British director Guy Hamilton, mainly known for being at the helm for several James Bond films, went into the world of Agatha Christie with the 1980 film The Mirror Crack’d, a mystery featuring the famous sleuth Miss Marple.
The story has Miss Marple (Angela Lansbury, Murder She Wrote) tracking down a murderer who has poisoned a fan at a social event where film celebrities, directors and producers alike are gathering for an upcoming film. The fan is Heather Babock (Maureen Bennett), who runs into an actress she idolizes, Marina Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor, Life with Father), bores her to death with endless stories, and is subsequently murdered by drinking a cocktail that has the poison in it. Was it Marina or maybe her husband Jason Rudd (Rock Hudson, A Farewell to Arms), or was it possibly Marina’s rival Lola Brewster (Kim Novak, Vertigo), or even film producer Martin Fenn (Tony Curtis, Some Like it Hot)? Because Miss Marple took a fall early on the picture causing her to have a foot injury, she asks for her nephew Inspector Dermot Craddock (Edward Fox, Day of the Jackal) to investigate. Once she has recovered, she continues with investigation and with the clues at hand, she is able to discover who the murderer was and why.
The Mirror Crack’d is a well-done mystery movie. With all the legendary actors in the picture it should come as no surprise, with each one giving their usual excellent professional performances. Angela Lansbury gives a tour-de-force as Miss Marple while Kim Novak is nothing short of stupendous playing the pretentious Lola. I cannot say enough positive things about how the entire cast performed, in addition to all the major stars. The Mirror Crack’d is a film that is reminiscent of the early talkies, where the acting overshadows the action. Guy Hamilton did a fine job directing the film despite not being a fan of Agatha Christie’s mystery novels which leads me to my next point. There was one thing missing in this movie; it was the lack of suspenseful moments, which was the biggest drawback in the film.
Kino Lorber debuts The Mirror Crack’d on Blu-ray. The image is sourced from the same 2K master that StudioCanal used for their release back in 2017. For those that own that release, or even if you do not, the picture quality is simply phenomenal. Colors are rich vivid, with such clarity to outdoor scenery under the blue skies, or the indoors which are rich in texture and are highly detailed. Skin tones look accurate. There are no signs of DNR or other artificial enhancements to the film.
The English DTS-HD master audio 2.0 is also clear with no issues. The dialog, which is heavily dominant is clear is as the musical scores by John Cameron. Nothing is all that overpowering in the audio. No audio issues such as hissing, or drop-offs detected. English subtitles are available for this offering
The Mirror Crack’d release include a new audio commentary from critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thomson where they discuss the film, the performers, director Guy Hamilton and members of the crew. Other Agatha Christie mystery films with Hercule Poriot is also part of the discussion.
Trailers included for this release are The Mirror Crack’d, Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, Witness for the Prosecution, Endless Night, Ordeal by Innocence, and Ten Little Indians. A few TV spots round out the extras.
The Mirror Crack’d has finally gotten its long-awaited domestic Blu-ray release as well as other Agatha Christie films that feature Hercule Poirot thanks to Kino Lorber. Without question this is a no-brainer to pick up as it is a mighty fine release!
The Mirror Crack’d
Director- Guy Hamilton
Cast- Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-10/11/20