As
far as filmed adaptations of Agatha Christie novels go, THE MIRROR
CRACK'D ($25) isn't particularly good, but I like it nevertheless
for the campy/catty performances of its two female stars. Elizabeth Taylor
and Kim Novak are ideally cast as two over-the-hill actresses, who can't
stand the sight of one another. Watching the two temperamental actresses
that Taylor and Novak portray trading barbs, while continuously trying
to upstage each other is sometimes downright hilarious. The only thing
missing is Taylor and Novak rolling around in the mud- just like on an
episode of DYNASTY.
I
think that THE MIRROR CRACK'D is the only Miss Marple mystery to
be produced for theatrical consumption, since Margaret Rutherford portrayed
the amateur sleuth in a series of films back in the 1960's. While the
tepid results of this production are likely to keep the character of the
big screen for several more decades, Angela Lansbury cannot be faulted
for her portrayal. Lansbury is a consummate professional and her sharp
performance is right on the mark. It was probably her performance in THE
MIRROR CRACK'D that set Lansbury on the road to her successful run
on MURDER SHE WROTE.
The
plot of THE MIRROR CRACK'D finds a Hollywood movie production descending
upon a small English village, which just happens to be Miss Marple's hometown.
The entire village is astir with the arrival of Marina Rudd (Taylor),
a legendary actress, who is making a comeback after suffering a mental
breakdown. Her husband, Jason Rudd (Rock Hudson), is the director of the
film and is trying to make sure that the production goes smoothly for
Marina. Unfortunately, the producer Marty N. Fenn (Tony Curtis) has added
Lola Brewster to the cast, despite the fact that she and Marina are bitter
rivals, with an antagonistic relationship. During a party to celebrate
the start of production, a local woman dies after drinking a cocktail
that was prepared for Marina. Although sidelined at the time of the murder,
Miss Marple gathers clues from eyewitnesses and begins to piece together
the solution to the mystery. Lending support in THE MIRROR CRACK'D
are Edward Fox, Geraldine Chaplin, Charles Gray, Maureen Bennett and Wendy
Morgan. On the screen, the British players in THE MIRROR CRACK'D
certainly fair better than their American counterparts; however Rock Hudson
is surprisingly good in this film- displaying more emotional depth than
anyone else in the cast.
Anchor
Bay Entertainment has done a good job transcribing THE MIRROR CRACK'D
to DVD. THE MIRROR CRACK'D is presented at 1.85:1 and the wide
screen presentation is enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. Image quality
is usually quite nice, with most of the film appearing reasonably crisp
and well defined. Whatever softness there is in the image is attributable
to the original photography (which was trying to makes its two leading
ladies look younger) and is not a flaw in the transfer. In addition, noticeable
film grain can be traced back to the production, although the transfer
does minimize the effect on the image. Colors tend to favor the pastels,
although there are some vibrant colors sprinkled in here and there. Flesh
tones are also somewhat subdued, but then again, don't the English always
look a little pale in period movies. Blacks appear fine and shadow detail
is pretty decent. Digital compression artifacts hardly ever make their
presence known on this dual layer DVD. The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack
is fairly solid, offering clear, clean sound that is free from audible
distortion and hiss. Dialogue is always fully intelligible and Novak's
breathy vocals sound just fine to my ear. John Cameron's musical score
sounds just fine when amplified, thanks to the reasonably good fidelity
of the soundtrack.
Animation
and music enhanced the interactive menus, which provide access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a smattering
of extras. The DVD features a theatrical trailer, two TV spots and cast
biographies- not much, but significantly better than many of the titles
that come out of the major studios with squat included.
As
far as filmed adaptations of Agatha Christie novels go, THE MIRROR
CRACK'D ($25) isn't particularly good, but I like it nevertheless
for the campy/catty performances of its two female stars. Elizabeth Taylor
and Kim Novak are ideally cast as two over-the-hill actresses, who can't
stand the sight of one another. Watching the two temperamental actresses
that Taylor and Novak portray trading barbs, while continuously trying
to upstage each other is sometimes downright hilarious. The only thing
missing is Taylor and Novak rolling around in the mud- just like on an
episode of DYNASTY.
I
think that THE MIRROR CRACK'D is the only Miss Marple mystery to
be produced for theatrical consumption, since Margaret Rutherford portrayed
the amateur sleuth in a series of films back in the 1960's. While the
tepid results of this production are likely to keep the character of the
big screen for several more decades, Angela Lansbury cannot be faulted
for her portrayal. Lansbury is a consummate professional and her sharp
performance is right on the mark. It was probably her performance in THE
MIRROR CRACK'D that set Lansbury on the road to her successful run
on MURDER SHE WROTE.
The
plot of THE MIRROR CRACK'D finds a Hollywood movie production descending
upon a small English village, which just happens to be Miss Marple's hometown.
The entire village is astir with the arrival of Marina Rudd (Taylor),
a legendary actress, who is making a comeback after suffering a mental
breakdown. Her husband, Jason Rudd (Rock Hudson), is the director of the
film and is trying to make sure that the production goes smoothly for
Marina. Unfortunately, the producer Marty N. Fenn (Tony Curtis) has added
Lola Brewster to the cast, despite the fact that she and Marina are bitter
rivals, with an antagonistic relationship. During a party to celebrate
the start of production, a local woman dies after drinking a cocktail
that was prepared for Marina. Although sidelined at the time of the murder,
Miss Marple gathers clues from eyewitnesses and begins to piece together
the solution to the mystery. Lending support in THE MIRROR CRACK'D
are Edward Fox, Geraldine Chaplin, Charles Gray, Maureen Bennett and Wendy
Morgan. On the screen, the British players in THE MIRROR CRACK'D
certainly fair better than their American counterparts; however Rock Hudson
is surprisingly good in this film- displaying more emotional depth than
anyone else in the cast.
Anchor
Bay Entertainment has done a good job transcribing THE MIRROR CRACK'D
to DVD. THE MIRROR CRACK'D is presented at 1.85:1 and the wide
screen presentation is enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. Image quality
is usually quite nice, with most of the film appearing reasonably crisp
and well defined. Whatever softness there is in the image is attributable
to the original photography (which was trying to makes its two leading
ladies look younger) and is not a flaw in the transfer. In addition, noticeable
film grain can be traced back to the production, although the transfer
does minimize the effect on the image. Colors tend to favor the pastels,
although there are some vibrant colors sprinkled in here and there. Flesh
tones are also somewhat subdued, but then again, don't the English always
look a little pale in period movies. Blacks appear fine and shadow detail
is pretty decent. Digital compression artifacts hardly ever make their
presence known on this dual layer DVD. The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack
is fairly solid, offering clear, clean sound that is free from audible
distortion and hiss. Dialogue is always fully intelligible and Novak's
breathy vocals sound just fine to my ear. John Cameron's musical score
sounds just fine when amplified, thanks to the reasonably good fidelity
of the soundtrack.
Animation
and music enhanced the interactive menus, which provide access to the
standard scene selection and set up features, as well as a smattering
of extras. The DVD features a theatrical trailer, two TV spots and cast
biographies- not much, but significantly better than many of the titles
that come out of the major studios with squat included.
