Dead Ringerby Anonymous

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August 09, 2004: ?Dead Ringer?(1964) (not to be confused with ?Dead Ringers? 1988) is the story of rival twin sisters Margaret DeLorca and Edith Philips, both played by Bette Davis. Years earlier Margaret married a wealthy so and so who once courted Edith but has since passed away. Edith?s sudden appearance at his funeral sparks Margaret to invite her sister back to her mansion for drinks after the service. However, Margaret?s cavalier attitude toward life and her not so subtle snubs at Edith?s decidedly down to earth life style (she owns a bar on the east side that is in danger of foreclosure) drives Edith to distraction. She concocts a diabolical revenge scenario on a bluff, gets her Margaret to come to her apartment, and then murders her. Making it look like a suicide, Edith steals Margaret?s clothes and identity, returning to her sister?s mansion as though nothing had happened. However, Edith?s cop boyfriend, Sergeant Mike Hobbson (Karl Malden) begins to suspect that something is afoot from the start, though even he can not conceive that his one time girlfriend is impersonating her own sister. However, the transition from frump to Trump is a difficult one for Edith. Eventually eschewing into social graces, Edith?s cover is blown when Margaret?s old time, loud mouth friend, DeDe Marshall (Jean Hagen) invites her to a party at which Margaret?s former lover, Tony Collins (Peter Lawford) is in attendance. The deceptions run high as Edith slowly comes to realize that Tony and her sister murdered Margaret?s husband. When Tony discovers Edith?s fraud he blackmails her into keeping his secret. Filmed at a time when Davis? career had begun the slow decline into B-movie oblivion, ?Dead Ringer? emerges as something of a red herring. The film is directed by Davis? ?Now Voyager? costar, Paul Henreid and the roster of talent amassed, including George Macready, Estelle Winwood and Philip Carey is impressive. Still, what emerges for the experience is more schlock B-romance with a Lizzy Borden spin than high octane suspense. Davis held out long and hard before securing the dual role. She had previously played twins in ?A Stolen Life? so the rehashing must have seemed like a solid choice. Unhappy circumstance that the film itself emerges as little more than a footnote ? one of many for its star ? on her way toward becoming a relic from Hollywood?s golden age. There is a lot to celebrate in Warner Brother?s DVD transfer. The anamorphic image is remarkably clean, with a very solid and beautifully rendered gray scale, deep blacks and excellent contrast levels. Only during the split screen shots of the two sisters do we get a hint of film grain. The rest of the transfer is ultra smooth and sumptuous to look at. There are several fleeting hints of edge enhancement and some extremely minor pixelization, but neither distracts from your viewing pleasure. The audio is mono but with a considerable ? if tacky punctuated punch. Extras include a very brief featurette with Davis biographer, Boze Hadleigh, a thorough audio commentary with Hadleigh and Charles Busch, a vintage featurette shot during production on the film and a theatrical trailer.

Dead Ringerby Anonymous

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September 09, 2002: This is a fun movie : okay it is not Dark Victory, but with a top cast, its too much fun too miss. Acting very good, plot has holes, but who cares?

This review was written about the VHS edition.