The Mirror Crack'd
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Movie Reviews of The Mirror Crack'd
Movie Review: A Movie to Watch for its Legendary Cast
Summary: 3 Stars
+++++
This movie is based on the 1962 novel entitled "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" by Dame Agatha Christie who wrote twelve Miss Marple murder mystery novels altogether. (The title of this particular novel comes from a line in a poem called "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.)
As a brief synopsis, an American movie company has come to a small English village where Miss Marple (Angela Lansbury) lives to shoot a movie. A famous movie actress has come out of long retirement (brought about by the death of her child) to be the lead in this movie. She has to act in this movie with another popular actress whom she despises. A murder soon occurs (call this the first murder). Miss Marple attempts to solve the crime with the aid of her "favorite nephew" Inspector Delbert Craddock (Edward Fox) and her maid Cherry Baker (Wendy Morgan). Eventually another murder occurs (call this the second murder). By the end of the movie a death occurs.
Who are the people associated with this movie? They are as follows:
(1) Ella Zielinsky, the production assistant (Geraldine Chaplin)
(2) Martin Finn, the movie's producer (Tony Curtis)
(3) Jason Rudd, the movie's director (Rock Hudson)
(4) Lola Brewster Finn, popular actress (Kim Novak)
(5) Marina Gregg Rudd, the famous actress who's come out of retirement (Elizabeth Taylor)
(6) Heather Babcock, devoted fan of Marina (Maureen Bennett, her movie debut)
I solved who was responsible for the first murder (actually it was a lucky guess) but had to wait for Miss Marple to tell me the motive for it. Miss Marple tells us the motive saying that she deduced this on something that was said by the murder victim earlier in the movie. I went back to this point in the movie and discovered that nothing that Miss Marple claimed was said was really said!! Instead, it seems to me that the murder occurred (as depicted in this movie) because the murderer assumed something. I had to ask myself, "Is assumption really a good motive for murder?"
As well, Miss Marple mentions nothing about the second murder in her deduction. The viewer can assume who did this murder but Miss Marple never tells us why it occurred. I thought this was a major oversight.
Finally, by the end of the movie, a death occurs. I was not sure whether this was a "compassionate" murder or suicide. The viewer is never told. Again, it's possible to assume what happened and to assume why this death occurred.
If you're like me and find murder mysteries based on assumption frustrating and perhaps unrealistic, then a good reason to see this movie is because of its legendary movie stars in it namely Angela Lansbury, Geraldine Chaplin, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, and Elizabeth Taylor. (They were all movie stars of the 1950s and 1960s.) Both Hudson and Taylor do good jobs in their roles. Curtis does a good job as the sassy and unlikable producer. Hudson made four movies after this one before his death from AIDS in 1985. Geraldine Chaplin is the daughter of Charlie Chaplin. Lansbury, Curtis, and Hudson are the same age in this movie, in their mid-fifties. Novak and Taylor were also about the same age, in their late forties. Novak made three movies after this one. (Also look for a young Pierce Brosnan in a thirty-second, non-talking role. This may have been his first movie appearance.)
I think Angela Lansbury does a good job portraying Miss Marple. (She even pulls off a somewhat shocking scene of Miss Marple smoking!) Unfortunately, we don't get to see her much. This movie may have been an audition for Lansbury's leading role in the long running television program "Murder She Wrote." (Also look for Angela Lansbury's fantastic job in the excellent murder mystery "Death on the Nile," 1978.)
Finally, the cinematography and music of this movie are well done. As well, all costumes are authentic looking.
In conclusion, Agatha Christie fans may be frustrated by this movie's murder mystery based on assumptions. However, if you do not care about the murder mystery, it's possible to watch this movie for the legendary movie stars.
(1980; 1 hr 45 min; widescreen; color)
+++++
Movie Review: Humourous and Likeable
Summary: 3 Stars
It's not big, it's not terribly clever, and it won't change the way anyone thinks about anything at all, but this 1980 version of one of Agatha Christie's less-loved novels of the same name is still an enjoyable tale of murder and gentle rebuke.Set in a highly stereotypical American vision of the 1950's English countryside, the whole town is abuzz when Lola Brewster (Kim Novak) and Marina Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor) take up residence to film a production of 'Mary, Queen of Scots'. When one of Ms. Rudd's long-time fans is murdered at a reception given for the Star, Miss Marple (Angela Lansbury) and her nephew Inspector Delbert Craddock (Edward Fox) investigate the crime.
Script and direction are nothing more than diverting, with a nod here and there to the likes of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis - the two movie Queens feud continually - and some extremely clever one-liners - Ms. Taylor's line about Doris Day takes on a whole new level of meaning, as her director husband Jason is played by Rock Hudson. As Christie's well-loved sleuth, Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple is amusingly self-depracatory in her role, claiming that not everyone who comes into contact with her winds up dead. She'll never be Joan Hickson, but in a film such as this, Lansbury's lighthearted and somewhat campy performance is perfectly pitched.
Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson do passable jobs in their respective roles as Producer and Director, and the supporting cast is nothing more than perfunctory (including a rare nonspeaking cameo from a VERY young Pierce Brosnan), but for all that, they hang together well enough as an ensemble.
The plot and subsequent climax are forgettable, but, as with the rest of the film, come with a gentle likeable atmosphere that saves them from being mundane.
If you can pick it up cheaply, then go for it, it's perfect Sunday afternoon viewing. In total, 'The Mirror Crack'd' is a sweet, campy film that unfortunately stays too close to 'Average' to be a definite recommendation.
Movie Review: Fluffy Fiction Based on a Terrible Tragedy
Summary: 3 Stars
On the surface, this is a fun (albeit minor) murder mystery made special by the performances of an all-star cast. When a local resident is poisoned at a reception for a film crew on location in a small English village, Agatha Christie's resourceful Miss Marple character begins to piece together the story of whodunit. In her only film appearance (to date) as Marple, Angela Lansbury is marvelously warm, wise, and witty. Her earnest performance is complimented beautifully by those of Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak, who seem to relish their roles as feuding movie queens with tongues of acid. Geraldine Chaplin also scores as a long-suffering agent who is secretly in love with Taylor's husband (Rock Hudson). As the men in the mystery, Hudson, Tony Curtis as a film producer, and (especially) Edward Fox as Lansbury's nephew all do fine work, but the spotlight remains fittingly focused on the distaff characters throughout.The movie would be a harmlessly fun little romp if it weren't for one underlying conceit which taints the screenplay (as well as the novel on which it is based). Unfortunately --- and unforgivably --- the essential plot is nothing more than a cynical and tasteless exploitation of an actual tragedy that had a devastating and life-long effect on the lives of Hollywood beauty Gene Tierney ("Laura") and her first husband, Oleg Cassini. What was Dame Christie thinking when she so callously and obviously mined Tierney's heartbreak as fodder for a piece of fiction during the actress' lifetime? If you're unfamiliar with the details, you may choose to go ahead and enjoy the movie ... and then look for a copy of Gene Tierney's best-selling autobiography, "Self-Portrait" (1979) to learn the real story. Remember ... movie first! Otherwise, you may find the on-screen version vaguely objectionable and even downright vulgar.
Movie Review: Miss Marple Crack'd
Summary: 3 Stars
I think Angela Lansbury is one of the world's great actresses, versatile with comedy, drama, and musicals, but though giving it her best effort, she's just not quite right for the frail, bright eyed Miss Marple in this adaptation of one of Miss Marple's lesser mysteries.I say lesser because I was easily able to guess the killer despite a wide assortment of suspects, and when one is able to do this easily with Christie, something just isn't right.
The quality of the new DVD release of this 1980 film isn't in the same league with EVIL UNDER THE SUN and DEATH ON THE NILE either. The image is not as sharp as it should be nor are colors as vibrant as I was expecting. The mono sound is fine, the melancholy score adding immeasurably to the somber nature of the story as we delve deeper into untying the knots of the mystery. The supplements are skimpy to be sure.
Yes, there are changes from Christie's book, and the actors cast are a Who's Who of 1950's Hollywood, appropriate for the time period of the film (1953), but each one is overaged for his part by at least fifteen years. The star power is so great, however, that few will probably quibble. It's great to see some of these people in a big budget film one more time.
If you get this DVD, get it for the celebrated cast but be forewarned that the mystery is subordinate to the star wattage on display.
Movie Review: The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side
Summary: 3 Stars
An earlier version of this movie "The Mirror Crack'd (1980) ASIN: 6302990149" was made with a lot of glitzy characters. Some of them were quite good such as Rock Hudson (Jason Rudd). Others were distracting as they let their real personalities overwhelm the characters. One of the worst was Angela Lansbury's portrayal of Miss Jane Marple; she was much too cutesy. This film was to Americanize (black and white, judgmental.) and half the characters were combined for brevity.
Based on a novel, Christie, "Agatha. Mirror Crack'd, The", the film Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side (1992) (TV) (UK: series title) stays true to form. Joan Hickson is Miss Marple. Agatha Christie always considered her as the ideal Miss Marple; she shows this through her reserve savvy. Jane takes an interactive interest in the mystery and yet each character as part of the discovery, stands on their own. The ending of the story is as is in life, it is appropriate not black and white judgmental.