Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

It may not be the best of the bunch but it's still a good TV movie. A nice touch is the fact that we see several faces that we saw in Murder At The Vicarage an earlier movie of this series. There is Dolly Bantrey ( now a widow), there is the vicar ( he was not the vicar in Murder at the vicarage but seems to have made a promotion) and some more characters. This one is surely better than the movie with Liz Taylor and Angela Lansbury. This was the last one of the series and it's a shame they did not continue it with movies of some of the Miss Marple short stories. Hickson was - up till now - the best Miss Marple. Let's hope they 'll find another person just as good and still use the short stories!

This adaptation respects its material, and is overall a solid adaptation of the book. The book, I will admit isn't Christie's best, but what made it so interesting was the victim Heather Badcock, and I felt that the adaptation could have developed her more. The adaptation is also overlong but maintains interest, thanks to the way it was filmed, the pace and the acting. The adaptation is beautifully filmed, and the music is fantastic. It also moves along at a much more reasonable pace than say They Do It With Mirrors (that was good but i had a real problem with the pace). And the acting is very good, as is the case with the Joan Hickson Marple adaptations. Hickson is indeed terrific as Miss Marple, and Claire Bloom, Barry Newman and Norman Rodway are a fine supporting cast. Gwen Watford is the standout in a hilarious performance. The adaptation which further benefits from good plotting is fairly faithful save a couple of questionable liberties, and the Ella Zeilinsky murder was quite a disturbing scene for me I will admit. All in all, solid adaptation and well worth the look. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The plot of "The Mirror Crack'd (From Side To Side)" is not one of Agatha Christie's best in sheer "whodunit" terms, but deep down inside it's one of her most dramatic - a series of tragedies that happen despite the fact that none of the characters involved are what you'd call 100% evil. However, just like the earlier theatrical film based on the same novel, this adaptation runs too long and there are some parts that could have easily been shortened (the garden party, for example). The film lacks excitement, even during the resolution, but it is saved by its cast, which is good all around: Elizabeth Garvie, in particular, has a wonderful, magical moment when she passionately whispers "I LOVE YOU" to a man who cannot hear her. Gwen Watford is also delightful as Miss Marple's closest friend. (**1/2)

I can hardly believe that three British people above have referred to the beautiful Claire Bloom as and American actress. One of them credited her being American with having enlivened the proceedings, and one blamed her being American for faults in the production.

Can it be that British people don't know that she is regarded in the United States as one of the most distinguished English actresses? She made her debut in Charlie Chaplin's LIMELIGHT. And could anyone seeing her as Lady Marchmain in BRIDESHEAD REVISITED imagine that she was anything but English? She also appeared on British television as Joy Davidman in SHADOWLANDS.

So, here we are with the redoubtable Miss Marple, a lovely Claire Bloom and a fine cast. Some of the neighborhood regulars are back, like Ms. Bantry, the maids, Inspectors Slack and Craddock. It is fun to be at Gossington Hall again, albeit under new owners. Of course, that's key to the storyline and adds to the interest. I liked Ms. Bantry before and again in this. The relationship between her and Ms. Marple is interesting. Somehow, their talks offer up a spark that leads to a rewarding line of inquiry. Inspector Slack is always an entertaining character, in attitude expressing looks, droll remarks and the die hard approach he always takes, many times in error.

One review here mentions a part of the book that greatly impressed me as well. It was a description of Heather Badcock. In the allusion to her village parallel, Alison Wilde, she says, "… She didn't know what people were like. She'd never thought about them. And so, you see, she couldn't guard against things happening to her. It comes really from being self-centered and I don't mean selfish by that. You can be kind and unselfish and even thoughtful. But … you never really know what you may be doing … most people have a sense of protection. They realize when it's unwise to say or do something because of the person or persons who are taking in what you say, and because of the kind of character that those people have. But as I say, AW never thought of anybody else but herself. She was the sort of person who tells you what they've done and what they've seen and what they've felt and what they've heard. They never mention what any other people said, or did. Life is a kind of one-way track, just their own progress through it. Other people seem to them just like – like wallpaper in a room. I think HB was that kind of person."

And of Ms. Badcock particularly, "… she wasn't a considerate woman. Kind, yes. Considerate – no. She would be fond of him (her husband) and look after him when he was ill and see to his meals and be a good housekeeper, but I don't think she would ever – well, that she would ever even know what he might be feeling or thinking. That makes a lonely life for a man."

However, Ms. Marple did speak most of this in this adaptation, which was revealing of the woman's vulnerability to danger.

Some say this is a weaker entry in the BBC Marple lineup, but I don't see it like that. The 1980 version with Taylor/Hudson et al. and Lansbury as Ms. Marple strayed more from the book - well, it's the Hollywood treatment. Some compare this BBC version to that since it came along later, but shouldn't. The BBC series is entirely truer. They did it right. The village and settings are always wonderful. I enjoy it thoroughly, one for the collection to see regularly. This gets a "well done" from me.