Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d, the 1980 adaptation directed by Guy Hamilton, is an absolute classic of the genre. It’s a film defined by its “absolutely stellar” cast, featuring Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Rock Hudson, and Tony Curtis.
StudioCanal has now released a new 4K UHD remaster of the film, as part of a wider Agatha Christie collection. For those of us who first watched this mystery on televisions the size of dinner plates, this restoration is a revelation.
A Picture Worth a Thousand Clues
When I re-watched this, I misremembered it as being a black-and-white film. It’s not, but it does start that way, with a fantastic parody of the genre. A detective gathers the suspects in a creepy mansion on a dark night, beginning his monologue just as the film-within-a-film dramatically breaks. It’s revealed that Miss Marple (Lansbury) and her friends were simply watching a movie.
This opening scene alone looks fantastic in 4K, but the real benefit of the restoration—which reportedly took over 200 man-hours—is the detail. On a modern, large screen, the decorations of the English stately homes are crystal clear. Miss Marple’s own cottage is crammed full of so many twee ornaments that it’s a fantastically “grannified” building.
The high-definition picture reveals details you’d never have spotted in the 80s. In one scene, you can clearly tell when they switch from Elizabeth Taylor to a body double. It’s a delightful moment (for geeks) that doesn’t ruin the movie at all; instead, it’s a fascinating artefact you can finally see.
Hollywood Royalty in a Sleepy Village
The film is set in the 1950s, and a little disclaimer at the start notes that the attitudes expressed are “representative of the time.” Thankfully, there is very little to worry about. The plot kicks off when a Hollywood crew descends on a sleepy English village, where Miss Marple just so happens to reside, to film a movie about Mary Queen of Scots.
This brings together two leading ladies, played by Taylor and Kim Novak, who share a fierce antagonism. Tensions are high. The studio throws a polite village party to welcome the film crew, but it ends in a death– and perhaps not the death you’re expecting.
In a great twist on the formula, Miss Marple herself gets injured, leaving her almost bound to her cottage. She can’t march around and quiz people as usual, forcing her to solve the crime from afar as the bodies begin to pile up.
Overall
The Mirror Crack’d is “fantastically paced” after a slightly slow start to layer in the clues and red herrings. It’s a classic whodunnit that held my attention all the way through.
The 4K restoration truly brings this star-studded mystery to life. It makes the film absolutely smashing on our large screens and is a fantastic movie to watch (or re-watch) today. Highly recommended.
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The Mirror Crack’d
Summary
This 4K restoration of the 1980 Agatha Christie classic is “absolutely smashing.” The crystal-clear picture reveals new details (even body doubles!) in the stately homes. A fantastically paced mystery with a stellar cast. Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: My copy of The Mirror Crack’d was provided free for review.
The Agatha Christie Collection will be released on Blu-Ray and 4K by StudioCanal on November 24th.
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