A Caribbean Mystery (1983)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

A Carribbean Mystery isn't classed by many Christie fans as one of her greatest novels, I on the other hand love it, and can virtually say it word for word. The problem I have with this adaptation is that the central character in the book is not Helen Hayes, as much as I truly love her as an actress, a great Miss Marple she did not make, her accent is the problem, she's referencing At Mary Mead, but they must have moved it....to the deep south, she is not saved by that attempted phrase 'I dropped me yarn.' The way the camera scans around the suspects after the major's speech is shocking, a very unnatural looking scene. The pacing isn't great, it starts off as a slow amble and rushes into the ending. In fairness the plot is quite faithful, so I applaud them for not tinkering with it hugely. The scenery works pretty well, the music is really nice and there are some nice performances, Maurice Evans is excellent as the Major, he makes him likable. Season Hubley is the standout as Molly, she delivered a particularly strong performance, making some of her fellow actors appear a little bland. Bernard Hughes is a little to brash, he would have been first on the list for most killers.Its not a bad film overall, the problem is, this is supposed to be a quaint village lady arriving in the Carribbean, I don't buy it here. Do yourself a favour, watch the Joan Hickson version, it is superior in every possible way. 6/10

Those are the two glaring complaints I have about A CARIBBEAN MYSTERY, a made for TV movie which dawdles on for a long time before getting to the point of a series of murders committed at a vacation resort.Helen Hayes, her American accent intact, still makes a passable Miss Marple even when she utters the name of a quaint village in England as her home, St. Mary Mead. Barnard Hughes is the mean-spirited man whose rudeness becomes a bit overdone after the first few scenes, making you wish he's going to be one of the victims. Not so. He and Miss Marple join forces to solve the crime.The conclusion is rushed through with brief explanations and not much dramatic conflict, so it's a bit of a letdown--although the murderer's identity is never hard to guess. The acting ranges from competent to barely competent, but the script is rather mediocre.Recommended for rabid Christie fans only. Nicely photographed with Santa Barbara, California filling in for the Caribbean, but this is very tepid stuff, to say the least, nowhere as good as other Christie outings.

Helen Hayes played Miss Marple, Agatha Christie's second most famous sleuth (after Hercule Poirot, of course), only two times. Although the actress is American and the character is English, Hayes is quite delightful in the role - witty, humane and still youthful in spirit. The supporting cast of "A Caribbean Mystery" doesn't contain any big names, but they all play their parts adequately; if anyone stands out, it's Season Hubley as Molly. The locations are pleasant (if Daphne's place in "Evil Under The Sun" was completely booked, I wouldn't mind spending my holidays in this hotel instead), and the story fulfills the basic demands of the mystery genre: it offers plenty of suspects and red herrings, and you won't know who the killer is until the moments he or she is revealed (unless you've read the book, of course). The revelation part is a bit rushed (as it gets squeezed into the last 5 minutes), and the film is at times a bit too leisurely paced. Within its limitations, though, this is good entertainment for fans of genre. (***)

This is a pretty poorly made TV movie typical of the early 80s, with an overly syrupy score and bland cinematography and awful acting by everyone under the age of 60. So it can be taken as proof of Agatha Christie's genius that a straightforward telling of one of her stories is pretty enjoyable even when done by hacks. The best part is watching the way Miss Marple manipulates the situation, pulling the strings of those around her while managing to seem harmless and perhaps dotty. In spite of her floating accent, Hayes makes an excellent Miss Marple, and Hughes and Evans are also quite good. The rest of the acting varies from mediocre to truly incompetent, but the story is strong enough to survive. The ending is unfortunately weak and feels as though it was rushed through, so the feeling of satisfaction one gets in a Christie book is sadly lacking, but overall it's pretty watchable, and I give it 6/10, which is about as much as you can give something filmed with the care of an episode of MacMillan and Wife.