Dead Ringer (1964)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Paul Henreid

Writers:

Albert Beich (writer)
Rian James (story)

Release Date:

19 February 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, now who's the fairest twin of all?

Plot:

The twin sister of a callous wealthy woman murders her out of revenge and assumes the identity of the dead woman.

Plot Keywords:

Twins | Los Angeles | Funeral | Revenge | Murder

Cast

Bette Davis	...	Margaret DeLorca / Edith Phillips
Karl Malden	...	Sergeant Jim Hobbson
Peter Lawford	...	Tony Collins
Philip Carey	...	Sergeant Hoag
Jean Hagen	...	Dede Marshall
George Macready	...	Paul Harrison
Estelle Winwood	...	Dona Anna
George Chandler	...	George, Chauffeur
Mario Alcalde	...	Garcia
Cyril Delevanti	...	Henry, the Butler
Monika Henreid	...	Janet
Bert Remsen	...	Daniel 'Dan' Lister, Bartender
Charles Watts	...	Apartment Manager
Ken Lynch	...	Captain Johnson

Also Known As:

Dead Image (UK)
Who Is Buried in My Grave? (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The original script was written in 1944 and sat on the shelf at Warner Brothers until 1963 when at long last it was finally in production.

Goofs:

Continuity: Edith arrives at her apartment above the cocktail lounge in broad daylight, but when her boyfriend Jim comes to visit less than fifteen minutes later it is dark outside.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Double Take: A Conversation with Boze Hadleigh (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Shuffle Off to Buffalo

She Wouldn't Hurt a Fly!

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")