SYNOPSICS
The Mirror Crack'd (1980) is a English movie. Guy Hamilton has directed this movie. Angela Lansbury,Tony Curtis,Rock Hudson,Geraldine Chaplin are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1980. The Mirror Crack'd (1980) is considered one of the best Crime,Mystery,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
The year is 1953. The small English village of St. Mary Mead, home to Miss Jane Marple (Dame Angela Lansbury), is delighted when a big American movie company arrives to make a movie telling of the relationship between Jane Grey and Elisabeth I, starring the famous actresses Marina Rudd (Dame Elizabeth Taylor) and Lola Brewster (Kim Novak). Marina arrives with her husband, Jason (Rock Hudson), and when she discovers that Lola is going to be in the movie with her, she hits the roof as Lola and Marina loathe each other on sight. Marina has been getting death threats, and at a party at the manor house, Heather Babcock (Maureen Bennett), after boring Marina with a long story, drinks a cocktail made for Marina, and dies from poisoning. Everybody believes that Marina is the target, but the Police Officer investigating the case, Chief Inspector Dermot Craddock (Edward Fox) isn't sure, so he asks Miss Jane Marple, his aunt, to investigate.
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The Mirror Crack'd (1980) Reviews
Taylor's Last Great Film To Date!
The Mirror Cracked (1980) Elizabeth Taylor's last good movie to date. Though the production values are more in line with a well done "made-for-TV" production, I enjoyed this film a lot. Co-starring with a couple of by-gone Hollywood legends, Rock Hudson and Kim Novak (and an uncredited cameo by a young Pearce Brosnan), The Mirror Cracked tells the tale of a famous actress temporarily residing in the English countryside while on location for a film she's starring in. Early on in the film, a welcome to the countryside party is thrown by the local townsfolk and at the party, one of the guests drops dead. Soon we learn she was poisoned. Then we learn the poison was intended for Miss Taylor. The rest is all suspicion and old rivalries with Taylor at the center of every drama. Two scenes stand out : one comedic, one dramatic. A bit of fun occurs when Taylor, observing the ravaging of time on her face in a mirror, utters, "Wrinkles, wrinkles, go away, come back on Doris Day!" Too funny. The other moment comes when audience's focus in on Taylor's great eyes for probably the last time in cinematic history. It happens at a pivotal moment early on in the plot, just before the first victim drops dead of poisoning, and Taylor, at the top of a stairway, dressed in purple to match her eyes, appears startled. She freezes, the guests stop what they're doing and wonder what's happening. Then the director pulls in tight on Miss Taylor's famous eyes and for one short moment in time, we experience once again, all the magnetism and power of that wonderful actress that has captivated viewers for oh these many years.
In its own way, a camp classic
The Mirror Crack'd is one of the many Agatha Christie stories made into an all-star film. This one is more campy and less opulent than "Murder on the Orient Express," for instance, but for what it is, it's pretty good. Set in the '50s in Miss Marple's village of St. Mary Mead, the film stars lots of big names from that era: Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Kim Novak - a veritable who's who of '50s megastars. Angela Lansbury plays Miss Marple, and she's perfect in the role. The film also has an appearance by Pierce Brosnan in a small, uncredited part. The script has the Taylor and Novak characters camping it up with bitchy insults which I don't quite remember from the book. The story concerns a movie star, her husband, her co-star nemesis, etc., coming to St. Mary Mead to make a movie. During a party, a local resident is murdered, but the intended victim is assumed to be Taylor. It's up to Miss Marple to unravel the mystery as more murders occur. The scene between Taylor and Edward Fox is especially good, and I've never been sure if Taylor falling on top of Hudson on the bed was supposed to be funny or not - in the movie theater, it got a laugh. It's great to see all these old stars in the same film. By the way, perhaps this was mentioned by one of the posters - this story is based on a real-life incident that happened to Gene Tierney.
See it for Angela
I liked this version of The Mirror Crack'd, and I am fond of the Joan Hickson version too. The Hickson version, it is true, is more faithful to the book, despite its liberties, but on its own merits this film is pretty good. The main merit is the performance of underrated character actress Angela Lansbury; she is terrific as Miss Marple, and Edward Fox does a great job as Inspector Craddock. The supporting cast are fine in their roles, Elizabeth Taylor overdoes Marina Gregg slightly but she plays with gusto, Rock Hudson is suitably subdued as Jason Rudd, and Kim Novak is delightful as Lola. The dialogues between Taylor and Novak are wonderfully witty, and often verging on hysterically funny. The film is beautifully shot, and the locations and costumes are lovely. The music is stunning too. However, the character of Heather Badcock is changed quite considerably here, and why she was changed to a naive village girl I still find perplexing. The film is overlong and has pacing problems, and the final solution was weak compared to how it could have been. On the whole, it is a movie worth seeing, and as I've said, see it for Angela. 7/10 Bethany Cox
pretty good
Surprisingly faithful adaption of the excellent Christie book adds some campy insults to the story by having Taylor and Novak square off as jealous rivals, but the outcome still carries a mild punch. Lansbury is excellent as Jane and it's nice to see Liz reunited with Hudson after their stint in the 50's on Giant. One of the better all star casts for an Agatha picture, with a nice recreation of St Mary Mead. Makes you feel like you're really in a small English village.
Fade to black....
Highly underrated, this low-key little whodunit manages to bring together two unlikely genres, the English village murder mystery and the catty Hollywood self-satire. While who did do it is not that surprising, the reason why is clever and touching. (Interestingly, the central plot is loosely based on the real-life tragedy that befell Gene Tierney, star of the legendary film noir "Laura.") The cast of 50's Hollywood icons give very good performances, though, sadly, for most it represents the last really good parts they have had. Hudson is especially good in a bittersweet role. Lansbury is crisp and efficient as Miss Marple and could have made a series of these films had she not found meatier material as another mistress of murder on "Murder, She Wrote." Indeed, though I adore Margaret Rutherford, I think Lansbury does better by the role of Miss Marple. This is not a great mystery movie, but works very well as light entertainment and as a last hurrah for several fine actors.