Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder *** (1987, Joan Hickson, Geraldine Alexander, John Moulder-Brown) – Classic Movie Review 9,629

The 1987 TV movie Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder again stars Joan Hickson, who takes on her sixth case as the BBC’s Miss Marple, based on the 1976 novel by Agatha Christie. 

Director John Davies’s 1987 TV movie Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder again stars Joan Hickson, who takes on her sixth case as the BBC’s Miss Marple, based on the 1976 posthumously released novel by Agatha Christie, her last published.

A newly wed wife, Gwenda Reed (Geraldine Alexander), whose husband Giles Reed (John Moulder-Brown) is away, returns from New Zealand and buys a house in England, but is haunted by images of having lived there before.

Sleeping Murder is a mild but still compelling case, and the film makes a good job of one of Christie’s lesser works, with Kenneth Taylor keeping his adaptation fairly true to the plot of the novel.

Also in the cast are Georgine Anderson, Edward Jewesbury, Jack Watson, Joan Scott, Esmond Knight, John Bennett, Frederick Treves, Terrence Hardiman, Geraldine Newman, Jean Heywood, David McAllister, Amanda Boxer, John Ringham, Eryl Maynard, Ken Kitson, Peter Spraggon as Detective Inspector Last, Sheila Raynor, Gary Watson, and Kenneth Cope.

Sleeping Murder was first transmitted in two 50-minute parts on Sunday 11 January 1987 and Sunday 18 January 1987.

It was remade as part of ITV’s Marple, with Geraldine McEwan and Sophia Myles as Miss Marple and Gwenda. and transmitted on 5 February 2006 with many plot changes.

June Whitfield played Miss Marple in several radio adaptations, and Sleeping Murder was adapted as a 90-minute play for BBC Radio 4 and transmitted on 8 December 2001.

Miss Marple: Sleeping Murder is directed by John Davies, runs 110 minutes, is made by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), A+E Networks and 7 Network, is released by BBC, is written by Kenneth Taylor, based on the novel by Agatha Christie, is shot by Peter Hall, is produced by Guy Slater (executive producer) and George Gallaccio, and is scored by Alan Blaikley (composer: title music) and Ken Howard (composer: incidental music, title music), with Production Design by Victor Meredith.

Sleeping Murder was written early in 1940 during the WW2 London Blitz. She wrote it to be published after her death, following Hercule Poirot’s last mystery, Curtain.

Christie’s original manuscript of Sleeping Murder was entitled Murder in Retrospect, later retitled Cover Her Face. Christie had to think up yet another title after P D James’s first crime novel was published in 1962 as Cover Her Face.

It is followed by Miss Marple: At Bertram’s Hotel (1987), the seventh of the 12 films.

It follows The Body in the Library, The Moving Finger, A Murder Is Announced, A Pocketful of Rye. and The Murder at the Vicarage.

The cast are Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, Geraldine Alexander as Gwenda Reed, John Moulder Brown as Giles Reed, Frederick Treves as Dr James Kennedy, Jean Anderson as Mrs Fane, Terrence Hardiman as Walter Fane, John Bennett as Richard Erskine, Geraldine Newman as Janet Erskine, Jack Watson as Mr Foster, Joan Scott as Mrs Cocker, Jean Heywood as Edith Paget, Georgine Anderson as Mrs Hengrave, Edward Jewesbury as Mr Sims, David McAlister as Raymond West, Amanda Boxer as Joan West, Esmond Knight as Mr Galbraith, John Ringham as Dr Penrose, Eryl Maynard as Lily Kimble, Ken Kitson as Jim Kimble, Kenneth Cope as Jackie “JJ” Afflick, Peter Spraggon as Detective Inspector Last, Sheila Raynor as shop assistant, Donald Burton as Bosola (onstage), and Struan Rodger as Ferdinand (onstage).

John Moulder-Brown (born 3 June 1953) is known for the films Deep End, Vampire Circus,First Love, King, Queen, Knave, Ludwig and The House That Screamed.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9,629

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

John Moulder-Brown plays Giles Reed.