A Maldição do Espelho

I cannot explain why but, when Agatha Christie is brought to life by The BBC or ITV it has a magic and quality that cannot be matched, when it's made on the big screen it always seems flashy, and Murder with Mirrors is another example, the story is lost in favour of celebrities and showy staging. The screen play is dull, it's not one of Christie's finest plots, but it's still decent, this adaptation does not make the most of the subtleties of the plot. Once again, filling the production with stars is an attempt to make something good, but it fails miserably. Bette Davies dazzled in Death on the Nile, but I find it quite sad watching her in this, her delivery is a little laboured. I didn't care for Helen's characterisation of Jane Marple, she simply isn't the character in the text. I also find the accents really irritating, too many attempts at sounding 'English,' not everyone in the UK sounds like Queen Elizabeth. On the plus side, Frances de la Tour and Leo McKern are both very good, and it starts off well, but ten minutes in it becomes a struggle to watch.

She's never been near St Mary Mead in her life, watch Hickson's version for the definitive production, even Julia McKenzie's is superior.

Poor 4/10

This is a made-for-TV movie starring Helen Hayes as Miss Marple and features several prominent stars - Bette Davis, John Mills, Dorothy Tutin and Leo McKern.

Miss Marple is asked to visit an old friend, Carrie-Louise Serrocold (Davis) by her stepson who is concerned that his stepmother is being slowly poisoned. Once Miss Marple arrives at the English country estate, she soon discovers that all is not as it seems.

The location scenery is lovely, however the story is set in the 1980's, losing the authentic period atmosphere so closely associated with Agatha Christie.

Helen Hayes gives a decent performance, although Bette Davis is under-used and looks visibly frail. John Mills is good, as always, and Dorothy Tutin gives a sympathetic turn as Davis's down-trodden daughter. Leo McKern portrays the police inspector with relish, including several entertaining exchanges with Miss Marple.

The plot keeps you guessing, complemented by the usual red herrings supplied by Agatha Christie. Overall, an enjoyable film.

In Agatha Christie's "Murder With Mirrors", the First Lady of the American Screen (Bette Davis) goes head-to-head with the First Lady of the American Stage (Helen Hayes). Unfortunately, 77- year-old Davis had clearly not aged as well as 85-year-old Hayes. Davis suffered a stroke a couple of years earlier and it shows. For those interested in seeing Bette Davis at her best, this is definitely not the movie to see.

Nevertheless, this still rates a "7" out of "10" for the opportunity to see the spry Helen Hayes as Agatha Christie's redoubtable Miss Marple. In addition, Miss Hayes is assisted by a great cast of veteran British actors, including John Mills, Leo McKern, Dorothy Tutin, John Woodvine and Anton Rogers. In addition, look for a young Tim Roth, doing his best to steal a few scenes from his elders.

In the last role of her career, Helen Hayes gives a fine performance as Jane Marple, in this Agatha Christie whodunit, set mostly at an English estate. Although not one of my favorite Christie puzzles, the story is still pretty good, and worth watching, once. Character relationships are a bit complex, but the suspect pool is still manageable at seven or eight people.

With breaks where the commercials would be, and cheap, nondescript background music, the film has a very made-for-TV look and feel. Some of the dialogue in the first ten minutes can be easily misinterpreted, so you must listen carefully or you will be led astray. As usual, clues are pleasantly subtle. Once you figure out the main clue, identifying the killer is easy.

In addition to Helen Hayes, actor Leo McKern, as the gruff inspector, also gives a nice performance; he seems like he's enjoying his role. Other performances tend to be perfunctory or stagy. Bette Davis, looking embalmed, has little to do; mostly she just sits or stands, as she mouths her few lines, and makes facial expressions suitable to the scene. I suspect she was brought in only for her star power, to draw in viewers.

"Murder With Mirrors" will appeal mostly to viewers who like whodunits, especially Agatha Christie whodunits. Although the story is a somewhat generic murder mystery, it does have entertainment value.

If "A Caribbean Mystery" (1983) was the traditional "murder at an exotic resort during the holidays" story, "Murder with Mirrors" (1985) is the traditional "murder in a huge English countryside manor" story. It was the second and last appearance of Helen Hayes as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, and it's a shame she didn't make any more: she is a very wily yet very human Marple, and acts quite youthfully for her 80+ years. The films themselves are better than the TV movies with Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poirot that were made around the same time, mainly because they don't overplay the comedy. Although the big names in the supporting cast are an old Bette Davis and a young Tim Roth, if anyone stands out it's the beautiful redhead Liane Langland and Leo McKern as the inspector on the case. The story contains the typical AC false assumptions and crafty illusions, and I, for one, did not have a clue what was going on until Miss Marple and the inspector revealed it. A good solid outing for fans of the genre. (***)