Dead Ringer

"Dead Ringer" is an acceptable but not a superior latter day Bette Davis vehicle. As always, she's fascinating to watch, especially at this stage of her career which features her more repellant qualities. Karl Malden, as always, gives a good performance as the suspicious investigator. To my mind, however, the film is worth watching mainly for the two sequences in which the reliably obnoxious Peter Lawford (the Hugh Grant of his day) gets his comeuppance. First, when Malden grabs him by his golf shirt and roughs him up, and then when Lawford's character is deservedly savaged to death by mastiffs. See this one, it's not a great film but it is an entertaining entry of it's kind.

After miraculously reviving her career with an Oscar-nominated turn in 1962's "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?," Bette Davis was once again in demand, although it was to be playing in the "Grand Guignol" genre. A year before the legend to return in another "ghoulish" melodrama, "Hush, Hush, Sweet, Charlotte," Davis appeared in "Dead Ringer," sort of a throwback to the "film noir" style of the 1940's. In this one, Davis assays the roles of twin sisters, one that does away with the other in order to take her sister's identity and adopt a more successful lifestyle. Unfortunately the murderess discovers that the grass is not always greener on the other side. She inherits her deceased sister's fortune, but there is also the additional "baggage" of a lothario boyfriend, played by Peter Lawford. Lawford, not the best of actors, does possess a certain "greasiness" that is perfect for his character. Karl Malden dons his patented policeman's hat as the boyfriend of the murderer and ends up being the investigator into the murder. The cast is rounded out by veterans Jean Hagen, George Macready, Estelle Woodard, George Chandler, and Phil Carey. Though there are a few plot inconsistencies and the Davis/Lawford "pairing" is stretching the limits of believability, Paul Henreid's direction and the always captivating Davis make this an enjoyable viewing experience. And Andre Previn's score is a classic of the genre.

I saw 'Dead Ringers' or 'Dead Image' as it was called here in the UK on its first release in 1964 (when very young!)and friends and I enjoyed it as a great Bette Davis role (roles) after Baby Jane and Charlotte - perhaps the last of her leading lady roles. This is obviously Bette at her most mannered - so many great quotable lines: "Castoffs, but you haven't seen my castoffs...", !"you HAVE'NT GOT that amount of money!", "Poor Father, A Wino" etc. I had not seen it for years, until discussing it with another poster on these boards recently, which made me dig out my VHS copy and I was entranced all over again! If only the DVD was available here in the UK, looking forward to those special features! On the face of it here is a dumpy middle aged woman in a low budget picture in black and white, and she is mesmerising. You can't take your eyes off her. Definiately up there with the great Bette moments: "Edie's Cocktail Bar on Figueroa" etc. Now for another look at "the Anniversary" !

This movie could easily have become a sad and pathetic parody of the final stages of a great actor's career. Instead it marks another pinnacle in the history of one of Hollywood's greatest players, Bette Davis. There are not enough superlatives to describe her performance. Not only does Davis carry the movie, she is the movie. Her performance transcends the material. This movie is an example of where the actor succeeds in elevating the script. The story is cleverly written and beautifully photographed in a black and white context that sets the mood for the movie. But it is Bette Davis's performance as a twin which makes this movie not only watchable but fun to watch. Like Bette Davis herself, this movie has aged well. Davis has since departed us but her legacy lives on in her many wonderful movies, including this one.

A "film noir", excellent from beginning to end. There are no superfluities or lacks of any kind, perfect balance of all the elements. It isn't as haunting and lurid as "Baby Jane", but the same kind of movie depicting an inhuman world in which everyone is against everyone. It is so well done, it rises to the level of art. Intense esthetic satisfaction, very organically sound. It's a real masterpiece. Even the music is masterful. The dialogue is sparse and effective, the cinematography stylish without being overbearing or tacky. Far more stylish and polished than "Whatever happened to Baby Jane", which tended to sprawl in a narrative sense. Both films are `guilty pleasures' with plenty of dark humor, not the least of which being Karl Malden holding a torch for elderly Bette!!! Malden is superb, as usual. The final twist of the plot is breath-taking in its subtlety and philosophical implications.

In Los Angeles, after eighteen years without speaking to each other, Edith Phillips meets her twin sister Margaret de Lorca (Bette Davis) in the funeral of Maggie's husband and former love of Edith that died of heart attack. Maggie invites Edith to visit her mansion, and Edith finds through her sister's driver that Maggie used a fake pregnancy to trick her and marry her passion. When Edith arrives in her bar, she is evicted by her landlord. Edith calls Maggie, kills her and assumes her identity. The police, including her boyfriend Sergeant Jim Hobbson (Karl Malden), believe that Edith committed suicide in an act of despair. Edith lures Maggie's servants and friends, but when Maggie's lover Tony Collins (Peter Lawford) appears, the situation becomes complicated for her. "Dead Ringer" is a great film-noir, with thriller and black humor in an ironic story where justice is reached through the wrong and unexpected way. I have never had the chance to see the original Mexican movie "La Otra", but this remake is magnificently supported by the awesome Bette Davis, performing double and ambiguous roles that permit her to be rich, poor, simple, sophisticated, killer and victim. Her final line to Jim Hobbson ("-She wouldn't hurt a fly!") gives a bitter touch of class and irony to the conclusion of this enjoyable film. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "Alguém Morreu em Meu Lugar" ("Somebody Died in My Place")

Bette Davis plays twin sisters, one glamorous, the other homely, in this tale of deception, betrayal, and murder. What makes the story so fascinating is its delicious irony, as the homely sister, Edith, becomes ever more ensnared in her own tangled web. The story is marred slightly by some obvious contrivances and plot holes. But it has lots of twists and turns. And Bette Davis, with her memorable voice, her gestures, and those Bette Davis eyes renders the Edith character engaging, as she realizes something important that she had not foreseen, and then makes an effort not to be found out. It's all about the internal tension of faking a false identity. Much of the plot is consumed in detail, as we watch Edith squirm and fret when confronted with small tasks like switching clothes with a corpse, faking a signature, or determining the combination to a wall safe. These action details are somewhat tedious. But they give Davis lots of opportunity to act. The film's B&W cinematography is fine. The split screen technology wherein both sisters appear together in the same scene is rather self-conscious, but was quite advanced for its time. Rear screen projection is another technique that is used, but seems primitive by today's technical standards. The film's lighting is quite good. The film gets off to a really good start with a snazzy, and very Hitchcockian, title sequence accompanied by Andre Previn's excellent original score. The film's supporting cast includes Karl Malden, Estelle Winwood, and Jean Hagen. But, though they are all credible in their roles, this film belongs to Bette Davis. It's her show. And a viewer's response to the film will hinge largely on their impression of Bette Davis and her ability to play two roles. Personally, I think she did a splendid job.

Through out the years many critics have said that the movies that Bette Davis did during the 60's were bad and campy at best, I tend to disagree. While some of them were not the best movies, Davis was always her best in them. Davis couldn't give a bad performance. DEAD RINGER is a good movie with a good script and veteran actors doing what they do best. Definitely a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Many of the films of the 60s were boring as hell. It took a star like Bette Davis to bring the necessary fire to this double role as twins in "Dead Ringer." In other hands, this might have been unworthy, but with Davis' magical screen presence, you can't take your eyes off her (both of her!) Even in small scenes, she's real and radiant (when Jim gives her the watch for her birthday). Andre Previn's score is superb. I loved the music after Edith storms out of Margaret's bedroom in the beginning of the film when she sees the portrait of her sister's dead husband and HER former lover, followed by that tender moment with the butler. With the performances that got Oscar nominations during the '60s, some were pretty dull. Compared to them, Bette deserved a nod for best actress. Davis was wonderful in this. Her years of acting experience before the cameras was on full display in every scene...she was the consummate professional. Did you notice Perry Blackwell at the organ? She also appeared in the Doris Day/Rock Hudson hit,"Pillow Talk" as the nightclub singer a few years prior. The drummer in this was married to Nancy Wilson!

This is movie of a type they don't make any more- regrettably. It goes way beyond melodrama and has a plot with twists and turns that is way beyond most movies nowadays. The script is clever as opposed to contrived and keeps the tension up right up till the end. Undeniably this movie is a star vehicle for Bette Davis who carries off the dual roles of two sisters with amazing ease and aplomb. The supporting actors - Karl Malden & Peter Lawford are similarly excellent. Made at a time when special effects were still pretty rudimentary- it is all the more "clever" for the seamless way in which some scenes are covered. Fans of other Davis's films of the 60's that reached into the bizarre, horror genres - this one stands with the best of them. I highly recommend it.