A loose adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel "Mrs. McGinty's Dead" brings back Margaret Rutherford as the blustery Miss Marple (following "Murder She Said" in 1961 and "Murder at the Gallop" in 1963). Serving on the jury for a man accused of murder, Miss Marple's vote of not guilty causes a mistrial; she proceeds to investigate the case from there, in which members of an acting troupe in England are turning up dead. Christie, arguably the most popular mystery novelist in history, wasn't particularly served well by the movies--or was it that her dialogue tended to impede on a film's progress? Screenwriters David Pursall and Jack Seddon aren't especially snappy or witty, but their film is amiable nevertheless, and served well by a good supporting cast. Desmond Dickinson's cinematography is very fine, as is Ron Goodwin's lively score. Pity more wasn't done to make Rutherford's Marple a sly trickster (she has one crafty scene pretending to be a church worker to get inside the murder location, but otherwise she's rather inert). Just off an Oscar win for "The V. I. P. S.'s", one's hopes for a star-turn--the indefatigable sleuth--are somewhat let down. Rutherford's age may have been a factor in keeping her grounded; when she doesn't have the clever repartee, the actress falls back on making funny faces. The plot is wrapped up nicely, and there's a cute plug at the finale for another Marple-mystery which never happened. Rutherford made a cameo in 1965's "The Alphabet Murders" (with Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot), but this was her last starring turn as Miss Marple. **1/2 from ****
Review of Murder Most Foul
