At a party celebrating a movie's starting production, a local woman is poisoned. Who would kill an innocent woman? But then details emerge that she wasn't the intended target.
The Mirror Crack'd, an adaptation of an Agatha Christie work, is noted for the five major actors in its cast: Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Kim Novak and Tony Curtis. Of the quintet, my favorite performance comes from Novak mainly for her one-liners ("I could eat a can of Kodak and puke a better movie!") and her catty remarks to Taylor ("Chin up, dear...both of them.").
Even though the cast is excellent, the movie however isn't. The story falters halfway through, which ironically enough is when I figured out who the killer was. I read somewhere that The Mirror Crack'd would have made a better TV movie. And I gotta admit, I have to agree.
My Rating: ***1/2
This movie is actually pretty terribly made, but it has such an odd charm to it. I remember it as my first exposure to Rock Hudson, who I think is great in the film and the perfect Jason Rudd. Lansbury is a horrible Miss Marple, though the writers didn't help.
ReplyDeleteSo, yes, Novak -- and Taylor, too, who gets great moments -- saves the day. My personal favorite Novak: "I haven't seen you in sooooo loooooong."
Runner-up for best line: "You know, Lola, there are only two things I don't like about you: your face."