SFW 2016 Meet Agatha on Screen

VICKY SWAIN

On Monday evening Dr Mark Aldridge, film and tv historian at Southampton Solent University, took to the stage for an illuminating discussion of one of the most prolific mystery writers of all time.
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Having recently published his book, Agatha Christie on Screen, this talk was an exploration of Aldridge’s extensive archival research and interviews undertaken for the publication. Some surprising findings were shared, such as Agatha Christie’s fraught relationship with her adaptations, revealing that she really was not fond of some of them at all! Along the way we were also treated to some on-screen examples of the adaptations, which were interesting to watch in light of the new research.

The delightfully nostalgic overview primarily focused on the representations of Miss Marple’s character through her many film and television iterations - from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films of the 1960s starring Margaret Rutherford as the titular character right through to BBC’s Miss Marple television series with Joan Hickson who was described as “the quintessential Miss Marple” by Dr Aldridge. The event was a wonderful addition to Southampton Film Week as this exuberant speaker engaged the audience with a fascinating insight to Agatha Christie on screen.

Meet Agatha On Screen took place on Monday 7 November as part of Southampton Film Week 2016.