Films
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Agatha Christie Films: Murder With Mirrors (1985)
There have been a few film and TV incarnations of Miss Marple since Agatha Christie invented the little old lady who just happened to have the mind of a great detective. There was Margaret Rutherford who immortalised Marple as a rather comic character, much to the dismay of Christie. There was Angela Lansbury in the 1980 film version of The Mirror Crack’d. On television there was the definitive version, Joan Hickson for the BBC, and then later versions for ITV, with portrayals by Geraldine Fitzgerald and Julia Mackenzie. But there is also another version from the 1980’s that I had never seen or heard of, and that is the great…
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Stylish Films: Their Finest
BBC4 is one of my favourite TV channels, and not just because of the Top of the Pops reruns. It is also a place to find classic TV from the past, good subtitled Scandi style dramas, and little known gems of films. Over Christmas I enjoyed rare repeats of ‘A Ghost Story For Christmas’, the Grace Dent ‘What we were watching’ episodes, and, of course repeats of #TOTP. I also watched a British film that I had never heard of, but enjoyed thoroughly, ‘Their Finest’. Their Finest is set in London during the Blitz. A young Welsh woman, Catrin Cole, new to London with her artist husband, gets a…
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Stylish Films: Blithe Spirit (2020)
The original Blithe Spirit is an absolute delight. Based on the 1941 play by Noel Coward, this 1945 film stars Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings and Kay Hammond and Margaret Rutherford in the story of a novelist who takes part in a seance in order to get background for the book he is writing, and ends up accidentally bringing back his dead first wife, the glamorous Elvira, much to the chagrin of his second wife. Blithe Spirit is a sparkling, sexy comedy. full of wonderful performances that is still a joy to watch. It does make you wonder why there was any need to make a new version, but make one…
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Stylish Television: Murder On The Orient Express (2010)
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Agatha Christie on the television. This Christmas has been no exception. Today (28th December) has seen a movie marathon on BBC2 with both Witness for the Prosecution, and the Peter Ustinov double bill Evil Under the Sun and Death on the Nile showing this afternoon, along with an Agatha Christie documentary. Yesterday it was the turn of David Suchet and his feature length Poirot episode version of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, a wonderfully atmospheric version, filmed beautifully in shades of blue and grey that almost make you feel the cold of the frozen landscape. The Agatha Christie’s Poirot version of this most iconic of…
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Stylish Films: House of Gucci
Let’s be honest, a film starring the glorious Lady Gaga about the fall of the family behind the iconic, historic Gucci label, was never going to be anything other than super Stylish, but House of Gucci surpasses even my wildest expectations. The story of the events leading up to the murder of Maurizio Gucci, organised by his wife Patrizia, is a wild, eye popping tale of a family imploding and destroying itself in a quest to control the Gucci name and brand. It is a brilliant film that you just cant take your eyes off, and proves once again that Gaga is queen. Fashion plays a major part in this…
