Dark Mirror (B&W) | Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres

Dark Mirror (B&W) | Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres | Olivia De Havilland Shines

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Dark Mirror (B&W)

	Dark Mirror (B&W) Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres Republic Pictures, 1997 average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
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Sister versus sister!

Two identical twins - Terry and Ruth Collins - are the main suspects when a doctor is murdered in his own consulting office. Several ocular witnesses testify to have seen accompanied by a beauty woman, but at the moment both of them are called to be identified, the chaos between the witnesses is obvious; because apparently they are identical.

With the aim of Dr. Elliot, a connoted psychologist, begins talking with both women, he begins to construct the particular profiles of each one, and that's why will be used to avoid and stop the macabre plan of Terry in order to take the place of her lovable and angelical sister Ruth.

As you may expect the same title "The dark mirror" is an acidic and revealing portrait about the horrid state of things in those troubled years in which many things were not like they seemed, and the mirror image might be considered as serious indicator of terrible changes in a decade signed by the terror of so many double agents who worked as spies or counterspies; or a confused period so smartly intuited for screenwriters to propose the science fiction genre, as an evasion device, while others bet for being sharp scrutinizers of the recent past (Wilder and Stalag 17), and Fred Zinemman tying to ornament the dramatis personae masked behind a love affair in "From here to the eternity" and finally for those who after having exposed the double moral, decided for withdraw themselves with evasive proposals (John Huston with Asphalt jungle; for instance, decided for make two well distant projects: The African queen and The Moulin rouge) while than others would insist to make public some incisive and never exhibited issues ( Elia Kazan "On the waterfront" and "Baby doll"; Samuel Fuller "Pick up on South Street" ; Otto Preminger with "Anatomy of a murder" and the New Wave of young filmmakers as Nicholas Ray "Rebel without cause" or George Stevens with "Giant") and finally others who focused on a genre that still represented a moral trench as the Western genre was (John Ford with "The searchers", "The quiet man" ; Anthony Man with "The Naked spur" and "The man in the West")

We should never forget Siodmak (Hitchcock and Wilder too) was deeply influenced by the German Expressionism easily evincible with Metropolis or The last laugh.

On the other hand the very fact to watch that talented actress whose beauty, intelligence and visceral vitality were determinate factors that simply could not be but a rotund success for this movie in the middle fortries.

Completed in March 29, 1946 and released in October 18, 1946. Running time: 85 min.

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Olivia De Havilland Shines

Although director Robert Siodmak is most closely identified with noir classics such as The Killers, Crisscross, and The Phantom Lady, The Dark Mirror is a fine addition to his portfolio. Expanding on the scope of his creativity, Siodmak relies heavily on the performance that he draws from star actress Olivia De Havilland. The Dark Mirror is a psychological thriller about a murder committed by one of two twin sisters; Ruth and Terry Collins. Playing both sister roles, De Havilland's acting ability and developmental character depth is tested. De Havilland passes admirably. At first the twin sisters seem physically and emotionally similar. Subltle nuances differentiate their personalities and it is De Havilland's fine acting that peels away the layers of emotionalism that define each sister's character traits. De Havilland aided by keen camera work by Siodmak, keeps viewers on edge as she shifts roles within frames that are shared by both sisters. ( I still don't understand how Sidomak achieved this- especially the scenes when Terry is comforting a terrifed Ruth.) When Terry attempts to drive Ruth insane, thoughts of Gaslight come to mind, but De Havilland's dual performance creates even more interest. Dimitri Tomkin's musical score is also a plus as it serves to accentuate the emotions that heighten the film's climactic expressions shared by the twin sisters. The script by Nunnally Johnson, is sometimes mundane, and it seems that the film's eighty- five minute running time is consciously stretched. The film's ending is a surprise as Terry's wrath and frustration finally surface.

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Double DeHavilland

The Dark Mirror is an improbable, yet entertaining suspense story about a detective and a psychiatrist's attempts to determine which one of a pair of twins committed murder. The movie succeeds because of the effective performance by Olivia deHavilland as the twins. Rather than making the twins polar opposites (which is what most actresses whould have done and most twins aren't), she subtlely distinguishes between the two, and her performance at the climax of the movie is very memorable. The special effects to give the illusion of two Olivias are quite good, especially given the time when the film was made. All in all, it's an entertaining movie and I'd recommend it.

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"Double trouble--for sure".

For those of you who think Olivia de Havilland's career was only that of
sweet ladies (Melanie--Gone With the Wind), think again! She is the reason to watch this film, and the movie launched her in several roles
where she was not very good-(The Heiress, My Cousin Rachel, etc.) In my
opinion, she's better when she's bad. She's not Bette Davis "bad"--she's
much more subtle and a lot more fun to watch. Try this picture--you might
like it!

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