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

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.

Helen Hayes just doesn't cut it.Rather than going the whole hog and playing Miss Marple as an American, she plays her as an Englishwoman. This is a mistake,since her accent veers from deep south of USA to England via Ireland. In short, her accent is all over the place.Her lines are also peppered with Americanisms which no British person would ever say. Two examples:1) She refers to "tourist class" when British people call it "economy class".2) She says she's going to "mail" some postcards, when a genuinely British person say "post", not "mail".Two minor examples, I know, but they add to a general feeling that this Miss Marple is as British as a fudge brownie. All the references to her hometown of St. Mary Mead in England can't change that.Another point is that Santa Barbara is not in the slightest bit convincing as a stand-in for the Caribbean. The one shot of a caribbean town, Havana perhaps, is obviously grainy archive footage.Steer clear of this poorly made rubbish, and watch the BBC productions starring Joan Hickson instead.

Solid faithful adaption of one of Miss Marple's vacation mysteries, this has a decent cast (for a tv movie) and an okay storyline. Warning: Barnard Hughes as a grouchy old millionaire will soon start to irritate the more he nags and grumbles. The killer should have offed him in the first 5 minutes. Helen Hayes makes a nice Jane however so she saves the movie from veering too far into the goofy, even when her snooping gets out of hand. This may her best starring performance in a Christie adaption. Another version of this story was made for British television.