User Reviews

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

Lord Brabourne who produced The Mirror Crack'd as he did a few other films adapted from Agatha Christie's work was lucky to have produced this at all. He was the son-in-law of Lord Louis Mountbatten and when the IRA blew up the yacht they were on, Brabourne's mother and son were killed on the vessel as well as Mountbatten. Brabourne, his wife and a younger son survived. This all happened a year before The Mirror Crack'd filmed and was released.

This film is right in keeping with the high standard of pictures Brabourne made of Christie stories like Murder On The Orient Express and Evil Under The Sun. As the story involves an American film crew over in Great Britain in 1953 Brabourne was able to get a quartet of top Hollywood names in support of Angela Lansbury as Jane Marple.

Producer Tony Curtis and Director Rock Hudson are collaborating on a film about Mary Queen of Scots that will star Hudson's wife Elizabeth Taylor in the title role. Curtis's wife Kim Novak plays what would be billed as a cameo in the film as Queen Elizabeth. Taylor and Novak are rivals in the tradition of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford and get off some truly bitchy lines at each other.

Maureen Bennett who is one of the villagers and who met Taylor years ago in passing when she was a WREN and Taylor was entertaining troops is poisoned at a gathering of the villagers and the film crew. Someone spiked Bennett's daiquiri and who could possibly want to murder this ingenuous fan. Later on Hudson's secretary and girl Friday and trenchant observer of the whole Hollywood scene Geraldine Chaplin is also poisoned when her inhaler is similarly spiked.

When Lansbury figures out the who in the film it all becomes deceptively simple. The motive however is an incredibly complex and obscure one involving a trivial passing incident that brought to life a great tragedy suffered by one of the visiting Americans.

The film is a reunion of sorts with Hudson and Taylor as co-stars of the classic Giant from the Fifties, a personal favorite of mine for both its stars. Also back in those days Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis were both the leading contract stars at Universal studios, but they never starred together in anything. They did appear in Winchester 73 as featured players but had no scenes together. I really liked Curtis the best in this film with him doing a wonderful satire of Darryl F. Zanuck in the producer part. I'm sure Agatha Christie must have met Zanuck sometime because she had him down great and of course Curtis knew him as well.

Definitely The Mirror Crack'd is a must for Agatha Christie fans and for fans of the stars. And considering what its producer went through we are lucky to have it at all.

THE MIRROR CRACK'D gives some fine stars at the tail end of their careers something worthwhile to chew on--a good script and some gorgeous Bririth scenery substituting for the little town of St. Mary Mead where most of the action takes place.

The choicest bits of dialog go to ELIZABETH TAYLOR and KIM NOVAK as catty rivals who find themselves co-starring in a new film to be produced by Novak's husband, TONY CURTIS and directed by Taylor's husband, ROCK HUDSON. Also involved, of course, is ANGELA LANSBURY, as the famous sleuth, Miss Marple, who has a funny bit at the film's start where she attends a screening of a murder mystery where the film breaks down. To the disappointed audience, she tells the rest of the plot which she has figured out.

When a local girl is murdered, it's up to Miss Marple to solve the real-life mystery. Though slow in developing its storyline, it's interesting to note that an incident that occurred to movie star Gene Tierney is incorporated into the plot as an important clue.

Fans of Christie will most likely come away from this one recalling the catfight remarks between Taylor (getting a little hefty here) and Novak (still streamlined enough). Other than that, the only member of the supporting cast that really stands out is EDWARD FOX as Inspector Craddock, Miss Marple's nephew, who finds himself doing most of the legwork when Miss Marple becomes ill.

Interesting but certainly not the best of Christie, lacking the usual amount of taut suspense one expects in any murder mystery.

How many of us have fantasies about English country villages and cottages therein? This movie will take you directly into such things and your eyes will be delighted with the settings. How cozy it all is - no wonder they call light-hearted mysteries "cozies." I was struck by Angela Lansbury's height. Either she is a tall woman or the ceilings in these adorable cottages are quite low. Angela is Miss Marple, of course, and she begins the flick by demonstrating, at a public screening of a movie murder mystery, how quickly she can solve a complicated crime. Elizabeth Taylor is queenly and is married to the scrumptious Rock Hudson who, although he dallies with a strenuously self-adoring Kim Novak, appears to love her dearly. Edward Fox, a much-enjoyed actor whom I loved in '95's "A Month by the Lake" with Vanessa Redgrave, is so fresh and youthful here! Tony Curtis as the brash producer strikes not one false note - (or else they are all somewhat false as befits his role as wheeler-dealer!) My girlfriends and I may study and duplicate Miss Marple's cottage decor in our own homes after ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the famous sleuth's movie digs! Note: Angela Lansbury proves in this film that she can chop and dice with the best chefs. And she uses a very long, sharp blade, worthy of a Maven of Murder!

This isn't the best film adaptation of an Agatha Christie mystery or even in the top five. Those would probably be Murder on the Orient Express, Evil Under the Sun, Witness for the Prosecution, the Judith Anderson version of And Then There Were None and Murder, She Said with Margaret Rutherford but this does have some pleasures to be found within.

Chief among those pleasure is the cast. Guy Hamilton, who followed this up with Evil Under the Sun, managed to corral a great deal of high quality talent. Angela Lansbury makes an okay Miss Marple but her obvious makeup detracts from her being completely believable in the part. Geraldine Chaplin is also fine as Taylor's assistant although her part doesn't offer much depth. Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson team well giving off that old time movie star glamour, this was Rock's second to last theatrical feature and the last time he looked really well on the screen, but it's not their story that really sets off sparks on screen. The real scene stealer who walks off with every second she's on view is Kim Novak in an absolute gem of a comic performance. She looks sensational and the barbed dialog she and Liz share is worth the price of admission itself.

The only real drawback is that the story is an obvious ripoff of Gene Tierney's personal tragedy and from that angle, since it sticks so close to the details, it is in rather bad taste. However the story was widely known so could have been considered in the public domain.

Overall a well made, pleasant entertainment.

I'm a great fan of Agatha Christie's novels and also of Angela Lounsbury who, before her Murder She Wrote years, embarks upon her career of mystery solving as Christie's famous spinster sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. In this instance, the nosy lady becomes involved in unraveling the crime at the behest of her nephew, Inspector Craddock (Edward Fox), though of course she typically requires no invitation before snooping around!

The mystery revolves around a movie production, filmed on location in Miss Marple's little English village of St. Mary Meade. Two egotistical, arch rival stars, Marina (Elizabeth Taylor) and Lola (Kim Novak) are more or less jealously cat fighting, not at all pleased at having to share the movie spotlight together. Marina's husband is the film's director (played by Rock Hudson) and Lola's its producer (Tony Curtis). Marina has been receiving death threats and when a local girl is poisoned at a big party thrown by the townsfolk, she believes herself to have been the intended victim. This calls of course for none other than Jane Marple...

Obviously, a star studded cast. Angela Lounsbury makes a very believable Miss Marple. Whether as Jessica Fletcher or Christie's prying spinster sleuth, solving mysteries is Lounsbury's forte! As far as the rest are concerned, it's primarily the magnetic Elizabeth Taylor's film, as she dramatically portrays the rather faded star, who is attempting to stage a comeback.

All in all, it's quite an entertaining production, amusing and fun. There's plenty of suspense with the usual laundry list of assorted suspicious characters, probable suspects and possible motives. And quite an interesting ending here that only our Miss Marple could ferret out.

Based on the mystery by Agatha Christie, director Hamilton brings together an outstanding cast but flubs the adaptation with what looks like a cheap television episode budget. After a film breaks during a movie showing, and Miss Marple (Angela Lansbury) solves the climax for the clueless audience, a real production crew arrives in St. Mary Mead to make a movie about Mary, Queen of Scots. The year is 1953, and has-been star Marina (Elizabeth Taylor) is looking to make a comeback in the title role in a film directed by her husband Jason (Rock Hudson). Jason's assistant, Ella (Geraldine Chaplin), has the thankless job of rallying the local villagers to show their love for Marina at a staged event. There, Miss Marple falls and sprains her leg, missing the film's first murder. Most excited about seeing Marina is Heather (Maureen Bennett), who met her years earlier during World War II. During the party, as Heather is talking Marina's ear off, rival starlet Lola (Kim Novak) and her producer husband Marty (Tony Curtis) blow in. The catty dialogue between Lola and Marina is hilarious, but the discovery that Heather has been murdered puts a damper on the day's festivities. Marple's cleaning girl, and a party waitress, Cherry (Wendy Morgan) tells Miss Marple everything, and the fact comes out that Heather was poisoned with a drink meant for Marina. Cue Delbert (Edward Fox), Miss Marple's favorite nephew and Scotland Yard inspector. The suspects are in line as Delbert begins talking to the cast and trying to track down the killer.

This film rivals other Agatha Christie adaptations in star power. The professional stars all play Hollywood phonies well against the genteel back drop of this slow English village. Lansbury is simply perfect as Marple, better than Hayes, Leighton, or Hickson. This film was to spawn a series of new Marple features but it bombed and the plans were scrapped as Lansbury went on to the horrendous "Murder She Wrote." Taylor is both beautiful and bewitching as fragile Marina. She plays some good scenes. Hudson is often forgotten as a great actor, his final scenes in the climax are worth watching. Novak is an appropriate airhead starlet, and she gets the funniest lines. Curtis is sleazy as Marty, and Chaplin does a lot with her limited time onscreen. Fox is very fun as a star-struck inspector, his scene interrogating Marina, and another with a half naked Lola, while trying to remain professional are great. Hamilton's direction is reliable since he has done tons of films before. I do wish the film had been bigger. This effort played like a network TV movie with cussing. John Cameron's lovely musical score is played against some shoddy set-ups and cheap looking costuming. I read the novel years ago, and I knew how this would turn out, but the movie was still fun enough to sit through. It is harmless, and look for an unbilled Pierce Brosnan being held against Taylor's bosom in one scene. I also think I saw Victoria Tennant in the film's opening audience but I cannot be sure. "The Mirror Crack'd" is not perfect by any means, but the cast seems to be up for the fun. I only wish the film's screenwriters and director had been able to match the enthusiasm.

Just a trifle--though its solution is genuinely unexpected--this is worth seeing for the howlingly funny bitchy dialogue. Kim Novak (surprisingly aggressive and good) and Elizabeth Taylor get to wrap their mouths around some of the best campy-mean putdowns ever caught on film. Trust me--you'll be using their better insults at the next party you attend.

They gathered an amazing celebrity cast for this, many of whom were top Hollywood draws in their younger years.

Unfortunately the performances are really inconsistent which takes the shine off things.

Liz Taylor is probably the biggest name and also the most variable. In some scenes she is fantastic, in others she is barely there, with a predilection for delivering her lines under a "beauty light" which I doubt was the director's choice.

Rock Hudson stands out and is the heart of the story. Kim Novak has the funniest lines as Taylor's siren rival. Tony Curtis is good too.

But Angela Lansbury's Jane Marple simply isn't on screen enough, with Edward Fox's wooden police officer doing far too much of the in-person investigation before Miss Marple weaves her magic.

And the reveal, although authentic to the book, is a bit too unexpected to be really satisfying.

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.

This is a perfectly ok Agatha Christie movie adaptation, but there's absolutely nothing special about it unless you're a huge Elizabeth Taylor fan.

I can understand why the pricers would want to branch out with Christie's other most popular character after the success of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, which both featured Hercule Poirot. But why did they choose this particular novel to adapt? Taking place in a 1950s English village it lacks the exotic cinematic grandeur and dramatic tension of the previous films. And Marple isn't even positioned as the main detective! Very, very odd choices.

They really needed to find a Marple story with more cinematic possibilities. That said, the film is ok if you think of it as a TV episode.

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.

The film is set in 1953 - hence the Saturday village fête being thrown in aid of the Coronation fund , referring to the Regal Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2nd June that year . Beautiful and veteran film star Marina Gregg (Elizabeth Taylor , being final lead starring role in a cinema movie for this actress) is attempting to make a comeback after being off-screen for many years due to an emotional breakdown and substance abuse. She is supported by her fifth husband and director of the movie, Jason Rudd (Rock Hudson) . They rent a manor house in St. Mary Mead and host a reception for the villagers . Then, there appears another famous actress Lola Brewster (Kim Novak,though Natalie Wood was the first choice but turned the role down after disagreements over cast billing and the portrayal of the character itself) , a real contender to Marina and producer's (Tony Curtis) wife . Marina Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor) and Lola Brewster (Kim Novak) in the period costumer they are shooting within this film were Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I respectively . At the reception for the fading film star making a screen comeback , a gushing, pushy fan is poisoned by a drink apparently meant for the actress . There she met Gregg briefly before her breakdown and being poisoned by a drink apparently meant for the film star . Because of Gregg's celebrity status, Police Superintendent assigns one of his most skilled and discreet investigators, Inspector Craddock, (Edward Fox) who happens to be Miss Marple's (Angela Lansbury who was only 54 when she played the elderly Miss Marple) nephew . Together they set about investigating the murder , death threats and jealousy associated with the case .

This movie was made and released about eighteen years after Agatha Christie's source novel of the same name was first published in 1962. The film is a detective story in which you are the detective . In the picture there is mystery , emotion , suspense , actors's interpretations are acceptable and wonderful outdoors from Shoreham, St. Clere Estate, Heaverham, Kent, England, UK . The picture eventually arrived fourth in the Brabourne-Goodwin series after Murder on Orient Express , Death on the Nile and Evil under the sun . Nice acting by the great Angela Lansbury , though she stated that playing Miss Marple was 'terrific' and that she 'enjoyed' it very much but thought the film was 'dreadful'. The support cast is pretty good such as Tony Curtis , Geraldine Chaplin , Charles Gray , Nigel Stock and the last feature film of both Anthony Steel, Charles Lloyd and Dinah Sheridan. And one of the first films by Pierce Brosnan at a brief role .

The movie gets a lush costume design by Phyllis Dalton and adequate production design by Michael Stringer . Colorful and sunny cinematography by excellent cameraman Christopher Challis . Sensitive and atmospheric musical score by John Cameron . Passable performances from all-star-cast , a number of the cast had appeared in the earlier'producers Brabourne-Goodwin Agatha Christie movies . Being remade (TV) with Agatha Christie's ¨Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side¨ by Norman Stone with Joan Hickson , Claire Bloom , Judy Cornwell and Barry Newman .

With this film, Angela Lansbury became the second actress to play Miss Marple on the big screen after Margaret Rutherford had made the role famous during the 1960s. Lansbury was the fourth if one counts TV where Gracie Fields and Inge Langen also played Marple. Subsequently in TV was starred by Joan Hickson who played a successful series . And finally Agatha Christie's Marple series starred by Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple .

This film was professionally directed by Guy Hamilton though contains some flaws , poor edition and sometimes results to be slow moving as well as boring . Guy Hamilton also directed ¨Live and let die¨, ¨the man with the golden gun¨ with Roger Moore and the best Bond : ¨Goldfinger¨ with Sean Connery . Being final Agatha Christie adaptation directed by Guy Hamilton , his first was Evil under the sun . The two pictures were back-to-back consecutive movies for Hamilton who prior to this movie had not been "totally enamored" by the Christie books . Rating : passable and acceptable , well worth watching . The flick will appeal to suspense lovers and Agatha Christie novels buffs .

The third and surely the least of a wave of Agatha Christie all-star mashups of the era, this 1980 mystery is worth watching mainly for the star-gazing and a twist or two. The DVD copy we watched last night looks disconcertingly bright, like it's videotape and not film, but it does offer some Agatha Christie pleasures. We're in England in 1953 (bad mistake: One scene has a 1959 Cadillac), where a bunch of Hollywood heavyweights arrive to make a movie. The plot machinations need not be repeated here, but Rock Hudson, reunified 24 years after "Giant" with Elizabeth Taylor, does his usual good work as a put-upon director, while Taylor rather overacts the besieged, threatened movie star he's married to. Angela Lansbury, mid-"Murder, She Wrote," stretches no new muscles as Miss Marple, while Kim Novak, looking fabulous, copes with some lame bitchy dialogue as Taylor's rival. Tony Curtis has practically nothing to do as a PR flak, Geraldine Chaplin has not much more to do as a production assistant, and the best work, surprisingly, is done by Edward Fox, as a Scotland Yard detective who also happens to be Miss Marple's nephew. One of the three murders isn't explained at all, though we can make an educated guess, and the production design and costumes are no more than competent. It's pretty lumpy storytelling, but the cast is fun to watch, and, this being Agatha Christie, you may not figure it out.

As far as I'm concerned, the whole effect was ruined by the scene of Miss Marple smoking a cigarette. I've read the books, and that is a serious deviance from the original character.

The stair scene was awful. In the book there were about 5 of them coming up the stairs, in this movie there was only one.

I also thought that the relationship between Lola and Jason was overplayed.

Overall, I have to say that I liked the earlier show with Joan Hickson much better. She was a much better Miss Marple, in fact... she's the perfect Miss Marple.

I can understand why people feel there's a camp charm about this, for me though it's an absolute mess.

Firstly, Angela Lansbury, I'm a big fan of hers, but she was horribly miscast here, she's too young, the makeup doesn't work, and as for the acting, she's more Hinge and Bracket than Marple, however...

.as bad as I thought she was, nothing could prepare me for the true horror of this film, the dismal acting of Elizabeth Taylor, sorry, but she is atrocious here, wooden and unable to bring the character to life, compare it to Claire Bloom from The BBC series, Bloom dazzles, and feels so fragile, Taylor is just so bad.

Kim Novak, it's just pantomime, her scenes with Taylor are agonisingly bad.

Some nice production values, the village setting is appealing. Some of the shots are quite nice.

The best segment, the black and white opening scenes, the acting of John Bennett is the best element of this film, sadly it's all downhill from here on.

I know you shouldn't compare shows, but compare this dismal film with the wonderful Joan Hickson adaptation.

Dire, 3/10.

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.

This film is a fine adaptation of one of Agatha Christie's more enduring tales. Loaded with megawatt star power: Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Angela Lansbury, and Rock Hudson, plus other well-known journeymen supporting players, keep this compilation of 50's icons jousting for their close-up. The murder of an innocent female villager at a reception for the aging Ms.Taylor's character,(shades of "All About Eve"), and the arrival of an hysterical and deliciously venomous Kim Novak adds fire to the harried relationships of movie producer and director Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis, (husbands of Taylor and Novak). Set in gorgeous English countryside, and given great fashion for its female stars, the film is very easy on the eyes. However, the whole plot line seems rather melodramatic,(especially Taylor's serious style, as opposed to the hilarious Novak).Tony Curtis has aged considerably,and Rock Hudson seems somewhat less the matinée idol he once was. The Marple sleuthing by Angela Lansbury is first-rate, and reflects her long years in television's drama, "Murder She Wrote." Apparently, there is a cameo by newbie Pierce Brosnan.Watch for it! (I missed it). The final scene by Taylor is unintentionally reflective of her most notorious film.

Sorry to say it, but IMHO this is a really bad production, particularly considered as a mystery film and particularly in comparison with the BBC productions (1992 and 2010) which show how this material should really be handled. Curtis and Novak play a film producer and a camera-hugging starlet as heavy-handed stereotypes straight out of a "Rocky and Bullwinkle" cartoon. Of course both can do better - clearly it's the director's fault for allowing/encouraging it. Taylor and Hudson try to provide some balance but can't overcome Hales's screenplay and Hamilton's direction. Both of the latter appear to believe that the viewers have never heard of Christie, Marple, or mysteries, and have to be forcibly guided through the game with cheats and walkthroughs. Plot points and clues which are subtly introduced, or discovered through deduction, in the novel (and in the BBC versions) are here spelled out loudly, notoriously, early, and with audiovisual effects.