Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Mirror Crack'd Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 5, 2020

Guy Hamilton's "The Mirror Crack'd" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials and exclusive new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thomson. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"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 rereleased 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 master classsession 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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.89:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Mirror Crack'd arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from the same 2K master that StudioCanal used to produce this Region-B release in 2017. It is a very solid master and in my opinion the best one of the four the studio created for the films in the Agatha Christie Collection (the other three films are Death on the Nile, Evil Under the Sun, Murder on the Orient Express). Delineation, clarity, and depth are simply outstanding, while the fluidity of the visuals can easily trick one to believe that the film might have been redone entirely in 4K. This master also has the most impressive color grading job -- the saturation and balance of the primaries and their supporting nuances are simply terrific. As the screencaptures that are included with our review reveal, the entire film is spotless as well. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. The encoding is also really good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

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

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. The audio, which was fully restored, is very clear, sharp, and clean. Balance is very good as well. John Cameron's score has quite a presence throughout the film as well, at times introducing some very impressive dynamic contrasts.

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

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Mirror Crack'd. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• TV Spots - a few vintage TV spots for The Mirror Crack'd. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell, and Nathaniel Thomson.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Death on the Nile
  2. The Mirror Crack'd
  3. Witness for the Prosecution
  4. Endless Night
  5. Ordeal by Innocence
  6. Ten Little Indians

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

I don't understand why Guy Hamilton's The Mirror Crack'd isn't universally liked because it is one seriously funny and at times very, very witty film. Some of its stars clearly had a great time working together and are on fire, and I actually think that one of Angela Lansbury's very best performances is in it. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an excellent 2K master that StudioCanal prepared a few years ago. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.