The Mirror Crack'd is a 1980 film directed by Guy Hamilton, adapted from Agatha Christie's novel The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side.
The Mirror Crack'd has examples of:
- Accidental Truth: The outcome of Ella Zelinsky's method of blackmail, as detailed below.
- Adaptational Name Change: A slight one; Heather Badcock's surname is spelled "Babcock."
- Adapted Out: Marina's butler Giuseppe isn't in this version, nor is Arthur Badcock (Heather's husband) or Margot Bence (Marina's former adoptive child), though a nameless female photographer character remains.
- The Artifact: Despite Arthur Badcock being Adapted Out, Heather is still referred to as Mrs. Babcock, despite no husband being seen or mentioned.
- Blackmail: Attempted by Ella Zelinsky. She calls up people left right and center to tell them she saw them poison Heather's drink. She eventually reaches the correct person, and gets killed for her pains.
- Hollywood Old: Having Angela Lansbury, famous for starring in Murder, She Wrote, play Miss Marple in the film might seem like a very logical move. However, back then, the series waa still four years in the future, and Lansbury by her own admission was 20 years too young for the role.
- Never One Murder: After murdering Heather Babcock, the killer also offs Ella Zelinsky when she tries to blackmail the culprit.
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Played for laughs, as Marina (Elizabeth Taylor) and Lola (Kim Novak) exchange hilarious strings of snide insults.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.
- Suicide, Not Murder: While Jason is implied to have performed a Mercy Kill on Marina in the original novel, in this adaptation, he outright admits to having done this, only for Miss Marple to reveal that Marina didn't even touch the poisoned drink he gave her, and deliberately poisoned herself instead.
- Too Dumb to Live: Ella calling various partygoers left and right and outright telling them (instead of merely dropping hints like in the novel) that she saw them poison Marina's drink. Even if Marina wasn't the killer, the others called (like Marty Fenn) would have had as much of an opportunity to kill Ella themselves.
