Miss Marple: Nemesis (1987) (TV)

Director:

David Tucker

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
T.R. Bowen (dramatisation)

Release Date:

8 February 1987 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery

Plot:

Miss Marple receives a most interesting request from Mr. Jason Rafiel, with whom she'd struck an acquaintance some years before...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Garden | Will | Guided Tour | Detective

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joan Hickson	...	Miss Jane Marple
Peter Tilbury	...	Lionel Peel
Frank Gatliff	...	Jason Rafiel
Barbara Franceschi	...	Miss Kurnowitz
Bruce Payne	...	Michael Rafiel
Roger Hammond	...	Mr. Broadribb
Patrick Godfrey	...	Mr. Schuster
Ann Queensberry	...	Miss Wimpole
Joanna Hole	...	Madge
Helen Cherry	...	Miss Elizabeth Temple
John Horsley	...	Professor Wanstead
Jane Booker	...	Miss Cooke
Alison Skilbeck	...	Miss Barrow
Valerie Lush	...	Lavinia Glynne
Margaret Tyzack	...	Clothilde Bradbury-Scott
Anna Cropper	...	Anthea Bradbury-Scott
Liz Fraser	...	Mrs. Brent
Peter Copley	...	Archdeacon Brabazon
Roger Booth	...	Mr. Pelham
Reginald Stewart	...	Mr. Hallowes
Jackie Downey	...	Florence
Jonathan Adams	...	Carter
Diane Agnew	...	Receptionist
Marlene Sidaway	...	Mrs. Trollope
Jonathan Stephens	...	Policeman
Oliver Parker	...	London Policeman
David Blake Kelly	...	Tramp
Liz Adams	...	Coach Passenger
Maraquita Annis	...	Coach Passenger
Lesley Burt	...	Coach Passenger
Jack Crosbie	...	Coach Passenger
Jeremy Davies	...	Coach Passenger
Jack Frost	...	Coach Passenger
Eileen Matthews	...	Coach Passenger
Mary Maxfield	...	Coach Passenger
Betty Shawe	...	Coach Passenger
Cy Town	...	Coach Passenger

Directed by
David Tucker

Writing credits
Agatha Christie		(novel)
T.R. Bowen		(dramatisation)

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

Original Music by
Ken Howard

Cinematography by
John Walker		(photography)

Film Editing by
Bernard Ashby
Frances Parker

Production Design by
Don Giles

Costume Design by
Brian Willis

Makeup Department
Sylvia Thornton	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Robert Gabriel	....	production manager
Val Sheppard	....	production manager

Art Department
Paul Birkbeck	....	title illustrations
Linda Sherwood-Page	....	graphic designer
Francis Smith	....	properties buyer

Sound Department
John Hale	....	dubbing mixer
Dennis Panchen	....	sound recordist
Jackie Powell	....	dubbing editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Sharon Childs	....	grip

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

Other crew
Matthew Bird	....	location manager
Sarah Burling	....	assistant floor manager
George Griffiths	....	location manager
Anna Kalnars	....	production associate
Maggie Lewty	....	production assistant (as Margaret Lewty)
Thea Murray	....	production associate
Christopher Sandeman	....	assistant floor manager
Gillian Tullett	....	assistant floor 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:

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple: Nemesis (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

USA:102 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Filming Locations:

Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company:

7 Network

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the plane flies low over the hedge, the smoke trail behind it is obviously added by CGI

Quotes:

Miss Jane Marple: [as bedroom door opens] Good evening, Miss Bradbury-Scott.
Clothilde Bradbury-Scott: [turns round in surprise to see Miss Marple sitting in an armchair] I saw your light on, I wondered if...
Miss Jane Marple: ...if I'd drunk my milky drink?
Clothilde Bradbury-Scott: What?
Miss Jane Marple: Well I haven't I'm afraid. I didn't think it would be good for me. I think you know what I mean.
Clothilde Bradbury-Scott: If you want some more milk I'll go and get it for you.
Miss Jane Marple: I shouldn't drink it if you did!

Movie Connections:

Version of Marple: Nemesis (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Nocturne No.8 D-flat major, Op.27-2

Slow, but one of the better entries in the series

What often gets overlooked in Agatha Christie's stories is her progressive, anti-conservative attitude on a number of issues - from the role of women to the effects of tradition to people's belief in the supernatural. In "Nemesis", you can spot a lot of those subtexts - but you can also find a good old-fashioned intriguing mystery that keeps you in the dark for most of its length. Also lifting "Nemesis" above other series entries ("They Do It With Mirrors", "4:50 From Paddington", etc.), is the fact that in the crucial moments before and after the revelation of the killer you can actually feel the suspense. And finally, Jane Booker is welcome to guard my body any time. (***)