Dead Ringer

Edith Phillips (Bette Davis) and Margaret DeLorca (also Davis) are twin sisters.  20 years ago, Maggie stole Edie’s beau and married him.  Now Maggie is wealthy and Edie runs a shabby cocktail lounge, three months behind on her rent.  The death of Mr. DeLorca brings the two together after a long estrangement.  Edie learns that it was a deception that allowed Maggie to rope DeLorca into marrying her, and her resentment is doubled.  Edie plots to kill her sister, make it look like her own suicide, and take over her life.  Of course, that proves easier said than done, as her cop boyfriend (Karl Malden) keeps popping up… as does the lover (Peter Lawford) she didn’t know her sister had.

This film has connections to two movies.  The first is La otra, a 1946 Dolores del Rio vehicle that film is a remake of.  The other is another 1946 movie, A Stolen Life… a very similar story in which Bette Davis also played twins.  However, I haven’t seen either of those so I have no basis for comparison.  I can say that this is a very fun, psychologically intriguing film with the usual riveting performance from Davis.  I really should seek out every Davis picture I can get my hands on, as I’m slowly realizing she’s one of my favorites (Beyond the Forest, Baby Jane, and Another Man’s Poison especially).  The only Bette Davis movie I’ve ever given a bad review is The Petrified Forest, and I bet I’d like it more now.

The story is pretty ridiculous and doesn’t hold much water.  But it’s fun to go along for the ride, as Edie copes with all the various problems that arise from imitating someone else.  The differences in handwriting, not knowing where anything in her house is, the relationship with the dog, trying to fool all of Maggie’s associates and friends, needing to figure out the combination to the safe.  And the psychological angle is intriguing, as Edie becomes more like Maggie.  One of my favorite Vonnegut quotes is from Mother Night: “We are what we pretend to be, so we must careful what we pretend to be.”  It’s not as simple as being yourself with a different name and a different house.

Davis handles the dual role excellently, not overdoing the differences between the sisters (they both speak unmistakably like Bette Davis) but making them distinct enough.  And the film (directed by Paul Henreid, Davis’s co-star in Now, Voyager and Deception) doesn’t jump through a lot of hoops to call attention to the twins gimmick.  They don’t share that much time onscreen (because, you know… one gets killed in the first act).  Malden holds his own, but the most interesting supporting performance (in a cast that also includes Jean Hagen and George Macready) might be Cyril Delevanti as the butler who has a fine moment at the end.

A little bit camp and a little bit noir, and a lot of entertainment… thanks largely to Bette’s terrific presence.  Rating: Very Good (82)

IMDb