To me Rutherford simply IS Miss Marple even though she seems light years away from the placid, if insightful knitting couch potato from Agatha Christie's novels. In this adaptation of Mrs. McGinty's Dead, Rutherford's Jane Marple is part of a jury that refuses to find a man guilty of murder and then goes on to investigate and follow a trail of clues to a troop of actors, led by the delightfully hammy impresario Ron Moody. Rutherford is a joy to watch whether auditioning with a dramatic rendering of a popular poem or sneaking about trailing various suspects. The delight in watching her stems from seeing a vital and active older actress take such demand and physical participation in the effort to right wrongs. Thanks to Rutherford's performance, the films seem as delightful today, decades later, as they did when they became popular features in both the UK and the US.
Review of Murder Most Foul
