The Lady Vanishes - this Sunday on Masterpiece

This Sunday on Masterpiece Mystery will see the premiere of The Lady Vanishes, based on the novel by Ethel White and memorably brought to the screen by Alfred Hitchcock in 1938 (one of my favorite pre-Hollywood Hitchcock films). Here's a bit about the story and a short preview:

The Lady Vanishes packs in the suspense and style when Iris Carr, a beautiful young socialite traveling alone, befriends a kindly English middle-aged woman but wakes from a catnap to find her missing – and all the strangers surrounding her denying that the woman was ever there at all! This closed-door mystery classic investigates the question of madness and isolation set among increasingly sinister passengers and a train barreling through Europe toward a dangerous and dizzying final destination: the truth.

With a nod to Alfred Hitchcock's 1938 adaptation and a return to the book that started it all (Ethel White's The Wheel Spins), The Lady Vanishes stars Tuppence Middleton (Inspector Lewis, "Down Among the Fearful"), Tom Hughes (Page Eight), Keeley Hawes (Upstairs Downstairs), Gemma Jones (The Duchess of Duke Street), and Alex Jennings (Cranford).

Watch The Lady Vanishes Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Inspector Lewis: The Soul of Genius

Inspector Lewis at long-last returned to television screens with its fifth series of new cases to solve on Masterpiece Mystery, beginning with The Soul of Genius. This is an episode with a literary flair that reaches back in time to touch on the loss of Lewis's wife -- the tragedy that has in no small way informed the man he is today -- and in doing so examine just how far the series' titular sleuth has come. Here's the brief episode summary from the PBS website:

What is a snark? This is just one of the many unanswered questions Inspector Lewis must ask when botanist Liz Nash accidentally unearths the recently buried body of an English professor obsessed with the Lewis Carroll poem, The Hunting of the Snark. Locked in bitter rivalry with his brother, professor Murray Hawes was fixed on solving a legendary riddle hidden in Carroll's philosophical story of an impossible quest for the unknowable. The search for Murray's killer launches Lewis and Hathaway on an impossible quest of their own, taking them from Oxford's botanical gardens to the evidence wall of an interfering amateur sleuth. But when a prime suspect is killed and a secret society is exposed, Lewis and Hathaway intensify their hunt not for the unknowable, but for an all-too-real killer. Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox star alongside James Fleet (Little Dorrit) and Celia Imrie (Cranford) in The Soul of Genius. (90 minutes; TV-PG)

This series is one of the most satisfying productions Masterpiece has ever produced, with consistently high production values, smart scripts, and engaging characters. In other words, the powers that be behind this show know what works and what doesn't. :) And the biggest draw of this series for me is the manner in which the relationship between Lewis (Kevin Whately) and his sergeant Hathaway (Laurence Fox) has been developed. Over the course of this long-running production we've see Lewis and Hathaway move from barely tolerating each other (one has to wonder if Lewis ever perhaps felt that Hathaway was Morse come back to "haunt" him, as the two cerebral, classics-loving officers bear more than a  passing resemblance to each other -- though Hathaway is decidedly less grumpy) to genuine respect and appreciation for the ways in which their varied backgrounds and points-of-view complement their partnership. Last year's season saw Lewis and Hathaway reach a new level of ease in their partnership as the two men have become fast friends, freeing them to needle and annoy each other at will. The Soul of Genius makes it abundantly clear that this sense of camaraderie is still very much a vital part of what makes this show work oh so well -- Lewis and Hathaway, people, they never get old.

The Soul of Genius opens with a young botanist, Liv Nash (Nadine Lewington), leading a group of volunteers on  quest to eradicate some sort of pestilential plant. But Liv and her crew make a discovery of another, and wholly unpleasant kind, when they unearth the corpse of a murder victim -- one Oxford English professor named Murray Hawes. Hawes was a frequent visitor to the Botanical Gardens, something of an eccentric well-known for his obsession with Lewis Carroll's enigmatic poem, The Hunting of the Snark. In attempting to describe the allure of the Snark and its mysteries to Lewis, Hathaway describes the poem as an "impossible quest" with an unknown end in sight, the danger being in discovering what the unknown is -- the type of intellectual and philosophical puzzle that can drive a person mad.

Murray was survived by his brother Conor (Alex Jennings), a chaplain and tutor at Oxford's Carlyle College. The brothers apparently had a very testy relationship history, particularly since Murray was apparently the favored son, leaving Conor to fester in jealousy and insecurity. Two of Conor's pupils were seen near the Botanical Gardens when Murray's body was discovered -- self-style postmodernists Mia (Daisy May) and Vincent (Oliver Johnstone), a.k.a. the most obvious intellectual posers in the history of recent cinema (I mean hello, they took their names from friggin' Pulp Fiction). Mia and Vincent are obsessed with gaining admittance into the Wednesday Club, a legendary, secretive organization for geniuses at Oxford.

Lewis and Hathaway quickly discover a third line of inquiry when an amateur investigator, Michelle Marber (Celia Imrie), suggests that Murray's death is connected with the work of Dr. Alex Falconer (James Fleet). Falconer is a scientist with an aristocratic background who works at the Davy Institute of Clinical Medicine -- a research facility where Murray frequently participated in drug trials, earning money to support his Snark research. Jean Innocent (Rebecca Front), Lewis and Hathaway's no-nonsense boss, has a funnier-than-usual appearance when she tells the detectives to "deal" with Michelle, who she very obviously writes off as a nutter. Michelle blames Falconer for her son Stevie's death -- a brilliant student who worked as Falconer's research assistant. Falconer's possible connection to the case circles back to the Botanical Gardens, as Lewis and Hathaway discover that he's been having an affair -- never mind his sickly wife Thea (Annabel Mullion)! -- with Professor Helena Wright (Matilda Ziegler), head of the Garden and the boss of Liv the botanist who discovered Murray's body.

And with that set-up we're given what Lewis does best -- delivering twisty, multi-layered plots, laced with enough red herrings to make one's head spin. :) The modus operandi of this program might best be described by Sir Walter Scott's line "oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive," as nothing is ever as straightforward in these investigations as the down-to-earth Lewis would like. I love spotting familiar acting talent in each episode's cast. This installment features a pair of Cranford veterans -- Jennings played the Reverend Hutton throughout the series, while Imrie played Lady Glenmire in a single episode. James Fleet is another Masterpiece veteran, who memorably portrayed Frederick Dorrit in the Little Dorrit miniseries, and the delightfully flaky Hugo in The Vicar of Dibley.

This investigation is laced with some absolutely superb Hathaway/Lewis moments, a fantastic illustration of just how far this duo have come has regards their partnership and friendship. Lewis's concern for his younger partner takes on an almost fatherly tone when he sees, once again, the toll the investigation takes on Hathaway's well-being. The latter's intellect and quiet demeanor set him apart, but when Lewis encourages him to break the cycle of loneliness, I seriously cheered. For a man who has battled his own personal demons extensively over the course of the series, this episode gives Lewis a chance to mentor not only Hathaway but to also sow what he's learned through his experiences with grief and loss into the life of Michelle. Watching Lewis willingly revisit the painful loss of his wife in order to help another through their grief -- it was a fantastically well-acted, incredibly moving scene, underscoring Lewis's compassionate nature. He may not have the most patience when it comes to Oxford's intellectual elites, but having known the pain of sudden, inexplicable loss, he can understand the toll of grief.

Hathaway reminded me powerfully of Morse in this episode -- not only because the Endeavour prequel film recently aired, but because since last season of Lewis I've had the chance to immerse myself in the Morse series. Like his predecessor, Hathaway is extraordinarily smart, loves the classics -- a bit of an odd-man out when it comes to the typical pastimes of his peers, leaving him rather isolated. And -- most adorably! -- he's completely hopeless when it comes to women. This episode gives me hope that perhaps that aspect of Hathaway's life will change, as he is clearly smitten when he meets Liv the botanist but he has NO IDEA how to manage a casual conversation. I love that he is so struck by a woman who is, at first blush, his complete opposite -- suits vs. work clothes, gardening vs. classic texts. But Liv is every bit as whip-smart as Hathaway when it comes to common sense, observation skills, and a vast knowledge of the history and purpose of plants and their uses, which proves critical to the resolution of the murder investigation. I can only hope that someday she makes a return appearance for Hathaway's sake. Also, the moment when Hathaway BOWS to her? I nearly died that was so absolutely, wonderful, perfect! :)

Some spoilers ahead! For the most part I was quite pleased with how the resolution of this mystery unfolded, though I do wonder if we'll discover additional scenes on the DVD release, since I feel like the Conor/Wednesday Club storyline and their somewhat tenuous connection to Murray's death were explained in a bit of a haphazard fashion. I did, however, love how the story's love triangle was so unbelievably twisted. This show does twisty, complex personal motivations for murder oh-so-well. *wink* Not only does this script give us illegal secret drug tests, but the tests are run by a man whose mistress is helping him try to find the cure for his wife's cancer, and somehow the sick wife is OKAY WITH ALL OF THIS because she didn't want her husband to be alone after she died. NEVERMIND THAT HE WAS KILLING PEOPLE, apparently! Gotta love the crazy Lewis and Hathaway run into! :P

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Lewis and Hathaway's most welcome return to TV screens! I hope that the next few episodes will feature more of coroner Laura Hobson (Clare Holman), and perhaps a little forward momentum on her oh. so. S-L-O-W burning will-they-or-won't-they romance with Lewis. Unless I'm forgetting something (and given how this week has been going, that is HIGHLY possible), I really felt like she didn't have much screentime in this episode. That said the Hathaway moments were priceless. :)

The 39 Steps

A couple of weeks ago now, Masterpiece Classic aired the newest adaptation of The 39 Steps, based on the novel by John Buchan. Here's a bit about the storyline from the PBS website:

"A prehistoric boor and an unhinged hysteric. Hardly a marriage made in heaven." Richard Hannay and Victoria Sinclair in The 39 Steps

Newly returned to England on the eve of World War I, Richard Hannay's (Rupert Penry-Jones, Persuasion) listless London life is about to spiral out of control. When a neighbor bursts in with a top-secret notebook full of cryptic codes and a frantic story of an impending assassination, unlikely patriot Hannay is soon on the run to save himself and his country. He bumps into feisty suffragette Victoria Sinclair (Lydia Leonard), and while their fates may be intertwined, their personalities aren't. But like it or not, they'll together navigate murder, betrayal and near death in order to untangle a plot of national importance, and understand the charms and challenges of human nature. A bracing and romantic thriller, The 39 Steps is based on the novel by John Buchan.

Now, I've yet to read Buchan's novel, and I have only the vaguest memories of seeing what is perhaps the most famous film adaptation of this story - the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. In general being a fan of Hitchcock's work, I remember enjoying it, but that's about it. That said, I feel like I was able to come to this film with no expectations - and I thoroughly and completely enjoyed it. First of all, as far as Masterpiece and British film in general goes, it's got a unique and fresh setting - it's quite rare (in my experience, anyway) to find films set during the World War I years. Everything from the history to the clothes and sets is feels fresh and makes for absorbing viewing.

Of course it's hard to argue against Rupert Penry-Jones being the film's biggest draw. Anyone who has read my review of Persuasion can probably guess that I'm a fan. :) I think you'd be hard-pressed to find an actor more suitable to play Richard Hannay and make the transformation from languid, bored aristocrat who is pushed quite unwillingly into the high stakes world of international espionage. It would almost be enough that RPJ wheres a tux for a good part of the film, and I don't think I can even begin to talk about the shirtless scene halfway through the movie without starting to drool and mumble incoherently. That was a gift, thank you BBC. ;-) But in addition to all that, RPJ reveals quite a knack for light comedy. Had no idea he had that in him after seeing his much more serious turns in Persuasion and MI-5. Rupert can be quite funny given the right material, and has a real gift for sarcasm and understatement. Very, very well played. Yet another random side note - I loved the scene where Hannay pulls a Cary Grant and runs from the plane trying to shoot him down in the field. That scene just defines another Hitchcock classic, North by Northwest, and anything that reminds me of that favorite is a good thing in my book. :)

Hannay's love interest in the film is Victoria Sinclair, a fiesty suffragette played by Lydia Leonard. Previously, Leonard has appeared in one episode of Foyle's War and played a Angela in one of my all-time favorite mystery shows, Jericho. It's my understanding that there is no love interest for Hannay in the book, and that one's always been created in the film versions. I absolutely loved Victoria's character, and watching her spar with Richard provided scene after scene of laugh-out-loud moments. Their relationship is a case of the battle of the sexes and opposites attracting at its finest. In Victoria it's great to see such a strong-willed, fearless character. RPJ and Leonard have some excellent on-screen chemistry, and I loved watching the relationship develop between their characters and they sought to outwit German spies (apparently given free reign in Scotland, haha).

There are several other notable cast members worth mentioning. First of all let's talk about Scudder, the spy who gets Hannay into this life-or-death mess. Scudder is played by Eddie Marsan, who's become quite fixture in films mentioned on this blog - he's appeared in Little Dorrit, Me and Orson Welles, and Sherlock Holmes, to name a few of his recent credits. There's something about his face and manner that allow him to play the desperate secret agent quite well. David Haig is another familiar face - he plays Sir George Sinclair, Victoria's uncle. Haig has appeared in everything from Marple to Two Weeks Notice. Patrick Kennedy plays Hellory, Victoria's brother - he also appeared in Me and Orson Welles, as well as Bleak House and Atonement. Kennedy is quite funny in his role - he's so spacey and vapid compared to his razor-sharp sister, the differences between them are hilarious.There's a couple more familiar faces, but I'll end by mentioning Alex Jennings' appearance. Jennings plays the elusive Captain Kell, the secret service contact Scudder wants Hannay to pass his encrypted notebook on to. Jennings was most recently seen in Cranford as Reverend Hutton.

Aside from the hilariously random, tacked on ending which I'll talk about in a minute, I really loved everything about this film. James Hawes directed this film, and combined with a solid script he keeps the pace of the film flying - there's nary a dull moment in the movie's short 85-minute run time. The way this film is structured and the story unfolds, I was hooked from the first scene. As a random point of interest, Hawes has apparently also directed several Doctor Who and Merlin episodes. He's got a good handle on making some of my favorite television programs, no? :) I also really liked Rob Lane's score (Lane has also scored Merlin). It's got an old-fashioned, adventure movie feel to it which fits perfectly with the storyline.

I love a good adventure/spy flick, and The 39 Steps fits the bill perfectly. But seriously, what is with the randomly tacked on happy ending?? (Possible spoilers...) So RPJ delivers this adorable speech about wooing Victoria, and then she's shot by the random German agent everyone seems to have forgotten about, falls into the lake, and magically survives to see Hannay off to war several months later?! NO ONE was around to pull her out so how the heck did that happen?! Getting shot and then having to pretend to drown is some national secret? And seriously, we're supposed to cling to the hope that Hannay somehow survives the trenches to reunite with Victoria after the war...hmmm...I hate that the cynic in me is surfacing here, but he's going off at the beginning of the conflict. Odds are not good for poor Hannay. *sob* I am a total and complete sucker for happy endings, but compared to the rest of the movie the way the Victoria thing is resolved was more than a little lame. But considering everything else this movie has going for it - Rupert Penry-Jones, fabulous settings, great costumes, a life-and-death car chase in Model-Ts, Rupert Penry-Jones, brisk direction, wonderful music, and did I mention Rupert Penry-Jones? :) - The 39 Steps is a thoroughly entertaining, unique entry in the Masterpiece Classic schedule. Highly recommended.

And just because, here's another picture of RPJ...go ahead and swoon, I'm right there with ya... ;-)

Review: They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie

They Do It With Mirrors (A Miss Marple Mystery)

By: Agatha Christie

Publisher: Signet/Penguin

ISBN: 978-0-451-19990-4

About the book:

Responding to her friend Carrie's urgent invitation, Miss Jane Marple has arrived at her sprawling estate. To Miss Marple's surprise, Carrie's remote "Gothic monstrosity" has been turned into a home for delinquent boys. What's more, Carrie's own children and grandchildren have taken up residence - and few of them are thrilled at how mother is squandering the family fortune. Then a brutal murder proves that philanthropy is the least of Carrie's problems - and Miss Marple finds that where there's smoke, there's mirrors.

Review:

Sisters Carrie and Ruth are two of Miss Marple's oldest friends - and it's at the behest of Ruth that Jane accepts an invitation to visit Carrie, because of Ruth's worries that something is not quite right in that household. When she arrives, she discovers any number of potential reasons for Ruth's unease - the delinquents Carrie and and her husband Lewis are attempting to rehabilitate, the flirtatious granddaughter and her sullen husband, and the controlling housekeeper who may or may not have Carrie's best interest at heart - just to name a few of the potential suspects. When Carrie's stepson is murdered with little apparent reason, it becomes frighteningly apparent that the universally loved Carrie's life might be threatened. The entire situation is a shell game, and Miss Marple and the local Inspector must work to unravel the truth from the lies before Carrie becomes a victim of her own benevolent, trusting nature.

They Do It With Mirrors has many of the elements of a classic Christie mystery. The setting is tightly contained to a well-off family home - a family where everything *should* be perfect, but everyone has their secrets. Everything's very genteel, but that veneer of proper English respectability masks some pretty passionate familial discord. In the best Dame Agatha Christie fashion, this cast of characters gives her plenty of opportunity to pack the story with red herrings and misdirection. As far as the actual mystery goes - this story falls a bit short when compared to some of Christie's other gems. The culprit becomes apparent rather early on, which is kind of surprising, but it allows Christie to take a look at their motivations and how exactly this "conjuring trick" of a murder was seemingly so flawlessly executed. What's more interesting for me than the actual case is the analysis of Carrie's character, and how this woman who never seemed to have a good grasp of reality sees situations and people much clearer than others. Enjoyable (aren't all Christies?), but not a runaway favorite.

Book vs. Film:

Compared to the recently adapted A Pocket Full of Rye (film review, book review), the novel They Do It With Mirrors features the character of Miss Marple to a much greater degree. I just think it's really interesting how some Marple books barely feature the iconic sleuth - but that's neither here nor there. Overall I'd rate the most recent film version of They Do It With Mirrors as a pretty faithful adaptation of Christie's story. The cast of characters is slightly compressed or their roles are rearranged a bit, but it makes sense within the context of watching the story as a film. For example, instead of having Carrie's granddaughter (Gina) at odds with her aunt Mildred, in the film Gina is elevated to the role of daughter - it makes the sisterly conflict a bit more compelling IMO. Ruth is given a bigger role in the movie, but Joan Collins's portrayal is pitch-perfect when compared to the text. The same applies to Elliot Cowan's take on the role of Wally, Gina's husband - if anything he makes the injured American a bit more sympathetic than he appears in the novel. And Alex Jennings gives an excellent performance as Inspector Curry - absolutely nails it, especially when you look at his scenes with Miss Marple. While some changes were made to the story, I really feel like the filmmakers remained true to the essence of the story, which made for a well done and enjoyable flick.

Miss Marple: They Do It With Mirrors

Miss Marple and PBS's run of six Agatha Christie adaptations concluded this Sunday on Masterpiece Mystery, and due to a variety of reasons I am once again, way behind in blogging. :P They Do It With Mirrors was the third entry in this series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here's the story summary from the PBS website:

Glamorous Ruth Van Rydock (Joan Collins) is convinced her sister Carrie Louise is in danger, and confesses her suspicion to Miss Marple over tea. Carrie Louise, a quirky philanthropist with a string of ex-husbands, runs a correctional facility for young men on her estate. Miss Marple arrives to make some gentle inquiries and finds chilling danger lurking surprisingly close to home. When murder is the real-life plot twist during an amateur theater rehearsal on the estate, Miss Marple has to separate theatrical tricks from reality in an attempt to save Carrie Louise from the dire final act that awaits her.

Of the three episodes shown so far in this series, this one is by far the best showcase for Julia McKenzie's take on the role of Miss Marple. She's prominently featured throughout the film, and it's this performance that's finally, fully won me over into the ranks of McKenzie-Marple fans. Here McKenzie manages to be sharp and intuitive all while coming across as extremely warm and personable. Very well done. :)

The "stunt" casting is pretty spectacular for one hour and a half program. Let's start with the Rydock sisters, the flashy Ruth (Joan Collins) and the shy, universally loved Carrie Louise (Penelope Wilton). I haven't finished reading the novel yet (which is an actual Marple story BTW), but I can tell you that Joan Collins was pitch-perfect casting for the role of Ruth. It's uncanny. Penelope Wilton is a veteran of several of my favorite British programs and films. She played Mrs. Hamley in Wives and Daughters (a role quite similar to Carrie Louise), Mrs. Gardiner in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, and Harriet Jones, former British Prime Minister, in Doctor Who. Carrie's husband is played by Brian Cox, most recently seen in the FREAKING FANTASTIC series Kings as Silas's prisoner, King Vesper. I will have to do a write up on that show when the DVDs come out in September - it was a wonderful drama that really deserved a second season renewal (if renewals were based on quality merits anyway).

Carrie's daughters are played by Emma Griffiths Malin (Gina), who starred opposite JJ Feild in the Poirot mystery Death On the Nile, and Sarah Smart (Mildred), who was also a Poirot alum. She appeared in the mess that was Mrs. McGinty's Dead a few weeks ago, as well as the AMAZING Wallander, where she played Anne-Britt Hoglund, a member of Wallander's team. To round out the household we have Tom Payne appearing as Edgar Lawson - he was also seen in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day as the producer Phil Goldman and the most recent version of Wuthering Heights as Heathcliff's son Linton. Maxine Peake plays Jolly Bellever, Carrie's friend and housekeeper, and also a Little Dorrit alum. It was so very, very weird seeing her play a "good" character after she made such an impression as the wicked Miss Wade. Oh - thought not a member of the household, I have to mention Alex Jennings's portrayal of Inspector Curry. So far from my reading of the book he's nailed the character. Jennings may look familiar to fans of Cranford, where he played the Reverend Hutton.

My favorite bit of casting deserves its own paragraph. :) Elliot Cowan plays Gina's husband Wally, and AMERICAN, and I have to say this Brit pulls off the role of former American G.I. quite well. I absolutely fell in love with Cowan when I saw Lost in Austen, where he put his own unique stamp on the role of Mr. Darcy (the man broods quite nicely, just have to point that out). Cowan's also appeared in episodes of Foyle's War, Poirot, and the first (and best) Sally Lockhart mystery, The Ruby in the Smoke. The man's got a rather uncanny ability for disappearing in roles, all the more unique I think because he's really got rather striking features IMO. I had to do a double take when he first appeared on-screen (thank goodness for pausing & rewinding live TV, HA!), because it was so hard to wrap my head around his appearance as a blonde American. Love, loved the fact that he got a great kissing scene at the end of this episode. :)

This film is a great example of the Marple series at its best, and an excellent showcase of all the reasons I love the program - great cozy mystery feel and TONS of wonderful guest stars. The story takes a bit of attention to follow - it's one of Christie's more convoluted plots IMO. I think it's a bit easier to keep track of how everyone is related to everyone else in the novel - a bit hard to follow on-screen, especially since some roles are compressed or omitted for the sake of time. My review of the book and the book vs. film comparison will follow shortly!