History Literature / TheMirrorCrackdFromSideToSide

* SocietyMarchesOn: Marina's child being disabled would still be a great blow to parents today, but in the time the novel was written, such children were removed to institutions almost immediately and may have had almost nothing to do with their families. The loss is almost as if the baby had not survived at all. It also isn't lightly mentioned that the child even existed.

* AmbiguousSyntax: This trope provides a crucial clue regarding the testimony of [[spoiler: Gladys Dixon, who was standing by Marina and Heather Badcock when they met. Heather bumped into Marina's elbow, which led to the latter spilling her cocktail. Gladys offhandedly remarks to Cherry Baker: "She did it on purpose!" It's Miss Marple who understands that when Gladys said "she," she didn't mean Heather--she meant ''Marina'', who deliberately dropped the glass to have an excuse to poison Heather's.]]

* {{Blackmail}}: Attempted separately by [[spoiler:Italian butler Giuseppe and Jason's secretary Ella Zielinsky]]. [[spoiler:Guiseppe is shot after a trip to the bank, while Ella is poisoned with cyanide in her inhaler. Christie ''always'' kills off her blackmailers.]]

* HappilyAdopted: Deconstructed. Marina adopted three children, and the kids were happy while it lasted, but were hurt when it ended, because they had originally been taken away from their own families. It turned out she was more in love with the idea of being a mother than she was ''good'' at it and eventually lost interest. Her husband at the time, Izzy "was worried sometimes about us. He was kind to us, but he didn't pretend to be a father. He didn't feel like a father."

* WhamLine: Late in the novel, Miss Marple reveals that she sent Gladys Dixon, who was at the crime scene, away on a holiday under strict instruction to not tell anyone where she'd gone. When Inspector Dermot asks why, Miss Marple calmly replies: "Because I didn't want her to be killed, of course." That single line reveals that the murderer is still very much at large, and actively working to destroy anyone who might have evidence of their crimes.

** An eyewitness noticed a look of horror or shock on Marina Gregg's face when she glanced at the stairwell, and much time is spent trying to figure out ''who'' was coming up the stairs, and why would they have inspired such a look? [[spoiler: The source is not what Ms. Gregg saw, but what she ''heard.'' And what she was looking at was an Itallian portrait depicting happy motherhood...]]

* WhamLine: Late in the novel, Miss Marple reveals that she sent Gladys Dixon, who was at the crime scene, away on a holiday under strict instruction to not tell anyone where she'd gone. When Inspector Dermot asks why, Miss Marple calmly replies: "Because I didn't want her to be killed, of course." That single line reveals that the murderer is still very much at large, and actively working to destroy anyone who might have evidence of their crimes.

* BeneathSuspicion: [[spoiler:Marina successfully makes herself look like the intended victim, taking her off the suspect list completely.]]

* TheArtifact: Despite Arthur Badcock being AdaptedOut, Heather is still referred to as Mrs. Babcock, despite no husband being seen or mentioned.

* NewHouseNewProblems: The murder and everything involved in it happens nice and fast after Marina and Jason move in. Downplayed with Cherry and her husband, who recently moved into adevelopmnet house but have problems with their neighbors and walls that are too thin to keep noise in or out.

--> '''Cherry:'' You don't want kindness rubbed into your skin, so to speak, do you?

* HappilyAdopted: Deconstructed. When Marina adopted three children. The kids were happy while it lasted, but hurt when it ended, especially after originally being taken away from their own families. she was more in love with the idea of being a mother than she was ''good'' at it and eventually lost interest. Her husband at the time, Izzy "was worried sometimes about us. He was kind to us, but he didn't pretend to be a father. He didn't feel like a father."

* AdaptedOut: Marina's butler Giuseppe isn't in the Angela Lansbury adaptation.

* NeverOneMurder: After murdering Heather Badcock, the killer also offs [[spoiler:Ella Zelinsky when she tries to [[HeKnowsTooMuch blackmail]] the culprit]].

* AdaptationalNameChange: A slight one in the 1980 movie, where Heather Badcock surname is spelled "Babcock."

** [[spoiler:Heather Badcock was unwittingly responsible for giving Marina German measles and causing her only biological child to be born with birth defects. Marina suffered a breakdown as a result, and when Heather turned up telling with pride how she had snuck out of quarantine to meet her, Marina flew into a rage and poisoned her in the heat of the moment.]]

* RiddleForTheAges: Why did Marina's first husband, [[spoiler:Arthur Badcock]] change his name?

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Downplayed with Heather Badcock, who was never malicious in the slightest. Nevertheless, she selfishly sneaked out of her hospital wing, which was quarantined for rubella, in order to meet Marina Gregg, her favorite movie star, inadvertently infecting the pregnant Marina with German measles and ruining her life and the life of her unborn child. Played completely straight with Giuseppe and Ella Zielinsky, who tried to blackmail the murderer for money.]]

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Downplayed in that Heather Badcock was never malicious in the slightest. Nevertheless, she selfishly sneaked out of her hospital wing, which was quarantined for rubella, in order to meet Marina Gregg, her favorite movie star, inadvertently infecting the pregnant Marina with German measles and ruining her life and the life of her unborn child.]]

** An eyewitness noticed a look of horror or shock on Marina Gregg's face when she glanced at the stairwell, and much time is spent trying to figure out ''who'' was coming up the stairs, and why would they have inspired such a look? [[spoiler: The source is not what Ms. Gregg saw, but what she ''heard.'']]

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler: Heather Badcock selfishly sneaked out of her hospital wing, which was quarantined for rubella, in order to meet Marina Gregg, her favorite movie star, inadvertently infecting the pregnant Marina with German measles and ruining her life and the life of her unborn child.]]

* ChekhovsParty: Shortly before Heather was killed by a poisoned drink meant for Marina Gregg, she told Marina and Miss Marple about a previous time where she had snuck out while ill in order to meet Marina during another of her appearances. She infected Marina with German measles, which stunted the development her fetus and forced her to give the child up despite wanting him for years. This is why Marina killed Heather.

* HappilyAdopted: Deconstructed. When Marina adopted three children. The kids were happy while it lasted, but hurt when it ended, especially after originally being taken away from their own families. she was more in love with the idea of being a mother than she was ''good'' at it and eventually lost interest. Her husband at the time, Izzy "was worried sometimes about us. He was kid to uus, but he didn't pretend to be a father. He didn't feel like a father."

* BluffingTheMurder: Blackmialer [[spoiler:Ella]] just called several people who could have been the killer and dropped hints to test their reactions.

%%* NewHouseNewProblems

** Marina Gregg's past life is explored in some detail, including several marriages and adopted children that she foisted off to others when she was expecting a biological child. [[spoiler: One of the full-grown children was at the party, and Marina didn't even recognize her. The woman is understandably bitter, but she's not the killer.]]

* {{Blackmail}}: Done by [[spoiler:Giuseppe]]. [[spoiler:He is shot after a trip to the bank. Christie ''always'' kills off her blackmailers.]]
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Jason uses this explanation when asked about the "previous relationship" between Marina and Heather. He explains that Heather was a fan of his wife's, and as a result, it was a big deal for her to get Marina's autograph. However, Marina has done hundreds of receptions with fans and signed thousands of autographs, so she simply has no memory of the event Heather described of one more autograph seeker among thousands. [[spoiler: Subverted, in that Jason is well aware that while Marina didn't remember Heather specifically, the earlier meeting was even more significant to her than it was to Heather.]]
* CompleteTheQuoteTitle: No mirror plays a significant role in the mystery; the allusion is to the line of the poem that follows the quoted line:
-->The mirror crack'd from side to side;\\

The Lady of Shalott.
* DrivenToSuicide: The killer is found dead of an overdose after TheReveal. [[spoiler:It is implied that this was actually orchestrated by her husband, to prevent further murders and to save her from suffering further.]]

* LetOffByTheDetective: It is subtly implied that [[spoiler:Marina was poisoned by her husband to save her from public disgrace and prevent more murders]]. Miss Marple suspects this is the case, but keeps quiet.
* LiteraryAllusionTitle: The title is from the poem ''The Lady of Shalott'' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It's also quoted within the novel.
* LittleOldLadyInvestigates: Miss Marple, as per usual. Her doctor even recommends that she find a murder to solve because she's getting a little blue and depressed-- and investigating does indeed perk her right up.
* MedicationTampering: When Ella Zielinsky uses some medication in an inhaler and makes the mistake of [[TooDumbToLive trying to blackmail the murderer]]. The next time she uses her inhaler, she gets a lungful of BitterAlmonds.
* MercyKill: Implied to have been done to [[spoiler:Marina by her devoted husband Jason at the end.]]

* NeverOneMurder: After murdering Heather Badcock, the killer also offs [[spoiler:Ella and Giuseppe when he tries to [[HeKnowsTooMuch blackmail]] the culprit]].

* ObliviouslyEvil: [[spoiler: Heather Badcock sees nothing wrong with breaking quarantine on a whim to see her favorite movie star. In fact, she ''revels'' in it and brags about the story to everyone she meets, which eventually proves to be her undoing.]]

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The plot is remarkably similar to the real-life tragedy of Creator/GeneTierney, [[spoiler:who contracted rubella while pregnant, resulting in Daria being born premature, deaf, blind, and severely mentally disabled. These problems contributed to (or, perhaps, outright ''caused'') Tierney's own depression and bipolar disorder. About a year later a woman approached Tierney at a party and said that she had sneaked out of her marine base, under a rubella quarantine at the time, to meet her when she appeared at the Hollywood Canteen, a wartime club that catered to service members where Hollywood stars would appear. Tierney simply stared at the woman, then turned and walked away. She later wrote, "After that I didn't care whether I was anyone's favorite actress ever again."]] It should be noted, however, that Christie was asked about the similarity, and claimed she'd never heard about Tierney's story until after ''The Mirror Cracked'' was published. [[note]] Given how good Hollywood studios were at controlling scandals back then, especially one that would be seen as a tragedy rather than a star's misbehavior, it's certainly possible.[[/note]]
* SanitySlippage: After witnessing a death at close quarters, Marina Gregg is understandably shaken, and the ParanoiaFuel mounts as threatening notes appear on her property and poisons appear in her coffee. [[spoiler: The whole thing is an act to defer suspicion from herself, but between her true guilt over the murders and the flashback to a nervous breakdown, her sanity really ''is'' crumbling, until she either took an overdose or her husband administered one to simply end it all.]]

* StarterMarriage: Marina Gregg's first husband [[spoiler: Arthur Babcock]]. He was a realtor who just wasn't prepared to keep up with the lifestyle of a Hollywood star.

** [[spoiler:Heather was unwittingly responsible for giving Marina German measles and causing her only biological child to be born with birth defects. Marina suffered a breakdown as a result, and when Heather turned up telling with pride how she had snuck out of quarantine to meet her, Marina flew into a rage and poisoned her in the heat of the moment.]]

** The incident at the root of the whole matter also counts. [[spoiler:Had Heather listened to her doctor, it's likely Marina would never have contracted German measles and would have delivered a healthy baby. But she just ''had'' to get that autograph...]]
* TyphoidMary: [[spoiler: Heather was perfectly well after being treated for German measles, but she was still highly infectious to the point that she was under ordered bed rest until she was safe to be around other people. She ignored this and infected Marina when she was pregnant.]]

* WomanChild: Marina Gregg is beautiful, a great actress, and when she turns on the charm she's absolutely captivating, but her husband is almost a full-time manager because her moods dip so completely from euphoria to despair, and she's very bad at imagining the future.

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: Both the victim and the murderer are sympathetic, but both of them have fatal flaws that collectively bring about the tragedy. [[spoiler:Heather failed to recognize how her actions would destroy Marina's happiness, and Marina poisoned her in a fit of rage without thinking.]]

* TyphoidMary: [[spoiler: Heather was perfectly well after being treated for German measles but she was still highly infectious to the point that she was under ordered bed rest until she was safe to be around other people. She ignored this and infected Marina when she was pregnant.]]

**
-->'''Lola''': You seem lovely, as always. Of course, there are fewer lights on than usual. In fact, any fewer, and I'd need a seeing-eye dog.
-->'''Marina''': Oh, I shouldn't bother to buy one, dear. In that wig, you could play Lassie.
-->'''Lola''': Same adorable sense of humor. And I'm so glad to see that you've not only kept your ''gorgeous'' figure, but you've added ''so much'' to it!
-->'''Marina''': What are you doing here so early, dear? I thought the plastic surgery seminar was in Switzerland.
-->'''Lola''': Actually, darling, I couldn't wait to begin our little movie. You know the saying: once an actress, always an actress.
-->'''Marina''': Oh, I do know the saying. But what does it have to do with you?
-->'''Lola''': Cute angel. So do tell. How does it feel to be back, after being away ''so long''?
** Later:
-->'''Marina''': I've always thought of Lola as one of my oldest, ''oldest'' friends.

''The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side'' is a 1962 novel by Creator/AgathaChristie, featuring Literature/MissMarple. The American version (and it's adaptations) use the shorter title ''The Mirror Crack'd''.

[[CompleteTheQuoteTitle The title of the novel comes from the poem "The Lady of Shalott"]] by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The character of Marina Gregg is generally assumed to be based on the American actress [[spoiler: Creator/GeneTierney]]--and the central plot points based on events in the life of that actress. Christie herself denied this and insisted the similarity was a coincidence.

%%* ObfuscatingInsanity: [[spoiler:Wavers between this and actual insanity.]]

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The plot is remarkably similar to the real-life tragedy of [[spoiler:Creator/GeneTierney, who contracted rubella while pregnant, resulting in Daria being born premature, deaf, blind, and severely mentally disabled. These problems contributed to (or, perhaps, outright ''caused'') Tierney's own depression and bipolar disorder. About a year later a woman approached Tierney at a party and said that she had sneaked out of her marine base, under a rubella quarantine at the time, to meet her when she appeared at the Hollywood Canteen, a wartime club that catered to service members where Hollywood stars would appear. Tierney simply stared at the woman, then turned and walked away. She later wrote, "After that I didn't care whether I was anyone's favorite actress ever again."]] It should be noted, however, that Christie was asked about the similarity, and claimed she'd never heard about [[spoiler: Tierney's]] story until after ''The Mirror Cracked'' was published. [[note]] Given how good Hollywood studios were at controlling scandals back then, especially one that would be seen as a tragedy rather than a star's misbehavior, it's certainly possible.[[/note]]