The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side is an entertaining and suspenseful murder crime movie . Beautiful and veteran film star Marina Gregg (Lindsay Crouse , and in the classic cinematic version played by Elizabeth Taylor) and her young husband move to St. Mary Mead, but their arrival becomes clouded in tragedy . Being last lead starring role in a cinema movie for this actress and directed by his husband , she is attempting to make a comeback to play Nefertiti , after being off-screen for many years due to an emotional breakdown and substance abuse. She is supported by her fifth husband and director of the movie, Jason Rudd ( Nigel Harman , priorly performed by Rock Hudson) . They rent a manor house in St. Mary Mead to Dolly (Joanna Lummley) , Miss Marple's best friend ; and host a reception for the villagers . Then, there appears
her former husband and his new wife and things go wrong . At the reception for the fading film star making a screen comeback , a gushing, pushy fan is poisoned by a drink apparently meant for the actress . There she met Gregg briefly before her breakdown and being poisoned by a drink apparently meant for the film star . Because of Gregg's celebrity status, Police Superintendent assigns one of his most skilled and discreet investigators, Inspector Hewitt (Hugh Bonneville , prepiously performed by Edward Fox) who is helped by
Miss Marple (Julia McKenzie) . Together they set about investigating the murder , death threats and jealousy associated with the case .
The plot is plain and simple : A troubled Hollywood star celebrates a party when a fan is fatally poisoned during the garden fête, as Miss Marple to investigate it ; Who is the killer ? . This movie was made and released about fifty years after Agatha Christie's source novel of the same name was first published in 1962. The film is a detective story in which you are the detective . In the picture there is mystery , emotion , suspense , actors's interpretations are acceptable and including wonderful outdoors . The support cast is pretty good such as Joanna Lumley , Hugh Bonneville , Michele Dotrice , Charlotte Riley , Will Young and special mention for Linsay Duncan as the veteran and bittered actress . The movie gets a lush costume design by Sheena Napier and adequate production design by Jeff Tessler . Colorful and sunny cinematography by Cinders Forshaw . This Miss Marple episode was efficiently directed by Tom Shankland .
Miss Marple was firsly played by Margaret Rutherford who had made the role famous during the 1960s. Following Angela Lansbury with the film Crack Mirror (1980) by Guy Hamilton became the second actress to play Miss Marple on the big screen, after Lansbury was the fourth if one counts TV where Gracie Fields and Inge Langen also played Marple. Subsequently in TV was starred by Joan Hickson who played a successful series . And finally Agatha Christie's Marple series starred by Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple . This Tv movie had a former and known rendition directed by Guy Hamilton in 1980 with all-star-cast as Elizabeth Taylor , Kim Novak , Rock Hudson , Edward Fox , among others .
Rating : Decent and acceptable , well worth watching . The flick will appeal to suspense lovers and Agatha Christie novels buffs .
