The Mirror Crack'd (1980) - Star of the month... Angela Lansbury

"Out flew the web and floated wide - the mirror crack'd from side to side; 'The curse is come upon me', cried the Lady of Shalott." - Angela Lansbury (as Miss Marple in 'The Mirror Crack'd')

'The Mirror Crack'd' is a 1980 Agatha Christie murder mystery directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple, with Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Kim Novak, Geraldine Chaplin, Edward Fox and Charles Gray.

The film is based on the Agatha Christie novel "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side". 

Kim Novak, Rock Hudson & Elizabeth Taylor in the film

Set in 1953, American star Marina Rudd (played by Taylor) and her director husband Jason Rudd (played by Hudson) have visitied the town of St. Mary Meades to make a movie on 'Mary, Queen of Scots & Elizabeth I'. Co-starring with Marina is her rival Lola Brewster (played by Novak), who was cast due to her husband Marty Fenn (played by Curtis) producing the film.

Shortly after arriving, Marina meets a devoted fan, Heather Babcock (played by Maureen Bennett) who is poisoned shortly after meeting her. As Heather drank a cocktail which was made for Marina, it is presumed Marina was the intended murder victim and she becomes paranoid.

It is now up to Miss Marple (played by Lansbury) and her detective nephew Inspector Craddock to solve the mystery before Marina or anyone else is killed.

Watch some clips from the film

Did you know...

• The title of the film is taken from the poem "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Natalie Wood turned down the role of Marina Rudd due to disagreeing with cast billing and the way the character was being portrayed
• The last film appearances of Anthony Steel, Dinah Sheridan and Charles Lloyd Pack
• Angela Lansbury was only 54 when she portrayed the elderly Miss Marple 
• Stars Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis were all born in the same year, 1925
• Keep your eye out for an early film appearance by Pierce Brosnan as James
• The movie was filmed at Twickenham Film Studios in Twickenham, London, and on location in Kent
• The poster for the pretend film within a film "Murder at Midnight", features the real actor's names appearing in the sequence
• After this film, Angela Lansbury was meant to star in a second Miss Marple film "Appointment with Murder", but it did not eventuate
• The third Agatha Christie movie in the Brabourne-Goodwin series, following 'Murder onthe Orient Express' (1974) and 'Death on the Nile' (1978)
• Production for this film was delayed as a year as Angela Lansbury was starring in the Broadway production of 'Sweeney Todd'

Award nomination....

• Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Film Saturn award nomination for Best Actress (Angela Lansbury)

Closing remarks

'The Mirror Crack'd' is an entertaining Agatha Christie mystery. Angela Lansbury was very game to take on the role as Miss Marple, especially after the brillant portryal of Miss Marple by the great Margaret Rutherford in four films. Although Lansbury's performance is not bad, I can't help comparing it to Rutherford's fantastic portrayal. That said, we finally see Elizabeth Taylor give one of her better performances of her late career.

Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak are both fantastic in their roles as the bickering rival film stars. This film would have been a perfect film for Bette Davis and Joan Crawford had it been made 15 years earlier.

The Mirror Crack'd (1980) - Star of the month... Elizabeth Taylor

"Out flew the web and floated wide - the mirror crack'd from side to side; 'The curse is come upon me', cried the Lady of Shalott." - Angela Lansbury (as Miss Marple in 'The Mirror Crack'd')


'The Mirror Crack'd' is a 1980 Agatha Christie murder mystery directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple, with Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Tony Curtis, Kim Novak, Geraldine Chaplin, Edward Fox and Charles Gray.

The film is based on the Agatha Christie novel "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side". 

Kim Novak, Rock Hudson & Elizabeth Taylor in the film

Set in 1953, American star Marina Rudd (played by Taylor) and her director husband Jason Rudd (played by Hudson) have visitied the town of St. Mary Meades to make a movie on 'Mary, Queen of Scots & Elizabeth I'. Co-starring with Marina is her rival Lola Brewster (played by Novak), who was cast due to her husband Marty Fenn (played by Curtis) producing the film.

Shortly after arriving, Marina meets a devoted fan, Heather Babcock (played by Maureen Bennett) who is poisoned shortly after meeting her. As Heather drank a cocktail which was made for Marina, it is presumed Marina was the intended murder victim and she becomes paranoid.

It is now up to Miss Marple (played by Lansbury) and her detective nephew Inspector Craddock to solve the mystery before Marina or anyone else is killed.



Watch some clips from the film

Did you know...

• The title of the film is taken from the poem "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Natalie Wood turned down the role of Marina Rudd due to disagreeing with cast billing and the way the character was being portrayed
• The last film appearances of Anthony Steel, Dinah Sheridan and Charles Lloyd Pack
• Angela Lansbury was only 54 when she portrayed the elderly Miss Marple 
• Stars Angela Lansbury, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis were all born in the same year, 1925
• Keep your eye out for an early film appearance by Pierce Brosnan as James
• The movie was filmed at Twickenham Film Studios in Twickenham, London, and on location in Kent
• The poster for the pretend film within a film "Murder at Midnight", features the real actor's names appearing in the sequence
• After this film, Angela Lansbury was meant to star in a second Miss Marple film "Appointment with Murder", but it did not eventuate
• The third Agatha Christie movie in the Brabourne-Goodwin series, following 'Murder onthe Orient Express' (1974) and 'Death on the Nile' (1978)
• Production for this film was delayed as a year as Angela Lansbury was starring in the Broadway production of 'Sweeney Todd'

Award nomination....

• Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Film Saturn award nomination for Best Actress (Angela Lansbury)

Closing remarks

'The Mirror Crack'd' is an entertaining Agatha Christie mystery. Angela Lansbury was very game to take on the role as Miss Marple, especially after the brillant portryal of Miss Marple by the great Margaret Rutherford in four films. Although Lansbury's performance is not bad, I can't help comparing it to Rutherford's fantastic portrayal. That said, we finally see Elizabeth Taylor give one of her better performances of her late career.

Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak are both fantastic in their roles as the bickering rival film stars. This film would have been a perfect film for Bette Davis and Joan Crawford had it been made 15 years earlier.

Some Like it Hot (1959)

Star of the Month... Marilyn Monroe

"I wanna be loved by you alone... boop-boop-bee-doop!"

Marilyn Monroe is held by co-stars
Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon

'Some Like It Hot' is the 1959 romantic screwball comedy starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and directed by Billy Wilder.  The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, George Raft, Pat O'Brien,  Joan Shawlee and Nehemiah Persoff.

The film was named the funniest movie of all time by the American Film Institute, and also the 14th best film ever made. 

In 1989, the film was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

'Some Like It Hot' is set in 1929 and begins as musicians Joe and Jerry (played by Curtis & Lemmon) witness a murder and they flee for their lives. To avoid being found by the murdering gangsters,  Joe and Jerry disguise themselves as women, and call themselves Josephine and Daphne. Josephine and Daphne join an all-girl band, with vocalist Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (played by Monroe). To complicate things, a millionaire Osgood Fielding III (played by Brown) falls in love with Daphne, and proposes. Meanwhile Joe (as Josephine) falls for Sugar.

Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Caine

Musical program

The film is semi-musical with Marilyn singing three songs from the 1920s hit parade: "I Wanna Be Loved By You", "Runnin' Wild" and "I''m Through with Love".

Song - "I Wanna Be Loved You"

Song - "Runnin' Wild"

Song - "I'm Through With Love"

Did you know...

• The film was originally meant to be filmed in colour, but was changed to black and white due to a green tint in the make up worn by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon
• Some of the working titles for the film include 'Fanfares of Love' and 'Not Tonight, Josephine'

Awards and nominations

• Academy Award winner for Best Costume Design - Black & White
• Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture - Comedy
• Golden Globe winner for Best Actress in Musical or Comedy (Marilyn Monroe)
• Golden Globe winner for Best Actor in Musical or Comedy (Jack Lemmon)
• Academy Award nomination for Best Director
• Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (Jack Lemmon)
• Academy Award nomination for Best Art Direction - Black & White
• Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography - Black & White 
• Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay based on material from another medium

Closing remarks

I strongly recommend 'Some Like It Hot' to virtually everyone. It is especially a good film to show if you are trying to introduce someone to classic film.

It is by far one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, though I'm not convinced it is "the funniest". Other films from memory which I personally funnier are 'Clue' (1985) and 'What's Up Doc?' (1972). Ironically both these two films star Madeline Kahn, who also happens to be one of my favourite comedians.