Summary: Miss Marple's sleepy little village is upset when film star Marina Gregg and her entourage descend upon the village and move into Gossington Hall (the Bantry's old home). Marina moves here to find the peace she's always searched for, but a poisoned daiquiri at a fete and the suggestion that victim Heather Badcock was not the intended victim throws her life in turmoil. Miss Marple's life is also in turmoil. She's getting old and her nephew Raymond has hired a monstrous sort of nurse/companion for her. Doctor Haydock feels that all Marple really needs is to do some unraveling. After two more deaths at Gossington Hall, Miss Marple arrives on the scene with the solution.
This novel has Marple at her crankiest (if that is possible). She is constantly sarcastic with Miss Knight, her companion, hangs up on Dolly Bantry, berates the Vicar and jokes with Inspector Craddock. Her characterization here is quite strong and enjoyable.
The novel has a strong connection with the real-life account of a tragedy surrounding an American film actress (I won't say more here, but we can discuss any spoilers in the comments.
The writing in this novel is quite nice because it lacks rigid structure - like village gossip, we get everything in bits and pieces - even Craddock who is quite diligent is two or three steps behind the reader because we're privy to the conversations of several characters.
Body count: 4 and I'll say no more
Detective/Sleuth: Miss Marple, Dermott Craddock
Rating: 4.75 daiquiris out of five
Commentary:
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side from Matthew Christensen on Vimeo.
I like the novel, there were some dull moments but the murders caught my interest especially the second and third ones. I like Jason Rudd but the others were ok but not too interesting. I was surprised by the killer's identity and their motive and I also felt sorry for that person. Who do you like in the novel. (Is the music from the 1944 film Laura) Very clever
ReplyDeleteCameron:
ReplyDeleteYes, you are right about the song and I can tell you understand the connection with the novel. :)
I really like Cherry and Gladys in this novel - they represent the working class but they are really nicely rendered. I also liked Marina, Margot and of course Dolly Bantry. A couple of the coincidences may seem a bit much for modern audiences, but if we accept such things in Shakespeare, I don't see why we can't do it in Christie's works.
Like you, I felt sorry for the killer. But loved the psychology of discovery for that person - how several pieces of stimuli coming together at one point resulted in a quick and deadly decision.
Thanks for the comments!
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ReplyDeleteYou know, Matt, in some ways I think this is a much better novel than it is a mystery, at least in the typical AC vein. The suspects are way too thin; even those with better characterization, like Margot or Ella, are barely in the novel or, like Jason, can hardly be considered a suspect. I also think the third murder is tacked on so clumsily that I kind of resent it. We barely notice this victim throughout the book, and it's very hard to swallow TWO blackmailers running around.
ReplyDeleteBUT.....as a psychological study of two women - Miss Marple and Marina Gregg - faced with traumatic change in their lives, it is wonderful. The best parts of the book, for me, are Marple dealing with the demise of the village she has known and loved all her life. And Marina's central tragedy is one of the most touching stories AC has ever - well, I can't say CREATED.......how about appropriated??
It's really a very sad book, and I think Christie knew this and planned brilliantly. The whole subplot of Miss Knight and Cherry is so amusing that it leavens the sadness. And Heather Badcock is one of my favorite victims: you can feel outraged as long as you want, but Christie makes sure you never sympathize with her very much and, ultimately, you don't really mind her death at all!! (Is that harsh?)
I have more to say and will say it!!
Just one more comment for now: I totally agree with you about all THREE of the adaptations. (The latest with Julia McKenzie is truly awful.) Perhaps one of the reasons they don't work is that this is really a psychological novel and a hard one to film. MOST of the characters just aren't that compelling, and the two most interesting ones - Marina and Marple - never meet. (Well they do in the last one, but it's a ridiculous scene.)
ReplyDeleteAnd you talked about the interesting factor of Marple receiving information from a variety of sources and having to figure out which perception is most correct. This is how Christie began to write a lot towards the end, with TERRIBLE results (Elephants Can Remember, anyone?) and it seems a very hard thing to film. But here, I think, she does it quite well.
Brad - great comments. I'll touch on several of them here:
ReplyDelete-The third murder - you're absolutely right. It definitely felt tacked on. So much so that I (who've read the novel before) had forgotten that it had even occurred. I sas the second victim not so much as a blackmailer as an amateur sleuth trying to do better than Craddock - this character also seemed profoundly resentful about their station.
Margot - she definitely should have had more play in the novel because she's a truly interesting character. I liked the way they portrayed her in the Hickson version (tho' I hated Claire Bloom's Marina).
You're right - the book is very sad. But I love how much we get of Jane. I like the way you draw comparison between her and Marina. Marina has moved to quiet English village life because she feels it will be a home for her (she still sees it as a beautiful, quaint refuge), while Jane sees the change occurring in the village and knows it's no longer like it once was.
Film adaptations - You're right about the psychological aspects of it, but I've seen that handled brilliantly in other films. I think the real problem with the two adaptations I've seen is that they assume people want to focus on the star quality and the fact that the protagonist is a film star. Suddenly Brewster and Fenn become too important and there's all of this bitchy actress stuff going on (Kim Novak's performance makes me shudder), and the whole sad story gets sidetracked. (On a side note: have you noticed that many television shows and even some films really get it wrong when it comes to photographs of characters? In the Hickson, version of this novel, at the end they look at an "old" photo of Marina Gregg which is quite obviously a publicity shot of Claire Bloom from the early 80s - hairstyle and all - lots of films do this, I've noticed. they take old head shots or costume check photos and use those as everyday photos and it always looks weird!).
Marina: The actresses who have played her are not that likable - sure, I like Liz Taylor, but her bitchiness with Lola is crazy and her hysteria is a bit much. Bloom is just unattractive in that role and has absolutely no draw.
Now we come to the real question: If you were directing a film of this novel today, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Marple
Marina
Jason
Craddock
Heather
Cherry
Dolly Bantry
Miss Knight
I will have to think of this myself before I respond.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteDid you see the film Notes on a Scandal? It starred Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench as schoolteachers in a twisted relationship. It was gripping because these actresses are that good, so since you put me on the spot, I choose Judi Dench to be Marple (she can do fluffy; did you see Cranford?) and Cate Blanchett to be Marina Gregg. (She's too young, probably, but she's such a great actress, I'll believe her.) Sticking with Cranford, I would make Imaulda Staunton (who also played Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies) Miss Knight. And in an act of irony, I would make Julia Mackenzie Dolly Bantry (which she would do better than she does Miss Marple). We'll make Carey Mulligan Cherry. Heather is tough. You have to find an actress who can perform the acts of kindness she does for Marple, so is sort of likable, yet she is so incredibly selfish and thoughtless at the core that she causes all the tragedy. How about Helena Bonham Carter?
For the men, Daniel Craig as Dermot Craddock, just so I can meet with him and coach him privately as needed. And Jason could be played by Colin Firth so that he could come over and watch me coach Daniel....oh, maybe I've been sidetracked here.....
Wow, Brad! You've got a good cast assembled there. Let me think now about who I'd pick:
ReplyDeleteMarple: I think Anna Massey (who played Agatha in "Agatha Christie: a Life in Pictures") would make a great Marple.
Marina: I think you are right that Cate would be a great Marina, but if I had to choose another I would go with ... well ... hmmm ... I'll have to get back to you on that. Is Laura Linney too young? She's got loads of appeal, tho' I don't think of her as an aging star. Meryl? Catherine ZJ?
Jason: He's described as ugly but he also has to show a great deal of tenderness and caution so maybe Michael Douglas or Donald Sutherland.
Craddock: Michael Kitchen from Foyle's war might fit the bill - I never have a clear sense of the age of Craddock, so if he's too old for the part we can cast him as Haydock. A younger option could be David Tennant or even Kenneth Branaugh
Heather: I think Emma Thomson's sister Sophie Thomson could play the part well - did you see her as Mary Musgrove in "Persuasion"? She was pretty great - likeable and loathesome. If we went younger, we could do Honeysuckle Weekes who I find charming but I bet she could turn it up a notch and be really annoying.
Cherry: I would like to see Rosamund Pike (who's also appeared in Foyle's war and Dr. Who) play this part or else Karen Gillan who has a lot of spunk (Dr. Who's latest, Scottish, companion)
Dolly Bantry: I'd like to see Fiona Shaw tackle this part - she can be really warm and fun to watch (tho' I have to say I LOVE Gwen Watford from the 80s series in this role)
Miss Knight: You're right about Staunten in this role - she'd be perfect. Also Patricia Routledge from Keeping Up Appearances might be good in this role.
Okay, Anna Massey is a great actress, but I never saw her as a warm one. I think she plays Lady Tressilian, the victim in Towards Zero, and she makes the character fairly loathsome. I always thought Lady T. should be likeable.
ReplyDeleteYou would put Catherine Z-J. and Michael Douglas together? Um.....Laura Linney is great but way too young. Donald Sutherland is great but too old. (Isn't Jason supposed to be younger than Marina?)
Sophie Thompson is one of my favorite actresses. Yes, her Mary Musgrove is amazing, but I LOVE her work as Miss Bates the younger in Emma. She makes me cry at the Strawberry Hill scene every time. Honeysuckle Weeks is way too young to have been a WAC and met Marina, unless Marina was 16 at the time.
I also love Patricia Routledge, but she's so sweet to me (I guess I've watched too much Hetty Wainwright!!)
How about Brad Friedman as Hailey Preston and Matt Christenson as Giuseppe the butler???
Anna Massey is very warm and likable as Agatha Christie which is why I thought of her. After re-watching the HBO production of "Wit" I think Eileen Atkins could also play the part.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the others - I stand corrected on all counts - tho' I'll stick with Routledge for Miss Knight.
Thompson is wonderful as the younger Miss Bates, I agree.
As for our parts, Hmmm - I'm afraid my Scandinavian blood precludes me from taking on that role. I'll play Mr. Badcock, poor fellow.
That's okay. I would like to be Inspector Craddock, but my Jewish blood probably makes me more of an Ardwick Fenn! (What the heck kind of a name is THAT???)
ReplyDeleteYeah, Ardwick is a bit troublesome - you can see why they called him Ardie in the film version. By the way, what do you think of the actor who plays Craddock in the Hickson Marple series? A few years ago, when I saw Antonioni's film "Blowup" I recognized him as a supporting character, an artist (in the style of Jackson Pollock) who lives next to the protagonist and who's explanation of his paintings gives meaning to the overall film. He might also have been in I Claudius but it's been years since I saw that.
ReplyDeleteI believe that guy WAS in I Claudius, but I can't remember what he played. He just seems more downbeat with a cruel mouth. I always thought Craddock should be a more pleasant sort. He certainly is the detective who makes the deepest connection with Marple.
ReplyDeletea sad book and the Marple/Hickson adaptation was touching.
ReplyDelete