Marple Neiti Marple: Koston jumalattarena (2004–2013) Online

'Nemesis' is one of Christie's last books and by this stage in her career the narrative tended to ramble and there were plot-holes aplenty. That said, the central plot line is sound and many of the characters are well written but it could be argued that any screen adaptation might justify a little 'tinkering'. The BBC tinkered in a good way as part of their Joan Hickson series, retaining the most interesting characters, cutting out the less interesting and tightening the story - it was one of my favourites of the series! As expected by now, the 'new' McEwen version indulges in a great deal more tinkering. Indeed, this film bears very little resemblance at all to the source material. This time the really interesting characters have either been thrown out altogether (Miss Temple, the Professor, the two lady bodyguards) or radically altered (tragically the 3 sisters - now two nuns). Stephen Churchett has retained the duller members of the coach tour but because they don't have much to do in the book, this have given him scope to completely re-write their characters (the Lumleys and the Waddys). Miss Marple's nephew Raymond comes along though he's really not needed (I didn't like the fake nephew Lionel added to the Hickson version either) and Churchett gives us possibly the most irritating made up character ever in Ronni Ancona's screeching Miss Dalrymple (why didn't someone kill her?). There are too many changes to the story to even begin to mention. The sad thing is that this travesty in no way improves upon the original story - it's clunky, dull, improbable and (as always with these new adaptations) packed full of too much incident.

As always with the 'Marple' series it looks wonderful and has the usual starry cast but no-one really shines on this outing. Richard E Grant is always worth watching and so are Amanda Burton and Anne Reid but their talents are terribly wasted here. Geraldine McEwen annoyed me this time and I was extremely irritated at how no-one questioned why both she and Raymond were questioning the suspects along with the plodding, comic policeman. The whole thing shows a tremendous lack of respect for Christie's work. Why bother filming these things if the people making them think that the stories are such rubbish they have to be re-written? I've enjoyed some of these McEwen 'Marples' but not this one - its a stinker!

This "Nemesis" is one really lousy Miss Marple. I agree that it's garish in the filming and the acting is so over the top it's almost laughable. But this is a series that makes the mistake of taking itself seriously. They make up the actress playing Miss Marple to look like an elderly Kewpie doll. She's also foolish and silly. Hardly believable as a great amateur detective. The plot is even worse. I grew up Catholic and know just who's allowed to put on a nun's habit. Take the character of Verity Hunt.....this chick would never have even been allowed to step into the convent. Quicker than she can turn her head the nun's garb hits the floor and she's horizontal with a German who crashed in the English countryside!! Unbelievable!! Just WHO thinks up this stupid stuff?? and who are they trying to kid? The old gal (Marple) looks like she's way over her head with these mysteries. But that's okay because there's enough actors acting more goofy than her. Well, almost.

I've loved the Miss Marple character for many years and have seen many reincarnations. I think this one hits rock bottom. It's worse than the American versions.

Strangely, I always thought that the British were so good at adapting books to film. As a matter of fact they put us to shame. No longer, however,

Once again we are asked to delve into another McEwan/Marple/Christie murder mystery. Except that it isn't a Christie murder mystery. Only the name remains the same to trap unwary viewers. The real mystery is why the trustees of Dame Agatha's estate ever allowed this series to be made by disrespectful butchers. Only "A Murder is Announced" retained some faithful semblance of the original novels.

All filmed interpretations have taken some artistic licence with Christie's mysteries over the years, which is perfectly acceptable to most Christie fans, but none except this Marple series (and the Tony Randall ABC effort) have turned them into unrecognisable farces. And that is most definitely not acceptable. In the various episodes of McEwen/Marple we've been offered, by way of change to the originals, everything including different characters, different plots, different victims, different culprits, added murders, etc., etc., etc., and of course inclusions of Jane Marple into stories in which she was never intended to appear.

"Nemesis" is the last episode in which Geraldine McEwan dons the mantle of the elderly yet intrepid needle-clicking sleuth (we may, I think, be thankful for the omission of "A Caribbean Mystery"), and it once again takes Dame Agatha's wonderful original tale apart, and reconstitutes it into one that makes little sense, logic, or reason, adds, deletes, and changes characters, presents new plot lines and a new conclusion.

I can't detrimentally criticise the performances, I would be wrong to do so, but when a drama is billed as being based on an Agatha Christie novel I expect it to be, and expect to see, just that. Not something that is haphazardly jumbled together by an inferior hack.

I'm not one of those persons who believe novels should be adapted to the screen faithfully, word for word.Changes have to be made,we're talking of two different mediums of telling a story.But changes apart, the storyline must remain the same;the characters remain the same,the solution to the crime must be the one devised by the novel's author. That just doesn't happens here. Stephen Churchett decided to be original and destroyed one of the best novels AC ever wrote!!!!To turn the three sisters of the novel into nuns?!!!!!!!!!!!!What the hell was he thinking of?!!!!To make Jason Rafiel a German emigrant and his son a German soldier?!!!!Will somebody please tell me what these changes add to the original story?Please?And I'm just touching the surface;there was much,much more to be said about this piece of trash TV,but I won't even bother.AC must be turning in her grave,seeing what they're doing to her work,I promise you!If you can get your hands on the Joan Hickson's version of Nemesis,do yourself a favor and watch that instead. This one is a total waste of time! Just one more thing:Joan Hickson is THE definite Miss Marple.She was absolutely perfect in the part,in the same way that David Suchet is absolutely perfect as Poirot.I already thought Geraldine McEwan was totally wrong as Miss Marple; this film confirmed it. Richard E. Grant and Amanda Burton are the only reason I'm rating this disaster area with 1 star instead of the 0 it would otherwise deserve.

I have just watched this adaptation of the Miss Marple book "Nemesis" and am rather lost as to why this telemovie should be called the same.

The only characters in common with the book are Miss Marple (played all wrong by McEwan - again), Raymond West and Jason Rafiel. All of the other characters did not appear in the book. Again, as this series has done so may times in the past, the murderer has been changed and the entire plot of the novel reworked so that even those murdered during the course of the book are changed. The bus driver is portrayed as a sort of maniacal jailer with a mountain climbing fixation.

If you want a proper interpretation of the novel, go for the Joan Hickson version - this one is just plain odd.

This new Miss Marple must be intended for people who are deaf and absolutely clueless of Agatha Christie's books. Every character, every part of the plot, and the wonderful development of the mystery has been changed. What we get is an extremely loud, garishly filmed (in bright reds, yellows, ....eeek!!), MESS. The main characters of Jason Rafiel and Michael Rafiel have been changed of course. In keeping with this new series, their characters have been changed to make them German! Michael Rafiel's relationship as well as how he met Verity Hunt has been changed also to an untasty dish served cold. Enough to turn the stomach. The "sisters" who are pivotal to the plot, are now nuns.....real sisters in the Catholic Church sense. The wonderful Amanda Burton is such a good actress, but she's totally wasted here as one of the new characters of a Nun. Richard Grant, also a good actor, is also wasted as Miss Marple's nephew, Raymond. They now make Miss Marple's nephew into a comical, silly, womanizer. Gee, I almost forgot to talk about Miss Marple and her role in this dreadful crime (I'm talking about the series). Can you really believe Geraldine McEwan when she states, "I am Nemesis," in this mystery? She twitters, twinkles her eyes and dithers around. It's really hard to pick out the worse of the lot in the new Miss Marple series, but this comes real close. I think "Bertram's Hotel" is the one that disappointed me most since it was my favorite book, with "Nemesis" as second. The scriptwriters, directors, set designers, everyone associated with this lousy series must have absolutely no sense of Christie's work. Believe me, you are NOT getting anything near to her impeccable mysteries.

Thank goodness this was McEwan's last performance as Miss Marple. Of course Julia MacKenzie won't do much better unless they change the scriptwriters.

As others have noted, the plot of the book goes through not the word processor but the food processor and comes out as an unsavoury mess. It also makes little sense. Why anyone would continue on a coach tour after two deaths is perhaps the greatest mystery in the production - especially as this includes one of the victims' husbands (supposedly so, anyway).

As for the cast staying in a semi-ruined building without electricity and the whole case being entrusted to a detective constable, words fail me.

The acting is OK. Dan Stevens stands out as the German, though his role is stupid. Lee Ingleby, normally excellent, is a let down, especially as his accent wanders up and down the country.

It's fairly enjoyable - if you haven't read the book. The only similarity to the actual book is a few names. The plot is different, the period is different, the characters are different. Why bother adapting the Miss Marple (and it should be MISS Marple and not just plain Marple - that's so very rude) books if the adaptors are just going to change everything about them? Why not just write entirely new mysteries, instead of hanging their own stories onto Agatha Christie characters and book titles? If you want to see Miss Marple:Nemesis, try the far superior Joan Hickson version. This version is not an Agatha Christie mystery.

I did think this was a poor adaptation of the book by Agatha Christie, and I did think it is one of the weaker Marple adaptations. Honestly, sorry but the Joan Hickson version was much better. There is some very nice period detail and some lovely camera-work and costumes, there is some nice music and the supporting performances from Amanda Burton, George Cole and Richard E.Grant were fine. And you are left asking questions throughout, like a whodunit expects you to. However, the story was a mess, it bears little resemblance to the original story, and most of the plot changes were unnecessary. Also I have never quite been convinced by Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple, she just isn't my idea of the character. Miss Marple is very clever and very wise, not fussy. That is the main reason why I keep saying see the Joan Hickson versions instead, because Hickson was born for Miss Marple, and her interpretation was the truest to the Marple in the book. The script was quite poor, even for an Agatha Christie adaptation,the pacing was off and I am the only one probably who found the final solution confusing, and there was a lot of overacting going on in some parts. Overall, very disappointing, could have been so much better. 4/10 Bethany Cox

For a series which is rivalling Jacques Cousteau's diving abilities, this one plumbs new depths. It's called Nemesis and it's got a coach in it. That's where the similarities with the novel end. As usual, characters are written in a completely unconvincing manner, nobody reacts naturally to any of the unfolding events and the entire cast seems to be treating the whole affair as if the characters know they are cartoon characters in a cardboard world. Agatha Christie tried to present intriguing puzzles with characters one could believe, and this series delivers on neither front. At least Miss Marple is actually present in the novel which the script-writer may have glimpsed in an airport somewhere - he certainly doesn't appear to have found time to read it.

Having re-watched and re read my review of the 1987 version (or as I call it the proper one) I thought it about time I reviewed this. I stated back in 2007 that I couldn't wait to see this one, oh that hope. I had totally loved Geraldine as Miss M, there was definitely a little twinkle in the eye, she gave some great performances, A murder is announced and The Body in the Library i loved. This version of Nemesis though was not great, a 6/10 rating I think is fairly generous, calling it Nemesis was taking a bit of a liberty, the core of the story was totally lost, it was a pity a Caribbean Mystery hadn't come first to set the scene. It was a really messy script, which was held together by the quality acting and beautiful scenery. Even the wonderful Amanda Burton couldn't save the day, I find it quite an irritating version, the Will Mellor and wife storyline doesn't work, I didn't like the change of the 3 weird sisters into nuns, the whole point of the 3 sisters was the comparison between the 3 witches in Macbeth etc and turning them into 2 nuns did not work. On the plus side it was an attempt to freshen up the script to try something new, and some aspects worked OK, I will add that i think the last 10 minutes are fantastic, it's worth sticking with to get to the finale, the acting is excellent. 6/10 I think the 1987 version is just so good, this was never going to come up to the mark.

Considering all the amazing talent on show, I so wanted to enjoy this version of a Joan Hickson classic, but it quickly reveals itself to be a sadly horrendous, vacuous and vulgar experiment. Honestly, what where ITV executives in the UK thinking? Thank goodness for the Dominik Scherrer score and DoP Larry Smith.

While I don't mind some deviations from the book, there were too many changes in this one which were unnecessary and reduced the impact of the story.

As always, I enjoyed Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple but in this movie, the annoying Raymond character actually detracted from many of the scenes Miss Marple was in. I think the writers thought this Raymond would be funny but he was irritating.

Changing the House and Gardens tour into a Mystery Bus Tour was another problem, since I found it hard to believe that these people selected by Mr. Rafiel would willingly remain when they are visiting places connected to their past which they wanted to keep hidden.

When I first read the "sisters" would become nuns, I was open-minded since it could have provided a way of tightening the story. Perhaps the Garden and House tour could stay at the convent and Miss Marple would meet the three sisters there.

But I didn't realize they would stray so far from the story by having Clotilde murder Verity in such a violent fashion and eliminating Clotilde murdering the second girl to pass off as Verity's body. That was Agatha Christie's clever twist, and while I don't mind changes from the source when it made sense, not using the most brilliant part of the story was a bad move and made this movie a weak shell of the book.

If you have read the novel, you will be just shocked at all the radical plot changes which have been made for no good reason whatever. The central characters now include nuns and a Luftwaffe pilot and a WWII-injured officer; the settings have been altered to the same degree. These changes do not make the story more interesting or more suspenseful, but rather more cluttered and silly and labored. The 1987 version stayed much closer to the book (and had more running time to play with) and was, consequently, much better. Why, why did the writers do this? Why? Well, suppose you haven't read the book or seen the 1987 version and are coming to this show cold. I suppose you could do worse with your time. But really the "melodramatic" clutter and the additional silly subplot elements that have been thrown in put this sort of on the same level of, well, a "Colombo" episode. And not one of the classic ones either.

This adaptation is dreadful, even if you haven't read the book. I don't like Mckeown as Marple anyway, but the idiotic writer who wrote this - it isn't Christie's book, they just nicked the title, characters and the basis of the story - should be ashamed of themselves. For those of you who haven't read the book, you've missed a masterpiece. For those of you who haven't seen the Joan Hickson version - you must. Liz Fraser's heart breaking performance as a drunkered, reminiscing about her murdered daughter, is amazing.

As for this version. It's a total hash with ridiculous, laughable characters, acting and story. It's hilarious the way a character tells a story and suddenly we are seeing this acted out. The programme makers assume we poor stupid viewers can't imagine it fir ourselves.

It actually makes me angry that the makers changed a great book and turned it into a dreadfully poor cheap play with hammy actors. Agatha Christie Ltd, who gave permission for this rewrite (and other dreadful adaptations) are doing Agatha a disservice and are thinking of $$ and ££ over substance.

I actually have no idea why this Geraldine McEwan series was allowed to continue.

This episode Nemesis has to be the worst yet and if I could give it a Zero, nil point, then I would.

Why is the plot so changed? Why call it Nemesis and then do a different plot that bears no resemblance to the author's? Her family should be ashamed of themselves for allowing the intellectual property rights on this to be so be abused in such fashion.

The script writers of this series should give their fee back and indeed pay the viewers. The murder of one character is omitted and the original victim's aunts are portrayed as nuns? nuns ? NUNS ?? Where did that come from? The scenes are also altered.

Just put another title on this TV drama but don't call it Agatha Christie's Nemesis. It's a beautiful haunting book. WAS ....

Should have followed the original story...I don't mind the actress playing Marple, but the script..dear me, why nuns?

... ruined nearly every scene in this film; the sound track was just too loud and never seemed to let up. Problem #2 was the fragmented quality of the storytelling; we're constantly skipping backwards and forwards in time and cutting from one set of characters to another with just brief snatches of dialogue, so that no scene has a chance to build and it becomes extremely difficult to follow the complicated story. Problem #3 was the swooping, restlessly moving camera. In some types of films this fluid camera work might add a bit of style; here it simply erased any sense of period atmosphere or charm. A good Miss Marple movie, I'd suggest, ought to be old-fashioned, restrained, even a little stodgy; this new version of "Nemesis" feels too modern and (thanks to the wandering camera and that operatic music) vaguely psychedelic, or at least dreamlike, in style -- leaving this viewer with a bit of a headache. I miss the Marples of Joan Hickson and Margaret Rutherford.

My exposure to Miss Marple is strictly through the TV and movie adaptations. I adored Joan Hickson (Agatha Christie's preferred Miss Marple), who somehow was able to pull off a mix of mildly dotty old lady, mysterious Sybil, and avenging angel, all while employing the instincts of a superb detective. The 1987 series also tried to convey a reasonably realistic picture of post-war Britain, which was fascinating.

To me, Geraldine McEwan's Miss Marple strains too hard to be ingratiating (maybe it's the direction).

I've watched a couple of installments from this new Miss Marple series, and I found "Nemesis" to be the most logy and confusing of all.

The supporting performances were very good, but it is a mystery series after all and the only mystery I really cared to have solved was, When is this going to end?

After THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY last season, I stopped expecting good things from Marple episodes-- I sat down to watch with the lowest possible expectations. NEMESIS is a complete rewrite. The Rafiels are now Nazis (what is with the producers and Nazis???), Michael was in the Lutwaffe. Everything from Nora Broad to the disposal of the body was completely changed. Contrary to popular belief, the killer is the same as the book, however, his or her character is so dramatically altered that it is easy to see why everyone is confused. I did not particularly enjoy this episode, but after THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY, every episode seems to have SOME sort of decency.

I wouldn't have given it 1 star if I could have avoided it. Actors gotta act and writers gotta write, but this was a crime against both professions. All of those involved will be held to account when they appear before their professional maker for judgment on their careers and how they acquitted themselves.

"Nemesis" is the maddest of lot of this sorry series. This was a originally a quite sensitive story about thwarted would-be maternal attachment and the evil of feeling that we can own a human and hence can destroy them (Think of real life parents who kill their children in murder/suicide events ). The writer/producers who thought up the dramatic treatment for this rendition should be forced to sit a class on ethical use of source material. Their Nemesis is a mad Gothic tale worthy of Radcliffe or Lewis; here deranged nuns grapple with wounded enemy soldiers in a storyline so far removed from Christies' they share little more than a title.

Having read the message board posts for this program, a lot of people seem to dislike both the new "Marple" adaptations in general, and this episode in particular. However, I am not one of theme. I have never been one to hold up live-action adaptations to their source novels (I haven't even read this Agatha Christie book), and I think thought this episode was very good when viewed independently of the book! Although not the best-ever episode of "Marple" (that honor falls to "A Murder Is Announced", from the first season), "Nemesis" is a very solid, engaging entry in the series.

The basic premise is that a friend of Miss Marple's, Jason Rafiel, dies and leaves her a letter asking her to solve an unspecified crime that has happened, or will happen soon. To this end, he has also left her 2 tickets for a bus tour of the English countryside. So, Miss Marple sets off with her nephew Raymond, but it seems as if all the other bus passengers are connected to one another through a mysterious girl named Verity. It falls to Miss Marple to honor Jason Rafiel's last request, and untangle the secrets that bind everyone together.

Like all other "Marple" episodes, one of the highlights was the performances - "Marple" episodes always feature great British character actors, and this one was no exception. Geraldine McEwan is always excellent; she is by far my favorite Miss Marple (I know many will disagree, but I always found Joan Hickson to be far too cold and unfriendly in the role). Other standouts in this episode were Ruth Wilson, fresh from the recent "Jane Eyre" TV adaptation, as the tour group leader, and Ronni Ancona as the glamorous socialite Amanda Dalrymple. The settings and costumes were also impeccable.

The story itself was also very intriguing, with many secrets from the past being brought to the surface (a very common theme in Agatha Christie's novels). The story did move quite briskly, though, and it was occasionally difficult to keep up with the plot developments. I was watching the episode on tape, though, so it wasn't a big issue for me. I also found the solution to the mystery to be very gratifying, and it completely surprised me! Although I have not read the book, I have heard that this adaptation has taken significant liberties with the plot, so you may wish to 'prepare yourself' if the book is one of your favorites. However, I enjoyed this adaptation a great deal, and I definitely recommend it.

I'm now used to the new Miss Marple. Others have said that they preferred Margaret Rutherford and Joan Hickson, but they all have a place in each new generation of Christie fans. Though the stories now wander from the original plots somewhat, they make for entertaining viewing in their own right. I always imagined Miss Marple to be a wool-knitting, ruddy cheeked slightly frail old lady. Each new Marple gets further away from that notion, but I for one like a new take on an old theme. The flitting back and forth was no more difficult a theme to follow than the books written many years ago. It just takes a bit of imagination. I love the new slant on the 30' and 40's (and even 50's) through the eyes of the writers of the new screenplays. Modern music and camera work give a fresh face to what is a very old TV-play and book. The only sad thing is that no longer could you imagine seeing movies as plays on the stage, something which was very easy with the old rather over-acted melodramas...

Keep up the good work and I for one will be waiting for the next release! I'm sure Agatha is in the great screening room in the sky loving the fact that her stories live on in the changing media of the 21st century - something she could never have dared to think when she wrote her novels....

I think the idea of the benevolent Miss Marple acting as Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, is an interesting one, and when Geraldine McEwan finally assumes that role the effect is almost chilling - this is probably one of her best performances in the entire series. Another thing I noticed about Geraldine is that her Marple always seems to have good chemistry with her sidekicks (Lucy and Mrs. McGillicuddy in "4:50 From Paddington", Tuppence in "By The Pricking Of My Thumbs", etc.), and the same applies here as well, where we finally get to meet her nephew, the womanizing writer Raymond West (Richard E. Grant); their interplay, as well as that between Raymond and the mysterious tour guide Georgina Barrow (an ideally cast Ruth Wilson), are among the few light moments of this generally dark tale. For all the changes to the plot (some of which, like making virtually everyone on the tour involved with the case of Verity in one way or another, I actually liked), it still remains recognizable; the proof is that I remembered the killer quite clearly from the Joan Hickson film and I was not wrong! The film is slow to get going, and at first it's hard to even keep track of who is who; however, attentive viewers will be rewarded with little clues that are almost literally "hidden in plain sight", if you can spot them. On the whole, not one of the better entries in the series, but it has its moments. **1/2 out of 4.