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By
NICK ZEGARAC
1964's "Dead Ringer" (not to
be confused with 1988's "Dead Ringers") is the
story of rival twin sisters Margaret DeLorca and
Edith Philips, both played by Bette Davis. Years
earlier Margaret married a wealthy so-and-so who
once courted Edith but has since passed away.
Edith's sudden appearance at his funeral sparks
Margaret to invite her sister back to her mansion
for drinks after the service. However, Margaret's
cavalier attitude toward life and her not-so
subtle snubs at Edith's decidedly down to earth
lifestyle (she owns a bar that is in danger of
foreclosure) drive Edith batty. She concocts a
diabolical revenge scenario on a bluff, gets
Margaret to come to her apartment, and then
murders her. Making it look like a suicide, Edith
steals Margaret's clothes and identity, returning
to her sister's mansion as though nothing had
happened. However, Edith's cop boyfriend, Sergeant
Mike Hobbson (Karl Malden) begins to suspect that
something is afoot from the start, though even he
cannot conceive that his one-time girlfriend is
impersonating her own sister. However, the
transition from frump to Trump is a difficult one
for Edith. Eventually eschewing social graces,
Edith's cover is blown when Margaret's loudmouth
friend, DeDe Marshall (Jean Hagen) invites her to
a party at which Margaret's former lover, Tony
Collins (Peter Lawford), is in attendance. The
deceptions run high as Edith slowly comes to
realize that Tony and her sister murdered
Margaret's husband. When Tony discovers Edith's
fraud, he blackmails her into keeping his secret.
Filmed at a time when Davis' career had begun the
slow decline into B-movie oblivion, "Dead Ringer"
emerges as something of a red herring. The film is
directed by Davis' "Now Voyager" costar Paul
Henreid, and the roster of talent amassed,
including George Macready, Estelle Winwood and
Philip Carey is impressive. Still, what emerges is
B-level schlock with a Lizzy Borden spin. Davis
held out long and hard before securing the dual
role. She had previously played twins in "A Stolen
Life" so the rehashing must have seemed like a
solid choice. It is an unhappy circumstance that
the film emerges as little more than a footnote --
one of many for its star -- on her way toward
becoming a relic from Hollywood's golden age.
There is a lot to celebrate in Warner Brother's
DVD transfer. The anamorphic image is remarkably
clean, with a very solid and beautifully rendered
grayscale, deep blacks and excellent contrast
levels. Only during the split-screen shots of the
two sisters do we get a hint of film grain. The
rest of the transfer is ultra smooth and sumptuous
to look at. There are several fleeting hints of
edge enhancement and some extremely minor
pixelization, but neither distract. The audio is
mono but with a considerable -- if tacky
punctuated punch. Extras include a very brief
featurette with Davis biographer, Boze Hadleigh, a
thorough audio commentary with Hadleigh and
Charles Busch, a vintage featurette shot during
production on the film and a theatrical trailer. |
