Sisters (1973)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Brian De Palma (screenplay)
Brian De Palma (story)

Release Date:

27 March 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

What the Devil hath joined together let no man cut asunder.

Plot:

Sibling rivalry begins when orphan twins, raised by nuns, are finally separated after years of togetherness.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Model | Twin | Game Show | Neighbor

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Margot Kidder	...	Danielle Breton / Dominique Blanchion
Jennifer Salt	...	Grace Collier
Charles Durning	...	Joseph Larch
William Finley	...	Emil Breton (as Bill Finley)
Lisle Wilson	...	Phillip Woode
Barnard Hughes	...	Arthur McLennen
Mary Davenport	...	Mrs. Collier
Dolph Sweet	...	Detective Kelly

Also Known As:

Blood Sisters (UK)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White (flashback sequence) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:15 (DVD rating) | UK:18 (re-rating) (1986) | Ireland:18 | Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:X (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Alexander Hamilton Apartment Building - 36 Hamilton, Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

The film was shot in eight weeks following a month of rehearsals.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the woman in the bakery is decorating the cake, she begins writing "Happy Birthday" in block-style capital letters, but when the cake is revealed at the apartment, the writing is in a more cursive style, and only the first letter of each word is capitalized.

Quotes:

Grace Collier: I saw a murder, and I'm going to prove it!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "TCM Underground: Sisters (#1.4)" (2006)

Why god created little red pills...

Hang on to your psychoanalysis, Ladies and Gentlemen...a young Brian De Palma has brought us a fine mindf*ck that is in good company with "Psycho," "The Tenant," and even "Fight Club." "Sisters" is a brain-sizzling thriller that probes the relationship between separated Siamese twins Danielle and Dominique (Margot Kidder) in a maniacally unsettling way. Danielle is a successful actress/model; Dominique is a raving lunatic who becomes violent when sexually aroused. When Dominique murders Danielle's boyfriend, reporter Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt) takes matters into her own hands after the police refuse to help. Meanwhile, Danielle's ex-husband Emil (John Waters doppleganger William Finley) runs a local psych ward. And Charles Durning plays a detective tracking the progress of a particularly heavy couch. De Palma weaves his character interactions seamlessly, employing the types of technical tricks that would be used more superficially in his later works (the use of split-screen to show action from two separate viewpoints, for instance), in addition to some of the trippiest black-and-white imagery this side of "Eraserhead." "Sisters" is an effective, highly influential work that holds up incredibly well today...just make sure you have a refill on your pills before watching it.