Miss Marple doesn't have as much to do here, but Joan Hickson still plays her marvellously, and I was very impressed with Joanna David. The direction is solid and the cast is excellent. The dialogue is well written, the story is easy to follow and I loved the build-up to the finding of the body which was genuinely creepy. As usual, the production values are wonderful, and the music is very atmospheric here. 4:50 From Paddington is rather slow and perhaps a tad too long as well, but it still has the clever story and memorable characters. While not as sluggish as They Do it With Mirrors, for me this is one of the slower moving Hickson-Marple adaptations. I will say my only real problem with this film was the pacing.
This version is superior though, and is very well done not only as an adaptation but on its own merits. I really like the book, it is very clever and the characters are memorable, and as far as the Geraldine McEwan while not perfect by all means was one of the better ones, at least in my opinion. Hickson is excellent as always but somewhat takes a back seat in this one, she's very much an observer. It's an excellent production, a little doddery in parts, but very faithful to the book. It seemed at the time like she was always using Somerset House. (Is that Bertram's Hotel I spy for their first meeting?) The ending is well staged. One gripe I have with Lucy Eyelesbarrow, she has men falling at her feet, desperately in love with her, I'm so sorry to say it but with Jill Meager, I just don't see it. Jill Meager puts in a very good showing, but. Maurice Denham is wonderful as always, Jean Boht's cameo as Madame Jolie. Beautifully acted, some wonderful performances, my favourite being Joanna David's, she is superb as Emma, making her down trodden and meek, but wonderfully believable. It's beautifully filmed and the music is superb, it adds to the tension.
Some totally iconic scenes too, the whole sequence of Lucy discovering the body is one of the most memorable bits of TV from my childhood. The music is lovely and melodic, it's never invasive, it helps generate atmosphere. It's a very faithful, beautifully made version, production values are incredibly high. With no other witnesses and no trace of a body the Police don't believe her story, so Miss Marple engages Lucy Eyelesbarrow to help uncover the mystery. Whilst travelling by train to visit her friend Jane Marple, Elspeth McGillicuddy wakes from her slumber and witnesses a man strangling a woman on a passing train.
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