma Malin as Gina, in an extremely strong performance. I don't want to reveal too much, but her character always feels true. Another fantastic surprise is Brian Cox as Lewis Serrocold. In Christie's novel, something was missing from Lewis' character, which I can't quite put my finger on. Whatever the problem was, I don't detect a trace of it in Cox's magnificent performance.

Once more, this film felt little like a made-for-TV movie. The direction was stellar. Andy Wilson is the director, whose previous Agatha Christie credits include David Suchet's fabulous "Death on the Nile" and Geraldine McEwan's "4:50 From Paddington". Once more, he proves himself to be a capable director, and cleverly builds suspense, even during a (somewhat pointless) "car-bike-and-pedestrian" chase.

Paul Rutman adapted "They Do it With Mirrors", and his writing was generally strong. The liberties he took with the plot served mainly to strengthen the cinematic adaptation. There is, however, one chase sequence (that I already mentioned) that feels rather pointless. Its purpose is never explained (or, if it was, merely in passing; I didn't catch any explanation), but I'm sure it made the producers' eyes light up.

So, to sum up, "They Do It With Mirrors" may have very well been the best film of Series 4. There is a certain emotional connection I felt with the characters that was absent from the novel itself, and that's a good thing. The direction was once more fantastic, as was Dominik Scherrer's music. The cast this time around was particularly strong. All these elements work together to create an extremely fine adaptation, and an enjoyable film to boot.

A reformatory for delinquent boys run by Miss Marple's philanthropic friend becomes the scene of arson and poisoning, and ultimately murder.

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