Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Mirror Crack'd Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 22, 2018

Guy Hamilton's "The Mirror Crack'd" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new video interviews with star Angela Lansbury and producer Richard Goodwin; vintage behind-the-scenes stills; storyboard galley; and more. Also included with this release are six reproductions of original storyboards, presented as deluxe art cards. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "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, Guy Hamilton's The Mirror Crack'd arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The release is sourced from a flawless new master that makes me wish it was possible to see the new restoration theatrically. Trust me, I am not exaggerating when I say that now this film sparkles. Delineation, clarity and depth are very strong, while fluidity is near flawless. (I will mention below why it isn't perfect). Close-ups in particular look terrific, but there are also various panoramic shots from the picturesque village that are equally impressive. I liked the color balance a lot -- the primaries are wonderfully saturated and the healthy nuances are of the highest quality possible. In fact, I liked it so much that I have to speculate that if if a 4K release of this film was made available without HDR it would likely be a reference material. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. My one and only minor complaint pertains to the encoding which could have been optimized even better. There are no obvious anomalies, but on a very large screen trained eyes will likely spot a few places where optimizations could have made fluidity even better. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B 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 he main feature.

The audio has been fully remixed and it is very easy to tell. John Cameron's lovely soundtrack benefits a lot from the lossless treatment and quickly becomes an essential element of the intended atmosphere. On the other hand, you should not expect a great deal of dynamic activity, but those of you who appreciate nice nuances will likely be impressed. There are no pops, cracks, background hiss, or other age-related imperfections.

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

• Interviews - the bulk of the information in the three interviews that are listed below address director Guy Hammilton's working methods and the production history of The Mirror Crack'd, as well as the hillarious cultural lash on display in the film. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Screenwriter Barry Sandler (15 min).
  2. Angela Lansbury (6 min).
  3. Producer Richard Goodwin (10 min).

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

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

• Storyboard Cards - six reproductions of original storyboards. Presented as deluxe art cards.

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

I had forgotten how outrageously funny Guy Hamilton's The Mirror Crack'd is. The murder mystery of course is its central piece, but while viewing it I laughed as hard as I did when I recently revisited Blake Edwards' The Party. Some of the big 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. StudioCanal's recent release is sourced from a terrific new restored master and there are also some exclusive new video interviews on it that are included as bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.