Agatha Christie's Marple: Complete Series 5 [Blu-ray]

liked the series I have other miss marple series and all are great.

I'm starting in reverse with this series, buying the AGATHA CHRISTIE'S MARPLE SEASON 5 BLU-RAY first. I've seen some of the series that starred Joan Hickson  Miss Marple - 3 Feature Length Mysteries (The Body in the Library / A Murder Is Announced / A Pocketful of Rye) , which I enjoyed, and so I figured I give the newer series a try.The reason I started with Season 5 is because I read that Joanna Lumley ( Absolutely Fabulous: Complete Series 1 ) was in one of the episodes and I adore her, so I figured I'd start here. Also, Seasons 1-4 are not available on Blu-Ray. And there was an actress change from Geraldine McEwan to Julia McKenzie in the role of Miss Jane Marple, but I don't know why.Anyway, I enjoyed watching Season 5 and since I really haven't read any of the books, except for "The Blue Geranium," which I thought was from Sherlock Holmes -- I read it in high school -- and it was another reason I started with this season, I can't really say whether or not substantial changes have been made to characters or story-lines.I can say that each episode, they're actually like feature length movies, are fun, riveting, and the scenery is exquisite. The cinematography is fantastic and each mystery will have you guessing up until the last minute.Julia McKenzie does a great job in the role of "Miss Jane Marple," as she's a little more sprightlier than Joan Hickson (whom many believe to be the definitive "Marple"), and has slightly more elegance than the disheveled (but endearing) portrayal by Geraldine McEwan. Joanna Lumley is fabulous as "Dolly Bantry" and she's also featured in Season 1 (I just got the Season 1-3 McEwan MARPLE on DVD) as the same character.I'm not sure why but the DVD version of MARPLE SERIES (SEASON) 5 doesn't include "The Pale Horse." I almost bought it accidentally when I was ordering the previous seasons since it's available as a separate DVD  Agatha Christie's Marple: The Pale Horse , but luckily I checked because the MARPLE SERIES 5 BLU-RAY includes The Pale Horse!Here's the specials on the Blu-Rays:*** SPECIAL FEATURES ****** THE MIRROR CRACK'D FROM SIDE TO SIDE ***"Agatha Christie's Garden" - 01-hour:09-secondsThis hour long featurette hosted by Pam Ferris shows the wonderful garden that was Christie's sanctuary."Greenway Garden" - 03-minutes:06-secondsThe history of the Greenway Garden, which is on the property that Christie and her husband lived on the "Greenway Estate.""Remembering Agatha" - 03-minutes:18-secondsGrandson Mathew Prichard talks about his famous grandmother."Agatha's Writing" - 02-minutes:56-secondsVarious writers discuss Christie's writing style and why it was so beloved by many.*** THE PALE HORSE (this has the new version with McKenzie too)***"The Pale Horse" - 1996 Version - 01-hour:41-minutes:27-secondsThis earlier adaptation has a different plot twist and Miss Marple isn't the crime solver (in fact, she's not in it at all). In this version, a friend of one of the victims, a suspect, and a budding investigator/police aide come together to solve the crime. I'm not sure why this was not included on the DVD set, but it is here on the Blu-Ray.Picture and sound quality is outstanding. If you enjoy mysteries than I would definitely recommend MARPLE SERIES (SEASON) 5 BLURAY, since you get "The Pale Horse" movie as well.

Over the years, I have read all of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries and watched all of the modern film iterations of Miss Marple, played by everyone from the marvelous Joan Hickson to the latest grand dame, Julia McKenzie. Not surprisingly, my enjoyment of the series varied somewhat as each actress brought a different interpretation to the lead character and each production had its own atmosphere and style. The quality of the acting has never faltered, however, and many of Britain's finest actors have appeared in these mysteries. Series 5 with Julia McKenzie is a special delight. I was surprised at how lavish and rich the production quality is, how perfect the period details are -- especially in "The Mirror Crack'd." Joanna Lumley figured prominently in this episode and she is picture-perfect as Miss Marple's slightly ditsy and delightfully nosy friend, Dolly. Just to watch these two marvelous actresses interact is a joy. Lindsay Duncan also gives a first-rate performance. As the series moves on, the style and feel of each episode changes a bit and real injections of menace, tension, and fear are palpable. These are contrasted with the down-to-earth, determined and practical calm of McKenzie's Miss Marple. In essence, then, Series 5 is a wonderful collection -- rich, nuanced, and rather splendid.

As always, Amazon Instant Video is wonderfully clear and fast-streaming. We use the PC & Roku for Amazon's services... and I'm never disappointed. Regarding Marple Season 5, the episodes were really great. This series is my favorite of all the productions of Miss Marple stories... even above the Joan Hickson classics from the 1980's. The best of British actors seem to pop up in every episode, and the production captures the early 1950's in such a beautiful way. The Pale Horse is the best I think of the 4 episodes in this group. It has some great twisting & turning. The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side has always been one of my favorite stories, and this version didn't disappoint me at all. Lindsay Duncan does justice to the part of Marina Gregg, and Joanna Lumley is great in anything she does. For those of you that want episodes that adhere strictly to the original stories, this series may not be for you. Some liberty has been taken here and there with characters and some plotlines. I'm not bothered by this so I found them to be wonderful adaptations.

Four mysteries and a bonus copy of The Pale Horse circa 1996 starring Jean Marsh as a witch with deadly powers ("Death is the great ecstasy.").The production values are still top notch, the acting is excellent, but the adaptations are still loose to say the least. Julia McKenzie makes a passable Miss Marple. There are two versions of The Pale Horse, one with her, one without. My favorite of the bunch is The Secret of Chimneys. My least favorite is The Blue Geranium. And they managed to make the oft-filmed The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side fresh and fun, thanks to a truly daffy performance by Joanna Lumley ("She always did have that ripe look. Like a piece of fruit about to go off.").A welcome addition to my Agatha Christie collection.I'm anxiously awaiting the release of Marple 6.

I didn't think I could see anyone else but Geraldine McEwan as Marple but actually Julia McKenzie did a great job. The stories aren't true to the books but to be fair a lot of them weren't actually Marple stories and I think they were adapted fairly well, unlike Endless Night in series 6 where she seemed to just be plonked in occasionally. Each of the actresses who have played Marple have brought something different to the role, and while my favourite will always be Geraldine McEwan I really enjoyed this series. Good to watch on rainy evenings with your knitting out!

A divine Sunday is a roast dinner, a large cup of tea and an afternoon with this box set - the acting of the highest calibre, the setting perfection and the plots twisted.

I bought this as I've been interested in seeing 'the blue geranium' after seeing it on tv so it was worth it for that alone but its also interesting seeing another version of marple stories I've already seen as well

I love Agatha Christie, and got loads of the Christie DVDs from Amazon , very pleased

I had my doubts about Julia McKenzie taking on the roll after Joan Hickson & Geraldine McEwan but after watching this box set they were allayed and will buy any other series of Miss marple she makes