The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

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The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side
The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side First Edition Cover 1962.jpg
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition
AuthorAgatha Christie
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreCrime novel
PublisherCollins Crime Club
Publication date
12 November 1962
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages256 (first edition, hardback)
Preceded byThe Pale Horse 
Followed byThe Clocks 

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side, a novel by Agatha Christie, was published in the U.K. in 1962[1][2] and a year later in the US under the title The Mirror Crack'd.[3] The story features amateur detective Miss Marple solving a mystery in St. Mary Mead.

Plot summary[]

Jane Marple falls while walking in St. Mary Mead. She is helped by Heather Badcock, who brings her into her home and tells how she met American actress Marina Gregg, who recently moved to England and bought Gossington Hall from Marple's friend Dolly Bantry.

Gregg and her latest husband, film producer Jason Rudd, host a fête in honour of St John Ambulance. Guests include Bantry, actress Lola Brewster, Gregg's friend Ardwyck Fenn, Badcock, and Badcock's husband Arthur. All five all meet Gregg in a private room and have their picture taken. Bantry notices a strange look cross Gregg's face as Badcock tells Gregg she got her autograph when they met in Bermuda years ago. Later Bantry hears of Badcock's sudden collapse and death at the fête.

When Bantry recounts the events to Marple she uses a line from The Lady of Shalott to describe Gregg's face. Detective-Inspector Dermot Craddock investigates the death, discovering that Badcock died after ingesting six times the recommended dose of a tranquilizer, Calmo. The drug was in a daiquiri, originally Gregg's, which was instead given to Badcock after someone jogged Badcock's arm, causing her to spill her drink.

Craddock delves into the complicated past of the presumed target, Gregg. Desperate to have a child, she had adopted three before giving birth to a mentally disabled son and suffering a nervous breakdown. One of the adopted children, Margot Bence, was at Gossington Hall on the day of the fête. Despite her hatred towards her adoptive mother she denies killing Badcock.

Two people are killed while the investigation continues: Ella Zielinsky, Rudd's social secretary, dies from a poisoned atomizer she uses for hay fever; and Giuseppe, Gregg's butler, is shot that night after spending the day in London and depositing £500 into his bank account. Ardwyck Fenn tells Craddock he received a phone call days before, accusing him of killing Badcock, and that he recognized the anonymous caller as Zielinsky when she sneezed.

In the village Marple's house cleaner, Cherry Baker, tells Marple her friend Gladys, who was a server at Gossington Hall on the day of the fête, told her she believes 'she deliberately spilled her cocktail' and that she was going to meet Giuseppe before he died. Marple sends Gladys on holiday to Bournemouth and phones the vicar, before travelling to Gossington Hall to discover Gregg has died in her sleep from an overdose.

Marple reconstructs how Badcock told of her meeting Gregg in Bermuda, and reveals that Gregg must have been the murderer. Badcock, who had German measles when she sought Gregg's autograph, had been indirectly responsible for Gregg's son being born disabled, and her subsequent nervous breakdown. Overcome with rage, Gregg put the Calmo in her own daiquiri, jolted Badcock's arm to spill her drink and then gave her the drugged cocktail as a replacement. To cover her crime Gregg tried to convince everyone she had been the target of a murder attempt. She killed Zielinsky and Giuseppe after they guessed her involvement and Giuseppe blackmailed her. Marple sent Gladys away to protect her from becoming Gregg's next victim.

Marple then implies Rudd administered Gregg's overdose to prevent her from taking another life. Rudd comments on his wife's beauty and the suffering she endured.

The novel's title[]

The title comes from the poem The Lady of Shalott by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The Lady of Shalott weaves in a tower near Camelot and may only see the outside world reflected in a mirror. She will be doomed if she looks directly; when Lancelot appears, she looks directly at him and Camelot and the mirror cracks. This poem is referred to several times in the novel, with these lines quoted:

Out flew the web and floated wide-
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.

At the end, Miss Marple quotes the last three lines in referring to the dead actress:

He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."

Characters[]

  • Miss Marple: an old lady in St Mary Mead who is recovering from an illness.
  • Mrs Cherry Baker: Miss Marple's house cleaner.
  • Jim Baker: Cherry's husband, who does odd jobs for Miss Marple.
  • Miss Knight: Miss Marple's carer, sent by Marple's nephew Raymond West, to help during her recuperation.
  • Dolly Bantry: Miss Marple's friend, present at the fête at Gossington Hall. She first appeared in the novel The Body in the Library.
  • Dr Haydock: Miss Marple's physician in St Mary Mead. He first appeared in Murder at the Vicarage.
  • Marina Gregg: a middle-aged film star, who married many times and recently settled in England with her husband to make a film together. Her mood swings from happy to upset, which her husband thinks is tied to her acting.
  • Jason Rudd: Gregg's husband, a film director.
  • Giuseppe: a butler at Gossington Hall.
  • Dr Gilchrist: Gregg's physician, who lives at the Hall.
  • Ella Zielinsky: Rudd's secretary.
  • Gladys Dixon: a seamstress who works at the film studio's canteen.
  • Heather Badcock: a volunteer for the St John Ambulance corps.
  • Arthur Badcock: Heather's husband, who works in real estate. He was married to Gregg before she became a film star and later changed his name.
  • Margot Bence: a portrait photographer at the fête. She was adopted by Gregg before Gregg became pregnant.
  • Lola Brewster: an American actress who arrives unexpectedly at the party. She was married to one of Gregg's ex-husbands.
  • Ardwyck Fenn: an American man who was once wildly in love with Marina Gregg.
  • Dermot Craddock: Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard, sent to St Mary Mead to solve the Badcock's murder. He is a godson of Sir Henry Clithering, who is a close friend of Marple. Craddock often discusses the case with her. He was introduced in A Murder Is Announced.
  • William Tiddler: a sergeant assisting Craddock.
  • Frank Cornish: a local police inspector.

Developing the character of Marina Gregg[]

Marina Gregg's character has the same surname as the ophthalmologist who first described cataracts in congenital rubella syndrome, Norman Gregg.[4]

The Agatha Christie website suggests the life of American actress Gene Tierney influenced Christie's development of the Marina Gregg character in her novel.[5][6][7]

Tierney contracted German measles while pregnant with her first child, during her only appearance at the Hollywood Canteen in June 1943. The baby developed congenital rubella syndrome and was born prematurely, underweight and needing a total blood transfusion. The deaf, partially blind and developmentally disabled child was later institutionalised in a psychiatric hospital. About two years after that birth a woman asked Tierney for an autograph at a garden party.[8] The woman said she had skipped quarantine while ill with German measles to visit the Hollywood Canteen and meet Tierney.[9][citation needed]

Tierney's story was publicised before the novel was written.[citation needed] Tierney described the event in her autobiography years after Christie wrote the novel[6]

Publication history[]

  • 1962, Collins Crime Club (London), 12 November 1962, Hardback, 256 pp
  • 1963, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), September 1963, Hardback, 246 pp
  • 1964, Pocket Books (New York), Paperback
  • 1965, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins), Paperback, 192 pp
  • 1966, Ulverscroft Large-print Edition, Hardcover, 255 pp
  • 1974, Penguin Books, Paperback, 224 pp
  • 2006, Marple Facsimile edition (Facsimile of 1962 UK first edition), 6 March 2006, Hardcover, ISBN 0-00-720855-3
  • 2011 William Morrow and Company, Trade Paperback, 288 pp, ISBN 978-0-06-207367-9

The Star Weekly Novel, a Toronto newspaper supplement, serialised the novel in two abridged instalments from 9–16 March 1963 under the title The Mirror Crack'd with each issue containing a cover illustration by Gerry Sevier.

Film and television adaptations[]

English language movie[]

The novel was adapted for a 1980 feature film with Angela Lansbury in the role of Miss Marple. The film's co-stars were Elizabeth Taylor as Marina and Kim Novak as Lola Brewster, and the cast also included Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis. The film was released as The Mirror Crack'd, the shortened US book title. The film changed a number of elements in the novel, including Marina's surname (she uses Rudd, not Gregg), her associates, removing the character of Giuseppe, adding death threats, amongst other modifications, including shifting the setting to 1953, nine years before the book's publication.

BBC adaptation[]

A second adaptation of the novel was made by BBC television in 1992 as part of its series Miss Marple with the title role played by Joan Hickson (in her final performance as Jane Marple), and starring Claire Bloom as Marina Gregg and Glynis Barber as Lola Brewster. The only major changes were that Giuseppe is not killed, Arthur Badcock is not a former husband of Marina Gregg, Superintendent Slack and Sergeant Lake are written in and the character of Hailey Preston is removed. The novel was the final adaptation for the BBC series Miss Marple. Margaret Courtenay appeared in this adaptation as Miss Knight, having previously portrayed Dolly Bantry in the 1980 feature film version.

ITV adaptation[]

ITV Studios and WGBH Boston produced another adaptation for the Marple television series starring Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple, with Joanna Lumley reprising her role as Dolly Bantry, Lindsay Duncan as Marina Gregg and Hannah Waddingham as Lola Brewster. Investigating the murder along with Miss Marple is Inspector Hewitt, played by Hugh Bonneville. This version, while ultimately faithful to Christie's original text, included a number of notable changes. Some of these changes were influenced by the changes that were made in the 1980 film adaptation:

  • Ella's surname is changed from Zielinsky to Blunt. The reason for her murder was changed, mixing in elements from the 1980 film and the motive for Giuseppe's murder - Ella was attempting to blackmail the killer, but kept ringing the wrong people because she knew someone at the reception had done it, until she learned something that led her to phoning Marina and pointing out what she had done. Her love of Jason remains, but there is no affair.
  • Giuseppe is omitted from the adaptation, and there is no reference to car-man Inch selling his business within it.
  • Unlike the 1980 film adaptation, only one film is being shot in England, and that focuses on Nefertiti.
  • Lola Brewster is married to one of Marina's old husbands, Vincent Hogg (added in the adaptation.) He is a journalist, who writes a couple of pieces regarding the murders and who does not have much love of Marina; she is an actress and had competed with Marina for the love of Jason, who married the latter, leaving Lola bitter about it. Both she and Vincent attend the reception and the filming of one of Marina's scenes.

Bengali language film[]

Film director and screenwriter Rituparno Ghosh created a Bengali language version of Christie's story as Shubho Mahurat, which reset the story in the film industry of Kolkata. In this version, Sharmila Tagore plays the ageing star Padmini, the counterpart to Christie's Marina Gregg. The 2003 movie features Rakhi Gulzar in the role of the equivalent of Miss Marple.

French television adaptation[]

The novel was adapted as a 2017 episode of the French television series Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie.

Japanese television adaptation[]

TV Asahi adapted the novel in 2018 starring Ikki Sawamura and Hitomi Kuroki,[10] with the title Two Nights Drama Special: Murder of the Great Actress – The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side (Japanese: アガサ・クリスティ 二夜連続ドラマスペシャル 大女優殺人事件~鏡は横にひび割れて~)[11] as the second night, and the first night was 4.50 from Paddington. This drama changed the main role to a chief inspector from Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.[12]

  • Cast:
    • Ikki Sawamura – Chief Inspector Ryuya Shokokuji, based on Jane Marple and Dermot Craddock
    • Yoshiyoshi Arakawa – Inspector Banpei Tatara
    • Erena Mizusawa – Inspector Fueko Misaki
    • Hitomi Kuroki – Madoka Irodori, based on Marina Gregg
    • – Akira Kaido, based on Jason Rudd
    • Naomi Zaizen – Sagiri Asakaze, based on Lola Brewster
    • Masahiko Tsugawa – Hiraomi Danbara, based on Ardwyck Fenn
    • Mari Nishio – Shimeko Akada, based on Ella Zielinsky
    • – Toshiro Inden, based on Giuseppe
    • – Kansuke Aramaki, based on Dr Gilchrist
    • Kami Hiraiwa – Rin Kannokoji, based on Heather Badcock
    • Takeo Nakahara – Koki Kannokoji, based on Arthur Badcock
    • Haruna Kawaguchi – Kosame Taniguchi, based on Margot Bence
    • Hayato Isomura – Matsubushi Matsuda, based on Margot Bence and Gladys Dixon
    • – Hinata Hanakage, also based on Margot Bence
    • - Sosuke Aiba, based on Donald McNeil

Korean television adaptation[]

The novel was also adapted as part of the Korean television series Ms. Ma, Nemesis.

References[]

  1. ^ Richardson, Maurice (11 November 1962). "Review". The Observer. p. 24.
  2. ^ Peers, Chris; Spurrier, Ralph; Sturgeon, Jamie; Foord, Peter; Williams, Richard (March 1999). Collins Crime Club – A checklist of First Editions (Second ed.). Dragonby Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-871122-13-8.
  3. ^ Marcus, J S (May 2007). "American Tribute to Agatha Christie: The Golden Years: 1953 - 1967". Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  4. ^ MacKey, David A. (2006). "2005 Gregg Lecture: Congenital cataract - from rubella to genetics". Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. 34 (3): 199–207. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9071.2006.01194.x. PMID 16671898. S2CID 26463542.
  5. ^ "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side: Did you know?". The Home of Agatha Christie. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Tierney, Gene and; Herskowitz, Mickey (1978). Self-Portrait. Wyden Books. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-88326-152-1.
  7. ^ Osborne, Robert (2006). Leading Ladies. Chronicle Books. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-8118-5248-7.
  8. ^ Demaret, Kent (7 May 1979). "Gene Tierney Began Her Trip Back from Madness on a Ledge 14 Floors Above the Street". People. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Biography". The Official Web Site of Gene Tierney. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
  10. ^ "アガサ・クリスティ作品で黒木瞳がエリザベス・テイラーが演じていた役柄を熱演!". . 24 February 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  11. ^ "天海祐希、沢村一樹の主演でアガサ・クリスティの名作を二夜連続放送". テレビドガッチ. プレゼントキャスト. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  12. ^ "天海祐希×沢村一樹、『アガサ・クリスティ』の世界を語る" (Interview). ORICON NEWS. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2019.

External links[]

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