Sleeping Murder (1987) (TV)

Director:

John Davies

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Ken Taylor (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 January 1987 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

When a young bride moves into a country manor, long repressed childhood memories of witnessing a murder come to the surface.

Plot Keywords:

Brother Sister Relationship | Strangler | Repressed Memory | Manor House | Mental Breakdown

Cast

Joan Hickson	...	Miss Jane Marple
Geraldine Alexander	...	Gwenda Reed
John Moulder-Brown	...	Giles Reed
Frederick Treves	...	Dr James Kennedy
Jean Anderson	...	Mrs. Fane
Terrence Hardiman	...	Walter Fane
John Bennett	...	Richard Erskine
Geraldine Newman	...	Janet Erskine
Jack Watson	...	Mr. Foster
Joan Scott	...	Mrs. Cocker
Jean Heywood	...	Edith Paget
Georgine Anderson	...	Mrs. Hengrave
Edward Jewesbury	...	Mr. Sims
David McAllister	...	Raymond West (as David McAlister)
Amanda Boxer	...	Joan West
Esmond Knight	...	Mr. Galbraith
John Ringham	...	Dr. Penrose
Eryl Maynard	...	Lily Kimble
Ken Kitson	...	Jim Kimble
Kenneth Cope	...	Jackie Afflick
Peter Spraggon	...	Detective Inspector Last
Sheila Raynor	...	Shop Assistant
Donald Burton	...	Bosola
Struan Rodger	...	Ferdinand (voice)
Gary Watson	...	Major Kelvin Halliday

Directed by
John Davies

Writing credits
Agatha Christie		(novel)
Ken Taylor		(screenplay)

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

Original Music by
Ken Howard

Cinematography by
Peter Hall		(photography)

Film Editing by
Jerry Leon

Production Design by
Victor Meredith		(as Vic Meredith)

Costume Design by
Judy Pepperdine

Makeup Department
Sheelagh Wells	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Michael Cameron	....	production manager

Art Department
Paul Birkbeck	....	title illustrations
Linda Sherwood-Page	....	graphic designer
Barbara Spiller	....	properties buyer

Sound Department
Malcolm Campbell	....	sound recordist
Colin Goudie	....	dubbing editor
John Hale	....	dubbing mixer

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
Thea Murray	....	production associate
Christopher Sandeman	....	assistant floor manager
Mandy West	....	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)
• Arts & Entertainment Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Just Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder (UK) (series title)

Runtime:

USA:102 min

Country:

Australia | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Lympstone, Devon, England, UK

Company:

7 Network

Trivia:

A line in the film's ending, 'Cover her face, Mine eyes dazzle, Gwennie', spoken by Dr. Kennedy to Gwennie, are references to almost identical lines in Scene 2, Act 4 of the 17th century Jacobean play 'The Duchess of Malfi' published by the English playwright John Webster in 1623. In the 'Duchess of Malfi' the referenced line is 'Cover her face. Mine eyes dazzle. She died young.', spoken by the character Ferdinand to Bosola.

Quotes:

Miss Jane Marple: There's always possibility of X.
Gwenda Reed: X?
Giles Reed: X?
Miss Jane Marple: The unknown factor... someone who hasn't appeared yet but whose presence behind the facts can be deduced.

Movie Connections:

Followed by They Do It with Mirrors (1991) (TV)

Creaking Christie

A slow ponderous tale, the last full-length Miss Marple to be published. It had in fact been written during the forties and Christie had intended it to be published after her death. It has the usual surprise twists and turns that we have come to expect from Dame Agatha, but this substandard television production lacks pace and the invasive music ruins any sense of atmosphere. The acting is equally uninspiring, however, John Moulder-Brown appears to be perfectly cast as the vacuous male lead.