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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 384818" data-attributes="member: 23">A Pocketful Of Rye Parts One & Two <img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2Fxbnv8H6qskxbhqTQtgwhLu5VU8L.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=3841cb818a6775980f84a18f17a1f1784df74950112826ff5fbb2c0baefe6f74&ipo=images" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 894px" /> <img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themoviedb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Fw1066_and_h600_bestv2%2FnGiNHReDNOcuJdxYGCPQ8TZ1qk4.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=45b4c4d5a6212993909ff99a3fe108eb2214e5dda254b666edda32c1a796b6ab&ipo=images" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 895px" />And here we get to the reason why I’d mixed up Joan Sims’s washing line strangling death in A Murder Is Announced with the very similar one in this story.The analogous murder in this case is a very young Annette Badland, best known to me from Bergerac (which I have lined-up to watch one of these days) and probably also for some Children’s BBC thingies around the time this was filmed. But I always get her mixed up with Jeanie Drynan. Even last night I said when she appeared, I said  “Oh, it’s Muriel Heslop’s Mum.” Back in the day I also used to get Annette muddled with Miriam Margolyes sometimes. I think she just has one of those faces (and bodies).Annette was one of many familiar faces appearing. Timothy West was something of a surprise. He was one of the most recognisable names and received excellent billing, but was killed off minutes into Part One. He did appear in a flashback a little later, but even with this I don’t remember him saying a single word apart from uttering “tea” several times. It was impressive that, even so restricted, he turned in an excellent, memorable performance that spoke volumes about his character.He’d uttered “tea” to Susan Gilmore, pretty as a picture in her in period clothing and styling. She only had a cough and a spit, but she was months away from being catapulted to national recognition as Howards’ Way's Avril Rolfe.Stacey Dorning was a familiar face that I couldn’t quite place. Looking at her IMDb, I probably recognise her from the sitcom Keep It In The Family where she appeared alongside Sabina Franklyn of The Moving Finger. Then there’s Geoffrey Fairbrother’s sister.It felt a little moving seeing Tom Wilkinson’s credit since he died just last week. Inspector Neele makes a nice foil for Miss Marple, and he’s involved in a genuinely suspenseful sequence that actually results in a death that could have been prevented. Miss Marple has worked out that the murders are connected to the nursery rhyme Sing A Song Of Sixpence, and that the young maid will be killed next, and tries to speak to Neele at the house but is prevented from entering. She writes a note for Neele’s colleague to pass on to him, which he duly does but Neele dismissively pockets the note without looking at it and continues his conversation. Because the viewer knows Miss Marple’s efficacy and he doesn’t, we know that this is a grave error on his part but - like Marple herself - are powerless to do anything but wait for the inevitable death. It’s perhaps the most effective use of suspense yet seen in this series and it’s played to perfection by all concerned. Neele somewhat redeems himself at the end when he heeds Jane’s call to follow and stop the key suspect.In Timothy West’s absence, Peter Davison - pre-Doctor Who/post-Doctor Dakar - is perhaps the most familiar face. It’s a decent role that makes use of his charming screen image, subverting it to a satisfactory level.This story is dramatised by T.R. Bowen who previously did the screenplay for The Body In The Library. He writes a lovely parallel between Jane Marple’s first scenes in both stories. In Library, Jane was first scene tutoring a servant on how to build kindling for a fire in a way that met her standards. This time round she’s giving another servant the constructive criticism treatment in her own inimitable style. First she offers Daisy faint praise for the morning’s work, before gently chastising her for leaving marks on a surface. Following this, she gives some more faint praise about how she’s improving and has done a good job. Here, as then, she wraps up with an encouraging pat on the shoulder. It’s notable that the scenes feature two different servants. While it could suggest that she has several, I like to think that she has only one at a time, but they are invariably short-lived due to her exactingly high standards. Just as she gets close to house-breaking one, they hand in their notice and it’s a weary telephone call to the agency to get another. I hope this is a running gag that continues throughout the series.What I love about this character is that she’s so consistent in her treatment of people. At the very end of the story, she speaks to someone who’d deliberately terrorised a family in the same soft tones as she’d spoken to Daisy, telling them they’d done “a very naughty thing” exactly as a teacher might speak to a child. She gets her point across so authentically, she is taken seriously while commanding the same respect one might give to a favourite aunt, and conveying the same sense of disappointment upon being let down by their conduct.Joan Hickson gave many, many wonderful little moments throughout the episode. One of these came as she left her cottage. She stepped from the front door, then stopped in her tracks, turned to look at one of the roses trailing up around the doorway before taking it by the stem and leaning into scrutinise it. Then - apparently finding it satisfactory - she continued about her business.She also did a hilarious thing when speaking to someone towards episode’s end. It was a shot with two people in frame, speaking. Jane made her point then leaned back towards frame’s edge, looking up at the other person as if to inspect what they made of the point she’d just made. She’s so very watchable.Another thing in this story's favour is the sumptuous cinematography. More than the ones we've seen so far, this feels as though it's filled with shadows and atmosphere. Many of the scenes are quite gloomily lit, such as the one where Jane sits in her darkened cottage lit by the fire as she tries to work out the mystery. It's a choice I applaud and adds much to these episodes.It's notable, too, that this is perhaps as involved in the action as Jane has got, going so far as to accept an invitation to stay in the grand old lodge where the murders are taking place.But it's nice that we still get to see some of St Mary Mead with scenes of Miss Marple about the village and gossipy old postmistress Mrs Brogan chasing her round with updates on the murders.One thing that intrigues me is the change of title from A Pocket Full Of Rye to A Pocketful Of Rye. I’ve assumed it’s to make it more contemporary, but it could be seen that a “pocketful” is a measurement while “a pocket full” is an inconvenience… and perhaps more of a mystery. But perhaps I’m overthinking it.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?