''The Mirror Crack'd'' is a 1980 British

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by Guy Hamilton from a screenplay by

Jonathan Hales Jonathan Hales (born 10 May 1937) is a British playwright and screenwriter. He is noted for his work with Lucasfilm, including ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles'' television series and '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones''. Caree ...

and Barry Sandler, based on

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fiction ...

's Miss Marple novel ''

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side ''The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'', a novel by Agatha Christie, was published in the UK in 1962 and a year later in the US under the title ''The Mirror Crack'd''. The story features amateur detective Miss Marple solving a mystery in St. ...

'' (1962). It stars

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress. She is the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of eight children with his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill. After beginnings in dance and modeling, she turned her attention to act ...

, Tony Curtis, Edward Fox,

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Gold ...

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired film and television actress and painter. Novak began her career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures and quickly became one of Hollywood's top box office stars, ...

, and

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

. Scenes were filmed at

Twickenham Film Studios Twickenham Studios (formerly known as Twickenham Film Studios) is a film studio in St Margarets, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, that is used by various motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Ralph ...

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boro ...

, London and on location in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Plot

In 1953 in the English village of

St Mary Mead St Mary Mead is a fictional village created by popular crime fiction author Dame Agatha Christie. The quaint, sleepy village was home to the renowned detective spinster Miss Marple. However, Christie first described a village of that name pri ...

, home of Miss Jane Marple, a big Hollywood

production company A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and v ...

arrives to film a costume drama about

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

and

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

with two famous movie stars, Marina Rudd and Lola Brewster. The two actresses are old rivals. Marina is making a much heralded comeback after a prolonged "illness" and retirement (due to what was really a nervous breakdown when her son was born with severe brain damage). She and her husband, Jason Rudd, who is directing the film, arrive with their entourage. When she learns that Lola will be in the film as well, she becomes enraged and vents her anger. Lola then arrives with her husband, Marty Fenn, who is producing the film. Excitement runs high in the village as the locals have been invited to a

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another ...

held by the film company in a manor house, Gossington Hall, to meet the celebrities. Lola and Marina come face to face at the reception and exchange some comically potent insults, as they smile and pose for the cameras. At the reception Marina is cornered by a gushing, devoted fan, Heather Babcock, who bores her with a long and detailed story about having actually met Marina in person during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. After recounting the meeting they had all those years ago, when she arose from her sickbed to go and meet the glamorous star, Heather drinks a

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...

that was made for Marina and quickly dies from poisoning. Everyone is certain Marina was the intended murder victim. Not only has Marina been receiving

anonymous Anonymous may refer to: * Anonymity, the state of an individual's identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown ** Anonymous work, a work of art or literature that has an unnamed or unknown creator or author * Anony ...

death threat A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a d ...

s made up of newspaper clippings, once shooting begins on the film she discovers that her cup of coffee on the set has also been spiked with poison, sending her into fits of terror. The police detective from

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

investigating the case, Inspector Dermot Craddock, is baffled. He asks his aunt, who happens to be Jane Marple, who recently injured her foot at the reception and is therefore confined to her home, for help. The suspects are Ella Zielinsky, Jason's assistant who is secretly in love with him and would like Marina out of the way, and the hotheaded actress Lola. The main suspect, Ella Zielinsky, after going to a pay phone in the village where she telephoned and threatened to expose the murderer, is then killed by a lethal nasal spray substituted for her hay-fever medication. Miss Marple, now back on her feet, visits Gossington Hall, where Marina and Jason are staying, and views where Heather's death occurred. Working from information received from her cleaning woman, Cherry Baker, who worked as a waitress the day of the murder, Marple begins to piece together the events and solves the mystery. By that time, however, another death occurs at Gossington Hall, which explains who was the killer: Marina Rudd has apparently died by suicide. Miss Marple explains that Heather Babcock's story was Marina's motive. Heather suffered from

German measles Rubella, also known as German measles or three-day measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus. This disease is often mild, with half of people not realizing that they are infected. A rash may start around two weeks after exposure and ...

, a rather harmless disease to most adults, but dangerous for a pregnant woman. Heather innocently infected Marina when she met her during the Second World War while Marina was pregnant: she had caused Marina's child to be born with

mental retardation Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation, Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...

. Upon hearing Heather cheerfully tell this story, Marina was overcome with rage and deliberately poisoned her. She then spread the idea that she was the intended victim, concocting the death threats and poisoning her own coffee. Ella, who in fact made phone calls to various suspects from a phone box, accidentally guessed correctly, prompting Marina to murder her. Jason confesses to Miss Marple that he had put poison in his wife's hot chocolate to save her from being prosecuted; however, the drink has not been touched. Marina is nonetheless found dead, seeming to have poisoned herself. And as Marina is now dead, she will not be brought to justice.

Cast

as Miss Jane Marple *

as Marina Gregg-Rudd *

as Jason Rudd * Tony Curtis as Martin "Marty" N. Fenn *

as Lola Brewster *

as Ella Zielinsky * Edward Fox as Inspector Dermot Craddock (Jane's nephew) * Charles Gray as Bates, the butler * Richard Pearson as Doctor Haydock * Wendy Morgan as Cherry * Margaret Courtenay as Mrs Dolly Bantry * Marella Oppenheim as Margot Bence * Maureen Bennett as Heather Babcock *

Carolyn Pickles Carolyn Pickles (born 8 February 1952) is an English actress who has appeared in West End theatre and on British television. She is known for playing DCI Kim Reid in ''The Bill'' and Shelley Williams in '' Emmerdale''. Life and career Pickles ...

as Miss Giles * Eric Dodson as the Major * Charles Lloyd-Pack as the Vicar * Thick Wilson as the Mayor *

Pat Nye Patricia Dorothy Nye, OBE (11 February 1908 – 11 April 1994) was an English actress-manager.Peter Woodthorpe as the Scout Master * Norman Wooland as the Medical Examiner *

Richard Leech Richard Leeper McClelland (24 November 1922 – 24 March 2004), known professionally as Richard Leech, was an Irish actor. Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Isabella Frances (Leeper) and Herbert Saunderson McCl ...

as Director of Photography *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

as Film Technician *

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 ('' GoldenEye'', '' Tomorro ...

as actor playing Jamie (uncredited) in the scene about 76 minutes in. In addition, Anthony Steel,

Dinah Sheridan Dinah Sheridan (born Dinah Nadyejda Ginsburg; 17 September 1920 – 25 November 2012) was an English actress with a career spanning seven decades. She was best known for the films '' Genevieve'' (1953) and '' The Railway Children'' (1970); the l ...

, Nigel Stock,

Hildegard Neil Hildegarde Neil Blessed (born 29 July 1939), also credited as Hildegard Neil, is an English actress. Career Born in London, and raised in South Africa, she first appeared on television in a BBC schools' television production of ''Julius Caesar ...

, John Bennett and Allan Cuthbertson are among the actors who appear in ''Murder at Midnight'', a black and white 'teaser' movie shown at the beginning of the film.

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ( Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring r ...

was originally chosen to play the role eventually played by Elizabeth Taylor. Margaret Courtenay later appeared in the BBC TV adaptation ''

'' starring Joan Hickson as Miss Marple.

Production notes

The novel was published in 1962. In 1977 Warners announced that

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur ( Brown; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned 80 years. She eventually received the nickname "First Lady of American Theatre" and was the second person and first woman to have w ...

would play Miss Marple in adaptations of '' A Caribbean Mystery'' and ''The Mirror Crack'd''. Film rights for ''Mirror'' passed to John Brabourne and Richard Goodwin, who had previously produced adaptations of '' Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974) and '' Death on the Nile'' (1978). In 1979 they announced they would make the film starring

who had played a support role in ''Death on the Nile'' and was appearing on stage in '' Sweeney Todd''. Production would be put on hold until Lansbury finished her run in the musical. In August 1979, Brabourne suffered leg injuries in a bomb blast that killed his mother, son, and father-in-law,

Lord Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

. But he proceeded with the picture. Guy Hamilton was given the job as director. He told the producers he was not a fan of

's novels and they said that is what would make him ideal for the film. Hamilton described the script as "awfully funny". Casting director Dyson Lovell said since the film was set in the 1950s "it seemed like a good idea to use stars from that era.".MIRROR' FLATTERS '50S STARS Mann, Roderick. Los Angeles Times 15 June 1980: o38. Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, Tony Curtis and Elizabeth Taylor signed to play support roles. Taylor took over from

. Curtis made the film after being fired from the Broadway play '' I Ought to Be in Pictures''. It was Taylor's first film in three years. She said: "I have said for two years now that I would not go back to films unless it was something that absolutely intrigued me, and something that would not take me away from my husband for too long. I have found just that in ''The Mirror Crack'd'' and am longing to work with some very dear friends again." There had been a series of Miss Marple films in the 1960s starring Margaret Rutherford. Hamilton said Rutherford "was a divine clown but she was no more Miss Marple than... fly to the moon. We are doing Miss Christie's Miss Marple, a more serious person, a gossip, a bit of a snob. And she doesn't fall off her bicycle into the village duckpond." Lansbury said she played the part of Marple "absolutely straight. I'm trying to get at the woman Agatha Christie created: an Edwardian maiden lady imbued with great humanity and a mind of tremendous breadth. She's very exactly described in the books as tall, pale-complexioned, with twinkling blue eyes and white hair - not a fat galumph of a creature at all. I base my performance on that. Also on the fact that she has tremendous alertness and curiosity allied to a great appetite for murder."FILM; ANGELA LANSBURY ON THE TRAIL OF AGATHA CHRISTIE'S MISS MARPLE New York Times 14 Sep 1980: A.19 Lansbury signed a three-picture deal, meaning the intention was to make two more Marples.

Filming locations

St Clere Estate, in Heaverham, part of the Sevenoaks District of

, was used as the grand home of Marina Rudd (

) and her husband Jason (

). Ye Olde George Inn and a Bridge on Church Street in Shoreham are both noticeable in the production, doubling as part of the village of St Mary Mead. The village of Smarden and St Michael's Church are also used to double as the village of St Mary Mead. Also throughout filming the 'Thatched House' cottage in Smarden was used as Miss Marple's cottage. Smarden is located in the

Ashford Ashford may refer to: Places Australia *Ashford, New South Wales *Ashford, South Australia *Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia Ireland *Ashford, County Wicklow *Ashford Castle, County Galway United Kingdom *Ashford, Kent, a town **B ...

district of

, and the traditional thatched houses and village shops made it a perfect filming location.

Filming dates

Filmed on a ten-week shooting schedule from 12 May to 18 July 1980. "It was fun," said Curtis. "A piece of cake. I didn't have to get all sweaty like in Spartacus' and I had a good time."Three stars look back at what were often bad days ... Boston Globe 4 January 1981: 1. "I never had so much fun making a movie," said Novak. "It may not be my greatest role, but I didn't have a studio executive breathing down my neck, dictating my every move." Novak added she and Taylor "both had a lot of funny, bitchy lines to say to each other. In real life, that bitchiness rarely exists on a movie set, but actresses have certainly thought about it a lot. But they've never said it. That's why this movie was so much fun." However her return to filmmaking was only temporary. "Doing something once in a while, like ''The Mirror Crack'd,'' is fine and it makes me feel like Cinderella at the ball. But as a steady diet - no way."

Title

The title - shortened from the one used for Christie's book - is part of a line from "

The Lady of Shalott "The Lady of Shalott" is a lyrical ballad by the 19th-century English poet Alfred Tennyson and one of his best-known works. Inspired by the 13th-century Italian short prose text '' Donna di Scalotta'', the poem tells the tragic story of Elain ...

" by the English poet

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

: :Out flew the web and floated wide— :The mirror crack'd from side to side; :"The curse is come upon me", cried :The Lady of Shalott.

Inspiration theory

Biographers theorise that Christie used an incident in the real-life of American film star Gene Tierney as the basis of the plot of ''

''. In June 1943, while pregnant with her first daughter, Tierney contracted

during her only appearance at the

Hollywood Canteen The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in the Los Angeles, California, neighborhood of Hollywood between October 3, 1942, and November 22, 1945 (Thanksgiving Day), as a club offering food, dancing and entertainment for serv ...

. Due to Tierney's illness, her daughter was born deaf, partially blind with cataracts, and severely developmentally disabled. Sometime after the tragedy surrounding her daughter's birth, the actress learned from a fan who approached her for an autograph at a tennis party that the woman (who was then a member of the women's branch of the Marine Corps) had sneaked out of quarantine while sick with

to meet Tierney at her only Hollywood Canteen appearance. In her autobiography, Tierney wrote that after the woman had recounted her story, "I stood there for a very long minute. There was no point in telling her of the tragedy that had occurred. I turned and walked away very quickly. After that, I didn't care if I was ever again anyone's favorite actress". The incident, as well as the circumstances under which the information was imparted to the actress, is repeated almost verbatim in Christie's story; Tierney's life experience had been well-publicized.

Reception

The film was considered a box office disappointment in the United States.CHRISTMAS PLUS ALMOST CURE HOLLYWOOD'S ANXIETY ATTACK New York Times 16 January 1981: C.3. Lansbury never reprised her performance as Miss Marple.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mirror Crack'd 1980 films 1980 crime films 1980 thriller films 1980s British films 1980s crime thriller films 1980s English-language films 1980s mystery thriller films British crime thriller films British mystery thriller films EMI Films films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films based on Miss Marple books Films directed by Guy Hamilton Films scored by John Cameron Films set in 1953 Films set in England Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios Films shot in Kent