Miss Marple is made trustee of The Battledore, a training ship for youngsters. During her first meeting fellow trustee Cecil Folly Hardwick is killed with poisoned snuff. Miss Marple smells a rat and contrives a way to spend time on board to Battledore, to find out what Folly had uncovered there.

The humour is here by the bucket load, Rutherford as always is a pure joy to watch, and this time she's met her match, Lionel Jeffries is utterly brilliant to watch, he's so much fun. I think Derek Nimmo being called 'Muscles,' is one of the funniest bits.

The pièce de résistance has to be the sword fighting scene, can anyone in their wildest dreams picture Joan, Julia or even Geraldine wielding a sword, watching a now 72 year old Rutherford fighting with a sword is worth the watch alone.

The final instalment of Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple films is total entertainment, fun and proper escapism. True that any links with Agatha Christie have now completely gone, but it seems not to matter, as the story is there just there for fun. I've read that more were planned but never happened, what a shame. As far away from Agatha Christie as is possibly imaginable, but great fun nonetheless.

Great entertainment, real family fun (if the kids are a bit quirky that is, like I used to be and enjoy this kind of yarn.) 9/10.

I have enjoyed watching all the Miss Marple/Margaret Rutherford movies for they provide light entertainment. This one in particular was worth your time because of a great performance by Lionel Jeffries as the captain of the ship. Jeffries, Rutherford, and Ron Goodwin's marvelous music make the film a treat to watch. Of course, the direction lacks punch if we judge it 40 years after it was made.

The Rutherford/Stringer relationship (that was not Agatha Christie's) on and off screen adds additional trivia interest. I note that Stringer died soon after the death of Dame Rutherford.

This is the fourth and final Miss Marple film starring Margaret Rutherford. And, like the rest, Inspector (now Chied Inspector) Craddock is on hand. However, after successfully solving the other cases, Craddock is insane as he doesn't just assume she's right when she thinks a recent death was a murder. This death involved some poisoned snuff...and soon the trail leads to a merchant marine training ship where Captain Rhumstone (Lionel Jeffries) is in charge. There, more folks die through some very difficult to imagine poisonings...so much so that the Chief Inspector thinks her theory is "rather fantastic" and complicated...which it is.

Despite the inclusion of Lionel Jeffries (who is usually in comedies), this film isn't a comedy but a very good installment in the series....and a bit better than the previous one. Worth seeing.