"A POCKETFUL OF RYE" (1985) Review

"A POCKETFUL OF RYE" (1985) Review

There have been two adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1953 novel, "A Pocket Full of Rye". Well . . . as far as I know. I have already seen the recent adaptation that aired on ITV's "AGATHA CHRISTIE'S MARPLE" series in 2009. Recently, I watched an earlier adaptation that aired on the BBC "MISS MARPLE" series in 1985. 

Directed by Guy Slater, this earlier adaptation starred Joan Hickson as the story's main sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. The story begins in the London office of financier Rex Fortescue, who suddenly dies after drinking his morning tea. At first suspicion falls upon the employees of Fortescue's firm. But the police coroner discovers that Fortescue had died from taxine, an alkaloid poison obtained from the leaves or berries of the yew tree. Due to this discovery, Detective-Inspector Neele realizes that someone within the Foretescue household may have poisoned the financier during breakfast. Suspicion falls upon Fortescue's second and much younger wife, Adele after Neele learns of her affair with a local golf pro at a resort. However, Adele is murdered during tea, via poison. Even worse, a third victim, a maid named Gladys Martin, is found in the garden, strangled to death and with a peg on her nose. After Adele and Gladys' murders are reported by the media; Miss Marple, who used to be Gladys' employer, pays a visit to the Fortescue home to discover the murderer's identity among the list of suspects:

*Percival Fortescue - Rex's older son, who was worried over the financier's erratic handling of the family business
*Jennifer Fortescue - Percival's wife, who disliked her father-in-law
*Lance Fortescue - Rex's younger son, a former embezzler who had arrived home from overseas on the day of Adele and Gladys' murders
*Patricia Fortescue - Lance's aristocratic wife, who had been unlucky with her past two husbands
*Mary Dove - the Fortescues' efficient and mysterious housekeeper
*Vivian Dubois - Adele's lover and professional golf instructor
*Aunt Effie Ramsbottom - Rex's fanatically religious ex-sister-in-law

Despite Inspector Neele's initial inclination to dismiss the elderly Miss Marple, he comes to appreciate her help in solving the three murders.

I like "A POCKETFUL OF RYE". I like it a lot. I have always been a fan of Christie's 1953 novel. And if I must be honest, I also enjoyed the 2009 adaptation, as well. Originally, one would be inclined to believe that this earlier adaptation is more faithful to Christie's novel. Surprisingly, it is not. Screenwriter T.R. Bowen eliminated at least three characters from the novel and changed the murderer's fate in the end. Otherwise, this adaptation was pretty faithful. But it is not its faithfulness to Christie's novel that made me enjoy this production. I have read plenty of first-rate novels that translated badly to the television or movie screen. Fortunately, "A POCKETFUL OF RYE" does not suffer from this fate. At least not too much.

Overall, "A POCKETFUL OF RYE" is an entertaining and solid story that left me intrigued. It is also one of the few Christie stories in which the revelation of the murderer's identity left me feeling very surprised . . . and a little sad. However, even sadder was the third murder . . . that of Gladys Martin. She was the only one of the three victims that was likable. Not only did I find her death sad, but also cruel. But it was also good drama. The movie also featured some strong characterization that I believe enhanced the story. Between the interactions between the members of the Fortescue family members, the interactions between Miss Marple and Inspector Neele, and the interaction between the latter and his assistant Sergeant Hay; this production reeked with strong characterization.

"A POCKETFUL OF RYE" did have its problems. One, I thought the movie's pacing dragged a bit, following the death of Rex Fortescue. And because of this, the story took its time in reaching Miss Marple's arrival at the Fortescues' home. Another problem with Bowen's script is that it strongly hinted the killer's identity before Miss Marple could to the police. This problem has been a problem with the Joan Hickson movies throughout its run. For me, the real problem with "A POCKETFUL OF RYE" proved to be the killer's fate. Apparently, Bowen and director Guy Slater decided that Christie's version of what happened to the murderer was not enough. Instead, they decided to kill off the murderer in a convoluted manner via a traffic accident. Frankly, I found Christie's original version more emotionally satisfying.

I certainly had no problem with the movie's performances. Joan Hickson was top-notch as usual, as Jane Marple. I also enjoyed Tom Wilkinson's very entertaining performance as Inspector Neele. I find it hard to believe that it took another 13 years or so for him to achieve stardom. There were three other performances that I truly enjoyed. One came from Rachel Bell, who was first-rate in her portrayal the victim's enigmatic daughter-in-law. Selina Cadell's portrayal of housekeeper Mary Dove proved to be just as enigmatic and impressive. Both Peter Davidson and Clive Merrison gave interesting performances as the two Fortescue brothers, Lance and Percival, who seemed such complete opposites of one another. I also enjoyed Fabia Drake, who gave an excellent performance as the victim's religious, yet observant sister-in-law, Effie Ramsbottom. The movie also featured solid performances from Timothy West (whose appearance was sadly too brief), Annette Badland, Stacy Dorning, Jon Glover, Frances Low and Martyn Stanbridge.

"A POCKETFUL OF RYE" proved to be an entertaining and solid adaptation of Christie's novel, thanks to director Guy Slater and screenwriter T.R. Bowen. The movie also featured excellent performances from a cast led by the always incomparable Joan Hickson. However, I do feel that the movie was somewhat marred by a slow pacing in the middle of the story and an early and unsatisfying revelation of the killer's identity. Oh well. At least "A POCKETFUL OF RYE" was not a bust or even mediocre.