The Moving Finger (1985) (TV)

Director:

Roy Boulting

Writer:

Julia Jones (dramatisation)
(more)

Release Date:

21 February 1985 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

The residents of a quiet English village begin to receive nasty, threatening letters. The wife of the local vicar calls in her friend Miss Marple to investigate.

Plot Keywords:

Miss Marple | Poison | Poison Pen Letter | Vicar | Solicitor

Cast

Joan Hickson	...	Miss Jane Marple
Michael Culver	...	Edward Symmington
Elizabeth Counsell	...	Angela Symmington
Deborah Appleby	...	Megan Hunter
Lucy Gleeson	...	Robert Symmington
Stuart Mansfield	...	James Symmington
Andrew Bicknell	...	Gerry Burton
Sabina Franklyn	...	Joanna Burton
Richard Pearson	...	Mr. Pye
Hilary Mason	...	Emily Barton
Dilys Hamlett	...	Maude Calthrop
John Arnatt	...	Reverend Guy Calthrop
Sandra Payne	...	Eryl Griffith
Martin Fisk	...	Owen Griffith
Penelope Lee	...	Partridge
Juliet Waley	...	Beatrice Dunn
Imogen Bickford-Smith	...	Elsie Holland
Gerald Sim	...	Coroner
Geoffrey Davion	...	Superintendent Nash
Roger Ostime	...	Detective Inspector Crawford
Victor Maddern	...	Police Constable Johnson
Ninka Scott	...	Miss Ginch
Patsy Smart	...	Mrs. Cleat
Gordon Rollings	...	Mr. Arthur Cleat
Michael Waterman	...	George Ellis
Catherine Owen	...	Rose
Carol Gleeson	...	Contralto
John Keenan	...	Pianist

Directed by
Roy Boulting

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Agatha Christie		novel (uncredited)
Julia Jones		dramatisation

Produced by
Guy Slater	....	producer

Original Music by
Alan Blaikley
Ken Howard

Cinematography by
Ian Hilton		(photography)

Film Editing by
Graham Walker

Production Design by
Paul Allen

Costume Design by
Christian Dyall

Production Management
Andrew Benson	....	production manager

Art Department
Helen MacKenzie	....	properties buyer (as Helen Mackenzie)
Linda Sherwood-Page	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Martyn Clift	....	sound recordist
John Hale	....	dubbing mixer
Rob Maynard	....	dubbing editor

Editorial Department
Bernard Ashby	....	chief film editor

Music Department
John Altman	....	musical director

Other crew
Alexandra Bridcut	....	assistant floor manager (as Alex Bridcut)
George Gallaccio	....	production associate
Juley Harding	....	production assistant
John Kay	....	assistant floor manager
Tony Redston	....	location manager

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• A&E Television Networks (in association with) (as The Arts and Entertainment Network, U.S.A.)
• Seven Network (in association with) (as The Seven Network, Australia)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1985) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1985) (USA) (TV)
• Mystery! (1985) (USA) (TV)
• A&E Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• A&E Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Just Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: The Moving Finger (UK) (complete title)
Miss Marple: The Moving Finger (UK) (series title)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

UK | USA | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Goofs:

Continuity: After Mr. Pye pours out sherry for his guests, the carafe is seen to be almost empty. On refilling their glasses a short while later the carafe appears half full.

Quotes:

Miss Jane Marple: When gentlemen of a certain age fall in love, they get the disease very badly.

Movie Connections:

Followed by A Pocket Full of Rye (1985) (TV)

Minor Marple Mystery

Not one of the best entries in the Joan Hickson - Miss Marple series. For one thing, the story is not one of Agatha Christie's strongest; I admit that the identity of the killer caught me by surprise, but in retrospect that happened because the script makes his/her motive almost completely obscure. For another thing, with the exception of 1 or 2 well-done atmospheric scenes (like the discovery of the second body), the film flirts dangerously with dullness. And for yet another thing, although the cast is adequate (it's surprising that Deborah Appleby's career went nowhere after this, because she is indeed - as her character is described by someone else - "a breath of fresh air"), nobody really creates a character as memorable as, say, Selina Cadell's Miss Dove in "A Pocketfull Of Rye". OK for one viewing. (**1/2)