The Dark Mirror (1946 film)
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| The Dark Mirror | |
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| Directed by | Robert Siodmak |
| Produced by | Nunnally Johnson |
| Written by | Nunnally Johnson Vladimir Pozner (story) |
| Starring | Olivia de Havilland Lew Ayres Thomas Mitchell |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Cinematography | Milton R. Krasner |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures Company Inc. |
| Release date(s) | October 18, 1946 (USA) |
| Running time | 85 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Dark Mirror (1946) is a black-and-white psychological thriller film directed by Robert Siodmak, starring Olivia de Havilland as a pair of twins, and Lew Ayres as their psychiatrist. The film marks Ayres' return to motion pictures following his conscientious objection to service in World War II. De Havilland had begun to experiment with "method acting" at the time and insisted that everyone in the cast meet with a psychiatrist. The film anticipates producer/screenwriter Nunnally Johnson's psycho-docu-drama The Two Faces of Eve. Vladimir Pozner's original story on which the film is based was nominated for an Academy Award.
Dark Mirror was remade as a TV movie in 1984, with Jane Seymour as the twins and Vincent Gardenia as the cop.
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[edit] Plot
This psychological thriller tells the story of a pair of identical twins, one loving and nice and the other severely disturbed. A doctor is killed and witnesses identify one of the twins as the person seen having a quarell with the victim shortly before his death. A detective investigating the case cannot determine which twin did the killing since each can provide an alibi for the other. The cops ask for assistance from a doctor who studies twins to help crack the case.
[edit] Critical reaction
The film today receives mixed reviews but praise almost always goes to Robert Siodmark's capable direction.
[edit] Main cast
- Olivia de Havilland as twins Terry and Ruth Collins
- Lew Ayres as Dr. Scott Elliott
- Thomas Mitchell as Lt. Stevenson
- Richard Long as Rusty
[edit] Trivia
The Guilty (1947) and The Man with My Face (1951) and Dead Ringer (1964) are other black-and-white film noirs that deal with doubles.
