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

Director:

Dan Zeff

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Tom MacRae (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 April 2007 (Canada)

Genre:

Mystery

Plot:

Miss Marple spends a holiday in a luxurious London hotel. The sinister atmosphere, the odd disappearance of a clergyman and the murder of the commissionaire moves her on the trail of a clever criminal gang.

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Geraldine McEwan	...	Miss Marple
Isabella Parriss	...	Young Miss Marple
James Howard	...	Hotel Doorman 1891
Adam Smethurst	...	Cab Driver
Tony Bignell	...	Newsboy
Vincent Regan	...	Mickey Gorman
Mark Heap	...	Mr. Humfries
Emily Beecham	...	Elvira Blake
Mary Nighy	...	Brigit Milford
Martine McCutcheon	...	Jane Cooper
Charles Kay	...	Canon Pennyfather
Ed Stoppard	...	Malinowski
Nicholas Burns	...	Jack & Joel Britten
Mica Paris	...	Amelia Walker
Francesca Annis	...	Lady Selina Hazy

Also Known As:

Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

USA:84 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Agatha Christie

Trivia:

In the opening minutes, as Miss Marple stares in wonderment at the lobby of Bertram's Hotel, the manager is on the phone and says, "Uh, no, I'm afraid Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today." The line is from the 1934 Cole Porter song "Miss Otis Regrets" performed by many artists including Ella Fitzgerald and 'Nat ‘King’ Cole' , and more recently by Bette Midler on the final episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scenes on the hotel roof, a modern siren/ alarm /loudspeaker can be seen attached to the building (approx 1980s or later technology).

Movie Connections:

Version of At Bertram's Hotel (1987) (TV)

Opulent Production Spoiled by Poor Sound Mix

While this is one of the most visually atmospheric and beautiful Marples ever, it is almost incredibly difficult to follow, particularly in its early, expository stretches. The reason is the booming, obtrusive scoring, so loud that the dialogue is very difficult to hear at all, much less make sense of. This has become a common fault of Granada productions. I do wish someone would have a few words with the sound mixer- something along the lines of, "People have to be able to hear the ruddy actors!" Things improve a bit towards the end, but in the earlier part of the film, prior knowledge of Christie's original novel is essential to an understanding of what's going on underneath all that booming, blasting, blaring music.