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Dark Mirror [VHS]

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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.

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.

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!

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.

unless you are french dont buy this film, at least not the one with the title in french. most dvd's give you options as to which language you want to watch the film in. i bought the film because its not available with the english title anywhere, boy was i annoyed when i watched it. you have only two options in the menu, watch the film in french with no subtitles, or watch it in english with french subtitles, i watched it in english with the flipping french subtitles coming up all the time, i mean whats the point in that. it is a brilliant film when ever its released just dont buy this version.DONT BUY IT

Starring Olivia de Havilland and Olivia de Havilland, THE DARK MIRROR is a fun, psychologically-oriented, murder mystery. It is probably foremost, a super vehicle for Olivia to show her acting chops. She plays twin sisters (Terry and Ruth Collins) convincingly; using the subtlest of nuances to depict both personalities.

It is also a splendid job by Robert Siodmak. Imagine, he also made the superb THE KILLERS in the same year. There is only a single scene, where Terry and Ruth are speaking face to face, that looks the slightest bit artificial: the rest is an amazing technical achievement by any standard.

The Oscar nominated story (Vladimir Pozner), screenwriting (Nunnally Johnson), music (Dimitri Tiomkin) and cinematography (Milton Krasner) are all very fine. And when you find that Olivia de Havilland is supported by the likes of Lew Ayres and Thomas Mitchell; there's nothing left but to sit back and enjoy.

This is definitely a film that deserves a DVD/Blu-ray release.

This handsomely mounted Nunnally Johnson production provided Olivia de Havilland with one of her most memorable roles, affording her a singular spotlight. Often having to glow in the more muted tones dispersed from the bright light cast on her frequent co-star, Errol Flynn, she shines here. Written by Johnson and directed by Robert Siodmak, this one simmers rather than broils, benefitting from de Havilland's tour de force as identical twins and the low key atmosphere which make for engrossing drama. Lew Ayres as a doctor with an interest in the behavior of twins, and Thomas Mitchell as the confused cop who talks him into helping the police discover which sister committed a cold-blooded murder, lend fine support to the talented actress.

When a doctor is brutally murdered in his office, his mirror shattered, all evidence points Lt. Stevenson (Thomas Mitchell) toward surprised counter girl, Ruth Collins. Confused by her airtight alibi for the night in question, his problems are further compounded once he discovers she lives with her identical twin, Terry. Close and protective of each other, it is impossible to make a case against either. None of the eyewitnesses can tell them apart, and while only one has the alibi, the sisters refuse to reveal which one. So identical are they that the smitten employee who works beside her, Rusty, cannot tell them apart either. Richard Long, so good as Jarrod in The Big Valley during its long run on television, is fine as Rusty. The film benefits from cinematographer Milton Krasner's fine work behind the camera. It is to the credit of both he and Olivia de Havilland that her role as twin sisters never appears gimmicky in any way.

Dr. Scott Elliot (Lew Ayres) is a bit smitten with Ruthie as well. Or is it Terry? Enlisting his help to satisfy his own curiosity, if not build a case he can take to court, the flustered Lt. Stevenson talks him into making the girls part of his research, hoping the doctor will be able to point him in one direction or the other. Ink blots reveal to Scott that one of the girls is insane, but very smart in covering it up. A slip during a word association game by one nearly unravels everything, but a quick recovery leaves room for doubt. A lie detector test which shows heightened paranoia and a phone call remove any doubt, and Scott now knows which girl he loves, and which one is the killer. One of the sisters is being gaslighted by the other, however, and using himself as bait may prove fruitless when he receives a disturbing call from Stevenson regarding one sister while playing cat and mouse with the other. To reveal more would be a crime, but a neat twist makes it all worthwhile in the end for the moviegoer.

Still unavailable for region one on DVD, it is available on VHS in NTSC format, albeit on EP. A nice look and atmosphere, buoyed by a winning performance from Olivia de Havilland, make this one top tier entertainment for classic film fans. Worth adding to your collection.

This is a fabulous movie -- one of my favorite Olivia Dehavilland movies. It's an "oldie but goodie". Olivia is fantastic in this movie -- she later won 2 Best Actress Oscars after this movie. I would recommend this movie to an audience targeting 30 years and up.

My wife has been waiting for this movie to come om TV. It never has, so I bought it for her. She loves it.