Le miroir se brisa
- Episode aired Sep 8, 2017
- 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
183
YOUR RATING
Investigating a murder becomes complicated for Inspector Laurence as he mourns his own loss; adapted from "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side".Investigating a murder becomes complicated for Inspector Laurence as he mourns his own loss; adapted from "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side".Investigating a murder becomes complicated for Inspector Laurence as he mourns his own loss; adapted from "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side".
Adeline Fleur Baude
- Simone Maupin
- (as Adeline-Fleur Baude)
Emmanuel Dehaene
- Directeur de la photographie
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- ConnectionsVersion of The Mirror Crack'd (1980)
Featured review
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side
Love Agatha Christie's work, favourites including 'And Then There Were None', 'A Murder is Announced' and 'Death on the Nile', and really like to love a lot of the film and television adaptations of her books. Not just the Joan Hickson Miss Marple or David Suchet Poirot adaptations (the ones perhaps familiar to most, especially the latter), but some of the cinematic film adaptations (1945's 'And Then There Were None', 1957's 'Witness for the Prosecution', 1974's 'Murder on the Orient Express') are very enjoyable as well.
'The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side', one of Christie's most dramatic and tragic in terms of characterisation with one of Christie's more interesting victims if not among the best in the "whodunnit" department, has been adaptated three times previously. The Angela Lansbury version is one of those adaptations to be taken as a standalone if "Hollywood treatments" are a problem for anybody (not so much for me), it is overlong and the victim is nowhere near as interesting as in the source material or the Joan Hickson version but it is worth seeing for Lansbury and the deliciously catty chemistry between Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak. The Joan Hickson version is very good, if a bit slow at times, and cannot fault Hickson. My personal favourite though is Julia McKenzie's, especially worth seeing for its emotional impact, the best developed Heather Badcock and Lindsay Duncan's definitive Marina Gregg.
Am somebody who has found 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie' an interesting and mostly enjoyable series. Some episodes are better than others, with the Laurence/Avril period starting off shakily due to Laurence being very difficult to warm to and the central chemistry took a while to gel. Personally did find the much shorter Larosiere and Lampion period more consistent and the chemistry between those two characters gelled more and settled much quicker. "Le Miroir Se Brisa" is another very enjoyable with a lot to admire, if not among the best episodes of the series. Ranking it alongside the other three, though like most of the series it is a fairly loose one as an adaptation, it would be third best.
Did appreciate Laurence's development here and he has come on a lot as a character, did really empathise with how much his loss affected him and it was handled relatably and poignantly and a few moments amused. Was less keen though on how the episode portrays the chemistry between him and Alice and his treatment of her. Although by this point their chemistry was far more harmonious than before, it has shone and gelled much better before as well and there are signs of the too-much-of-a-clash writing between the characters present when the period first began.
His obnoxiousness towards a lot of the rest of the characters can be a big turn-off, especially towards Alice and Georges to the point of offensiveness. Sure there is more of an understandable reason for it than when the Laurence/Avril period first started (grief often sees less than desirable sides to people), but it is a shame because he had progressed so much as a character and this felt like a step backwards at times.
On the other hand, Samuel Labarthe shows how he is getting better and more at ease with each episode. He is in "Le Miroir Se Brisa" relaxed, sometimes amusing and affecting, exploring a new side to Laurence without being taxed. The ever charming Blandine Bellavoir nearly steals the show with one of the episode's highlights, her encounter with Fred. Elodie Frenck provides some of the most touching moments with her subplot, while the supporting cast here is one of the series' best. The standouts being Anne Cosigny in a powerful performance that stirs a lot of telling emotions and an impressively shady Luc-Antoine Diquero.
As always with 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie', "Le Miroir Se Brisa" looks great. The colours are both vibrant and atmospheric and the photography is stylish. The music has some light-heartedness but complements the more dramatic edge of the story nicely as well. The writing is a well done mix of thoughtful, amusing and poignant. The story captivates with the energy not lagging too much, with the mystery keeping one guessing and neither being obvious or over-complicated. The humour doesn't feel overdone or stale, while the more dramatic and tragic tone of the story was handled with a lot of emotional impact.
In conclusion, very good. 8/10
'The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side', one of Christie's most dramatic and tragic in terms of characterisation with one of Christie's more interesting victims if not among the best in the "whodunnit" department, has been adaptated three times previously. The Angela Lansbury version is one of those adaptations to be taken as a standalone if "Hollywood treatments" are a problem for anybody (not so much for me), it is overlong and the victim is nowhere near as interesting as in the source material or the Joan Hickson version but it is worth seeing for Lansbury and the deliciously catty chemistry between Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Novak. The Joan Hickson version is very good, if a bit slow at times, and cannot fault Hickson. My personal favourite though is Julia McKenzie's, especially worth seeing for its emotional impact, the best developed Heather Badcock and Lindsay Duncan's definitive Marina Gregg.
Am somebody who has found 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie' an interesting and mostly enjoyable series. Some episodes are better than others, with the Laurence/Avril period starting off shakily due to Laurence being very difficult to warm to and the central chemistry took a while to gel. Personally did find the much shorter Larosiere and Lampion period more consistent and the chemistry between those two characters gelled more and settled much quicker. "Le Miroir Se Brisa" is another very enjoyable with a lot to admire, if not among the best episodes of the series. Ranking it alongside the other three, though like most of the series it is a fairly loose one as an adaptation, it would be third best.
Did appreciate Laurence's development here and he has come on a lot as a character, did really empathise with how much his loss affected him and it was handled relatably and poignantly and a few moments amused. Was less keen though on how the episode portrays the chemistry between him and Alice and his treatment of her. Although by this point their chemistry was far more harmonious than before, it has shone and gelled much better before as well and there are signs of the too-much-of-a-clash writing between the characters present when the period first began.
His obnoxiousness towards a lot of the rest of the characters can be a big turn-off, especially towards Alice and Georges to the point of offensiveness. Sure there is more of an understandable reason for it than when the Laurence/Avril period first started (grief often sees less than desirable sides to people), but it is a shame because he had progressed so much as a character and this felt like a step backwards at times.
On the other hand, Samuel Labarthe shows how he is getting better and more at ease with each episode. He is in "Le Miroir Se Brisa" relaxed, sometimes amusing and affecting, exploring a new side to Laurence without being taxed. The ever charming Blandine Bellavoir nearly steals the show with one of the episode's highlights, her encounter with Fred. Elodie Frenck provides some of the most touching moments with her subplot, while the supporting cast here is one of the series' best. The standouts being Anne Cosigny in a powerful performance that stirs a lot of telling emotions and an impressively shady Luc-Antoine Diquero.
As always with 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie', "Le Miroir Se Brisa" looks great. The colours are both vibrant and atmospheric and the photography is stylish. The music has some light-heartedness but complements the more dramatic edge of the story nicely as well. The writing is a well done mix of thoughtful, amusing and poignant. The story captivates with the energy not lagging too much, with the mystery keeping one guessing and neither being obvious or over-complicated. The humour doesn't feel overdone or stale, while the more dramatic and tragic tone of the story was handled with a lot of emotional impact.
In conclusion, very good. 8/10
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- TheLittleSongbird
- Jun 24, 2019
Details
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
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