The Mirror Crack'd
Directed by	Guy Hamilton
Produced by	John Bradbourne Richard Goodwin
Written by	Agatha Christie (novel) Barry Sandler (screenplay)
Starring	Angela Lansbury Elizabeth Taylor Kim Novak Rock Hudson Edward Fox Geraldine Chaplin Tony Curtis
Music by	John Cameron
Cinematography	Christopher G. Challis
Editing by	Richard Marden
Distributed by	Columbia
Release date(s)	December 19, 1980
Running time	105 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Mirror Crack'd is a 1980 feature motion picture directed by Guy Hamilton boasting an all-star cast, Angela Lansbury, Geraldine Chaplin, Tony Curtis, Edward Fox, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak, and Elizabeth Taylor, with Wendy Morgan, Maureen Bennett, Charles Gray, and Charles Lloyd Pack. Image File history File links Mirrorcrackd1980. ... Guy Hamilton (born September 16, 1922, Paris, France) was a noted film director. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), also known as Dame Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... Barry Sandler is an American screenwriter and film producer. ... Angela Lansbury (right) with Bea Arthur at the 1989 Emmy Awards. ... Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor DBE (born February 27, 1932) is an iconic two-time Academy Award-winning English-American actress. ... Kim Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American actress. ... Rock Hudson (November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was a popular American film and television actor, noted for his good looks, and most remembered as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s. ... Edward Fox as M in Never Say Never Again Edward Fox, OBE (born 13 April 1937) is an English stage, film and television actor. ... Geraldine Chaplin (born July 31, 1944 in Santa Monica, California) is an Anglo-American actress. ... Roger Moore and Tony Curtis in The Persuaders! Tony Curtis (born June 3, 1925) is an American film actor. ... This is a John Cameron may refer to: John Cameron (theologian) - a Scottish theologian John Cameron (cricketer) - a West Indian cricketer John Cameron (composer) - an English film score composer John Cameron (Upper Canada politician) - an Upper Canada politican. ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // Events April 30 - The Roger Daltrey film, McVicar, opens in London. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Guy Hamilton (born September 16, 1922, Paris, France) was a noted film director. ... Angela Lansbury (right) with Bea Arthur at the 1989 Emmy Awards. ... Geraldine Chaplin (born July 31, 1944 in Santa Monica, California) is an Anglo-American actress. ... Roger Moore and Tony Curtis in The Persuaders! Tony Curtis (born June 3, 1925) is an American film actor. ... Edward Fox as M in Never Say Never Again Edward Fox, OBE (born 13 April 1937) is an English stage, film and television actor. ... Rock Hudson (November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was a popular American film and television actor, noted for his good looks, and most remembered as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s. ... Kim Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American actress. ... Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor DBE (born February 27, 1932) is an iconic two-time Academy Award-winning English-American actress. ... Charles Gray (August 29, 1928 - March 7, 2000) was a British actor, born Donald Marshall Gray in Bournemouth, Dorset. ... Charles Lloyd Pack (October 10, 1902 — December 22, 1983) was a British film, television and stage actor. ...

This crime/mystery/thriller was adapted by Jonathan Hales and Barry Sandler, based on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple novel The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1962). Mystery film is a film genre which uses mystery as an element to the plot. ... Thriller films are movies that primarily use action and suspense to engage the audience. ... Barry Sandler is an American screenwriter and film producer. ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), also known as Dame Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... Joan Hickson as Miss Marple Jane Marple, usually known as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in 12 Agatha Christie crime novels. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... The Mirror Crackd from Side to Side (published in 1962), also known just as The Mirror Crackd is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie set in the fictional English village of St. ... See also: 1961 in literature, other events of 1962, 1963 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

Scenes were filmed at Twickenham Film Studios, Twickenham, London, England, and on location in Kent. Twickenham Film Studios is a film studio located in St. ... Twickenham is a suburb in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south west London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ...

1 hour, 45 minutes; widescreen; color

Plot

Set in the fictional English village of St. Mary Mead, home of Miss Jane Marple (played by Lansbury), in 1953, a big Hollywood production company arrives to film a costume movie about Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I with two famous movie stars, Marina Rudd (played by Taylor) and Lola Brewster (played by Novak). Fiction (from the Latin fingere, to form, create) is storytelling of imagined events and stands in contrast to non-fiction, which makes factual claims about reality. ... A village is a human residential settlement commonly found in rural areas. ... St. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Greetings from Hollywood Hollywood is a district of the city of Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., that extends from Vermont Avenue on the east to just beyond Laurel Canyon Boulevard above Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards on the west; the north to south boundary east of La Brea Avenue... Production company refers to a company responsible for the development and physical production of a film or television program. ... A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, sets and properties are featured in order to capture the ambience of a particular era. ... Mary, Queen of Scots is the name of: Mary I of Scotland, the former queen of France and Scotland executed by her cousin Elizabeth I of England Mary, Queen of Scots (movie), a 1971 film about that queen starring Vanessa Redgrave Mary, Queen of Scots (1969 book), a 1969 book... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England, Queen of France (in name only), and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... A movie star is a celebrity who is well known for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. ...

The two actresses are old rivals who hate each other. Marina, who is making a much heralded comeback after a prolonged "illness" and retirement, when she, in reality, has had a nervous breakdown, and her husband, Jason Rudd (played by Hudson), who is directing the movie they are making, arrive with their entourage. When she learns that Lola will be in the movie as well, she becomes enraged and vents her anger. Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ...

Lola and her husband, Martin N. "Marty" Fenn (played by Curtis), who is producing the movie they are making, then arrive. Excitement runs high in St. Mary Mead, as the locals have been invited to a reception held by the movie company in a manor house, Gossington Hall, to meet the celebrities. Lola and Marina come face to face at the reception and exchange some potent and comical insults, nasty one-liners delivered with considerable flair by Novak and Taylor, as they smile and pose for the cameras. The two square-off in a series of hilarious and cleverly written and performed cat-fights throughout the movie. A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. ... Look up reception in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Megastar redirects here. ...

Marina, however, has been receiving anonymous death threats. After her initial exchange with Lola at the reception, she is cornered by a gushing, devoted fan, Heather Babcock (played by Bennett), who bores her with a long and detailed story about having actually met Marina in person during the war. After recounting the meeting they had all those years ago, when she arose from her sickbed to go and meet the glamorous star, Babcock drinks a cocktail that was made for Marina and drops dead from poisoning. Look up anonymous in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Fans of Janet Jackson, at Much Music in Toronto The word fan refers to someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking of a person, group of persons, work of art, idea, or trend. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33... A cocktail. ... The skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. ...

The incident is unfortunate for Marina's mental state, and she is beside herself. Everyone is certain she was the intended murder victim. Once filming begins on the movie, she discovers that apart from threatening notes made up of newspaper clippings, her cup of tea on the set has also been spiked with poison, sending her into fits of terror.

The police detective from Scotland Yard investigating the case, Inspector Delbert Craddock (played by Fox), is baffled as he tries to uncover who is behind the attempt on the life of the actress and the subsequent murder of the innocent woman. The suspects pile up. Is it Ella Zielinsky (played by Chaplin), Jason's production assistant who is secretly having an affair with him and would like Marina out of the way? Or, is it the hotheaded screen goddess Lola Brewster? New Scotland Yard, London New Scotland Yard, it blowwsssss often referred to simply as Scotland Yard or The Yard, is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for policing Greater London (although not the City of London itself). ... In the parlance of criminal justice, a suspect is a term used to refer to a person, known or unknown, suspected of committing a crime. ...

Inspector Craddock asks his aunt, the renowned amateur detective Miss Jane Marple, who injured her foot at the reception and is confined to her home, for assistance. The main suspect, Zielinsky, is then killed by a lethal nose spray after going to a pay phone in the village, where she called the murderer and threatened to expose them. Miss Marple, now back on her feet, visits Gossington Hall, where Marina and Jason are staying, and views where Babcock's death occurred. Working from information received from her cleaning woman, Cherry Baker (played by Morgan), who was working as a waitress the day of the murder, the determined elderly sleuth begins to piece together the events of the fatal reception and solves the mystery. By the time she has collected all the evidence to indicate who committed the crime, however, another death occurs at Gossington Hall, which sadly closes the case on who the murderer in St. Mary Mead actually is.

Quotes

Lola: "I could eat a can of Kodak and PUKE a better picture!"
Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is a large multinational public company producing photographic equipment. ...

The Vicar: "Oh, Mr. Rudd, I understand that you are a film producer."
Jason: "Oh, no, sir. A director."
The Vicar: "Is there any difference?"
Jason: "Yes, sir. The producer supplies all the money; the director spends it. Then the producer yells that the director is spending too much money; the director doesn't pay any attention and goes right on spending. The director gets all the credit; the producer gets an ulcer. You see, it's all very simple.
Look up producer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up director in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Endoscopic images of a duodenal ulcer. ...

Lola: "You seem lovely, as always. Of course, there are fewer lights on than usual. In fact, any fewer and I'd need a seeing-eye dog."
Marina: "Oh, I shouldn't bother to buy one, dear. In that wig, you could play Lassie."
Lola: "Same adorable sense of humor. And I'm so glad to see that you've not only kept your gorgeous figure, but you've added so much to it."
Marina: "What are you doing here so early, dear? I thought the plastic surgery seminar was in Switzerland."
Lola: "Actually, darling, I couldn't wait to begin our little movie. You know the saying, once an actress, always an actress."
Marina: "Oh, I do know the saying. But what does it have to do with you?"
Labrador Retriever guide dogs resting. ... Lassie filming on location in Florida photo courtesy State Archive of Florida Lassie, a Rough Collie, is the worlds most famous dog [1] and a fictional character who has starred in (or, more properly, in variations been the subject of) many movies, TV shows, and books from 1938 through... Plastic surgery is a specialty that uses surgical techniques to change the appearance and function of patients bodies. ...

Marina: "Lola, dear, you know, there are really only two things I dislike about you."
Lola: "Really? What are they?"
Marina: "Your face."

Marty (on the telephone, forgetting he is in England): "Get me the coast. (A beat.) What do you mean, what coast?"

Origin of the Plot

There can be little doubt that Christie used the real-life tragedy of American film actress Gene Tierney as the basis of her plot. As related in Tierney's autobiography (Self-Portrait, New York: Wyden, 1978; but well-publicized for years previously), in June 1943, while pregnant with her first child, Tierney came down with German measles which she contracted during an appearance at the Hollywood Canteen. The baby, Daria, was born prematurely, weighing only 3 pounds, 2 ounces, and requiring a total blood transfusion. The infant was also deaf, partially blind with cataracts, was severely retarded and ultimately had to be institutionalized. Some time after, Tierney learned from a fan who approached her for an autograph that the woman, who had been a member of the women's branch of the Marine Corps, had sneaked out of quarantine while sick with German measles to meet her at her Hollywood Canteen appearance. This incident, as well as the circumstances under which the actress was imparted the information, is repeated almost verbatim in the story. To hold that Christie developed it out of whole cloth stretches credulity even for a writer of her imagination. Gene Tierney as the title character in Laura Gene Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American actress and former fashion model. ... Rubella (also known as epidemic roseola, German measles or three-day measles) is a disease caused by the Rubella virus. ... The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood, California between October 3, 1942 and the end of World War II as a club offering food and entertainment for American servicemen, usually on their way overseas. ...

Trivia

At one point, Lola refers to having "Alexander" brought in to do her hair. Taylor's hair was done for the movie by Alexandre de Paris.

Lola also says, looking at her face in the mirror, "Bags, bags, go away, come back on Doris Day", causing Hudson, who famously worked with Day, to smirk. Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff, known as Doris Day (born April 3, 1924), is an American singer, actress, and animal welfare advocate. ...

Movie goofs

• Though The Mirror Crack'd is set in 1953, Marty drives a 1959 model car.

1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (novel)
• The Mirror Crack'd (TV movie)

The Mirror Crackd from Side to Side (published in 1962), also known just as The Mirror Crackd is a detective fiction novel by Agatha Christie set in the fictional English village of St. ... The Mirror Crackd is a 1992 BBC TV film with Joan Hickson as Miss Marple, Claire Bloom as Marina Gregg Barry Newman as Jason Rudd, Glynis Barbar as Lola Brewster, Gwen Watford as Dolly Bantry, Judy Cornwell as Heather Badcock and Margaret Courtenay as Miss Knight. ...

External link

• The Mirror Crack'd at the Internet Movie Database