At Bertram's Hotel (1987) (TV)

Director:

Mary McMurray

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Jill Hyem (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 January 1987 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

During a stay at one of London's most elegant and venerable hotels Miss Marple uncovers a sinister undercurrent of corruption and murder beneath Bertram's stuffy veneer.

Plot Keywords:

Reverend | Class Distinction | Mother Daughter Relationship | Bigamy | Doorman

Cast

Joan Hickson	...	Miss Jane Marple
Caroline Blakiston	...	Lady Bess Sedgwick
Helena Michell	...	Elvira Blake
James Cossins	...	Colonel Derek Luscombe
Joan Greenwood	...	Lady Selina Hazy
George Baker	...	Chief Inspector Fred Davy
Douglas Milvain	...	Sir Ronald Graves
Philip Bretherton	...	Detective Inspector Campbell
Preston Lockwood	...	Canon Pennyfather
Irene Sutcliffe	...	Miss Gorringe
Brian McGrath	...	Michael Gorman
Neville Phillips	...	Henry
Robert Reynolds	...	Ladislaus Malinowski
Peter Baldwin	...	Mr. Humfries
Randal Herley	...	Richard Egerton
Edward Burnham	...	Dr. Whittaker
Rashid Karapiet	...	Indian Waiter
Amanda Royle	...	BEA Stewardess
Charlotte Barker	...	Bridget Sotheby
Kate Duchêne	...	Rose
Helen Horton	...	Mrs. Cabot
Henrietta Voigts	...	Alice
Daphne Neville	...	Woman at Airport
Donald Burton	...	TV Commentator (voice)

Directed by
Mary McMurray

Writing credits
Agatha Christie		(novel)
Jill Hyem		(screenplay)

Produced by
George Gallaccio	....	producer
Guy Slater	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ken Howard

Cinematography by
John Walker		(photography)

Film Editing by
Bernard Ashby
Paul Garrick

Production Design by
Paul Munting

Costume Design by
Judy Pepperdine

Makeup Department
Sheelagh Wells	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Tony Redston	....	production manager

Art Department
Paul Birkbeck	....	title illustrations
Helen MacKenzie	....	properties buyer (as Helen McKenzie)
Linda Sherwood-Page	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Justin Amsden	....	dubbing editor
John Hale	....	dubbing mixer
Chris King	....	sound recordist (as Christopher King)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nicky Albrechtsen	....	assistant costume designer

Music Department
John Altman	....	musical director
Alan Blaikley	....	composer: title music
Ken Howard	....	composer: title music

Other crew
Patricia Greenland	....	production assistant
George Griffiths	....	location manager
Graeme Hattrick	....	assistant floor manager
Maggie Lewty	....	production assistant (as Margaret Lewty)
Thea Murray	....	production associate
Jo O'Leary	....	location manager
Christopher Sandeman	....	assistant location manager

Production Companies

• 7 Network
• A&E Television Networks
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1987) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1987) (USA) (TV)
• Mystery! (1987) (USA) (TV)
• A&E Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• A&E Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Just Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (UK) (series title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M

Company:

7 Network

Quotes:

Miss Jane Marple: Ah, Bertram's! It's always sad when a work of art has to be destroyed.

Movie Connections:

Version of Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (2007) (TV)

Superb Adaptation of Bertram's Hotel

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!!