The Mirror Crack'd 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Mirror Crack'd 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 26, 2025

Guy Hamilton's "The Mirror Crack'd" (1980) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program about Angela Lansbury's character; archival programs with Angela Lansbury and producer Richard Goodwin; vintage behind-the-scenes stills; storyboard galley; and more. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"I'm the director, and if I want three dozen poker-playing kangaroos with PhDs, then you'd better damn well go out and find them."

In 2014, StudioCanal released The Poirot Collection which contained three films with the famous Agatha Christie character: Sidney Lumet's Murder on the Orient Express (1974), John Guillermin's Death on the Nile (1978), and Guy Hamilton's Evil Under the Sun (1982). In 2017, all three films were fully restored, and the studio re-released them with new transfers. A year before the three-disc box set was released in the United Kingdom, however, elsewhere in Europe a four-disc box set emerged that also contained Hamilton’s The Mirror Crack’d (1980). In 2017, this film was also fully restored by StudioCanal and released at the same time with the remaining three films from the first box set.

The time is the early 1950s, and the location is the picturesque provincial village of St. Mary Mead. Life has a steady rhythm here, and people feel like they belong to one big family. Occasionally, tourists pass through the area, but they very rarely find it exciting enough to spend time there and get to know the locals. So when a big American company announces that St. Mary Mead is the perfect location for its next project and then tech workers and stars descend upon the area, the locals are suddenly forced to change their daily routines -- but they could not be more excited. The charming director Jason Rudd (Rock Hudson), for instance, quickly energizes the older ladies and inspires them to want to look attractive again, while his wife, the famous actress Marina Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor), and her elegant outfits further solidify their conviction that age truly is nothing but a number. The local businessmen are also pleased to hear that the folks making the movie are not exactly of the frugal type, and as a result, many of them also suddenly rediscover their passion for classic films.

A few days before the film shoot is set to begin, however, a bizarre event dampens everyone’s enthusiasm. During a lavish reception where the visitors and the locals gather to get to know each other better, a big fan (Maureen Bennett) of Mrs. Rudd guzzles a fresh cocktail and immediately drops dead. The tragedy occurs shortly after producer Martin Fenn (Tony Curtis) meets director Rudd, and he introduces to the guests Lola Brewster (Kim Novack), another aging star, and then, much to Mrs. Rudd’s displeasure, announces that she is going to have a major role in his film. In the ensuing chaos, the village’s brightest mind, Miss Marple (Angela Lansbury), goes to work to find out if initial reports that Mrs. Rudd’s fan was accidentally poisoned are true.

It instantly becomes clear that the large group of stars that made this film with director Hamilton had a great time working together. There is playfulness and energy on display that are so attractive that the few rough spots of the original script basically become insignificant. Unsurprisingly, the whole film feels like a big masterclass session in which seasoned pros are happy to reveal some of their best skills.

Lansbury’s performance, however, deserves special praise because it infuses the film with that distinct sense of period finesse that Christie’s best work is known for.

The Mirror Crack'd 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's new 4K Blu-ray release of The Mirror Crack'd does not have a Blu-ray copy of the film. If you need one, you will have to consider this release.

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downsampled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray, including its actual color values.

We have a couple of reviews of different Blu-ray releases of The Mirror Crack'd, sourced from the same wonderful restored master. I think that this master was the strongest of the initial four that were created for the four Agatha Christie films in StudioCanal's Blu-ray catalog. (You can see our listing and review of the original Region-B release here. You can see our listing and review of the American Region-A Blu-ray release here). StudioCanal's new 4K Blu-ray release introduces a new 4K 16-bit restoration of The Mirror Crack'd, completed at Silver Salt Restoration in London.

The entire film glows now. It has an enormously attractive organic appearance and produces visuals whose stable, excellent quality is very impressive. To be perfectly clear, the native 4K presentation does not bring substantial improvements in terms of delineation, clarity, depth, or fluidity -- these areas were already pretty great on the previous Blu-ray release -- but various small enhancements that ensure consistent optimal quality. (On the previous 1080p presentation of the film, occasionally, it was rather easy to spot areas where encoding optimizations could have been introduced). Color reproduction, temperature, and balance are virtually identical to those of the previous 1080p presentation of the film. I would describe the HDR grade as attractive and mostly effective. However, in some areas, the majority of which feature indoor footage with darker nuances, I prefer to have HDR turned off. However, I do not see any troubling anomalies, so this is just a preference about how HDR handles these areas. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is great. Finally, the entire film looks immaculate as well. In summary, I would say that The Mirror Crack'd remains the best looking of the four films that were initially remastered for Blu-ray, only now it can be enjoyed on 4K Blu-ray.

The Mirror Crack'd 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 2.0, French LPCM 2.0, and German LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH, French, and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track that was included on the previous Blu-ray release of The Mirror Crack'd was excellent. I assume that the same track was transferred to this 4K Blu-ray release, only now it is presented as LPCM 2.0. If any new work was done on it to improve certain areas, I could not tell. The dialogue is exceptionally clear, sharp, and very easy to follow. The music is rich, nicely rounded, and wonderfully balanced, too. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report.

The Mirror Crack'd 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Reflections on Miss Marple - in this new program, Jan Kwok, Rian Johson, Matthew Sweet, and Mark Aldridge discuss Angela Lansbury's character in The Mirror Crack'd. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (19 min).

• Interviews - the bulk of the information in the three interviews that are listed below address director Guy Hamilton's working methods and the production history of The Mirror Crack'd, as well as the hilarious culture clash on display in the film. In English, with optional French and German subtitles.
  
  1. Screenwriter Barry Sandler (15 min).
  2. Angela Lansbury (6 min).
  3. Producer Richard Goodwin (10 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thomson.

• Stills Gallery One - a collection of behind-the-scenes original stills. (1 min).

• Stills Gallery Two - a collection of original storyboards. (3 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Mirror Crack'd. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (3 min).

• TV Spots - a few vintage TV spots for The Mirror Crack'd. In English, with optional French and German subtitles. (2 min).

The Mirror Crack'd 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Virtually everything that makes The Mirror Crack'd enjoyable is in some way hilarious, so it is probably why Agatha Christie loyalists have never been too enthusiastic about it. Additionally, even though Angela Lansbury brings some of the classic finesse that Christie's work is known and praised for, her character is not a match for Hercule Poirot. I think that The Mirror Crack'd can make a fantastic double bill with Blake Edwards' The Party, but I can also understand why some people may conclude that its playfulness is somewhat mismanaged. StudioCanal's 4K Blu-ray release introduces a wonderful new 4K restoration. It is also included in The Agatha Christie Collection, a lavish four-disc box set, which is out now. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.