Dead Ringers (1988)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writers:

Bari Wood (book) and
Jack Geasland (book) ...

Release Date:

23 September 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Two bodies. Two minds. One soul. Separation can be a terrifying thing.

Plot:

Twin gynecologists take full advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman.

Plot Keywords:

Twins | Gynecologist | Identical Twins | Actress | Doctor

Awards:

20 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Jeremy Irons	...	Beverly Mantle / Elliot Mantle
Geneviève Bujold	...	Claire Niveau (as Genevieve Bujold)
Heidi von Palleske	...	Cary (as Heidi Von Palleske)
Barbara Gordon	...	Danuta
Shirley Douglas	...	Laura
Stephen Lack	...	Anders Wolleck
Nick Nichols	...	Leo
Lynne Cormack	...	Arlene
Damir Andrei	...	Birchall
Miriam Newhouse	...	Mrs. Bookman
David Hughes	...	Superintendent
Richard W. Farrell	...	Dean of Medicine (as Richard Farrell)
Warren Davis	...	Anatomy Class Supervisor
Jonathan Haley	...	Beverly, Age 9
Nicholas Haley	...	Elliot, Age 9

Also Known As:

Alter ego (Canada: French title)
Gemini (Canada: English title) (working title)
Twins (Canada: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Portugal:M/16 | Iceland:16 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Bell Trinity Square - 483 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Mantle Clinic II

Trivia:

The shots of the twins onscreen together were accomplished through one of the first uses of computer-controlled moving-matte photography.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In a scene dated 1954, the twins seen are playing with The Visible Woman, Revell toy company's biological model of a woman that was not marketed until at least five years later.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Elliot, Age 9: You've heard about sex...
Beverly, Age 9: Sure I have.
Elliot, Age 9: Well I've discovered why sex is.
Beverly, Age 9: You have? Fantastic.
Raffaella: It's because humans don't live under water.
Beverly, Age 9: I don't get it.
Elliot, Age 9: Well, fish don't need sex because they just lay the eggs and fertilize them in the water. Humans can't do that because they don't live in the water. They have to - internalize the water. Therefore we have sex.
Beverly, Age 9: So you mean humans would have sex if they lived in the water?
Elliot, Age 9: Well they'd have a kind of sex. The kind where you wouldn't have to touch each other.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lightning Bug (2004)

Soundtrack:

In the Still of the Night (I'll Remember)

"Dead Ringers" = Separation Anxiety?

I must admit that I have a bit of a fascination with identical twins, and I don't think I'm alone on this. We often wonder to ourselves about how life must be for those that are, being able to con others by one twin being able to pose as the other or one twin taking the blame for the other's misdeeds.

I first encountered a pair of identical twins when I was still in preschool and the concept has stuck with me ever since. So have the questions and the articulate pondering of how they can socialize in an environment as active as something, say, a public high school. How would they function? Normally, I would guess, but that's not enough for some, and director David Cronenberg also explores the concept of twins and has made a delicate and obsessive film that dives deep into its subject matter and doesn't relent in his hunt.

Cronenberg is a director with an impeccable track record of nasty, gore-laden and brilliant horror and sci-fi movies that many times serve a greater purpose other than grossing out the audience. To paraphrase his IMDb biography, his works are often metaphors for larger social questions that are left up to the viewer to answer. Hence, this in no way makes his work easy to grasp or understand; it may take repeated viewings, but the pieces will eventually fall into place.

Let's reflect: "Videodrome" (1983) explored the notion of reality-morphing television and technology and its fusion with human flesh - as witnessed by a man whose obsession with a strange television signal warps his perceptions of reality and he literally becomes a media assassin, as well as a human VCR with a vagina-like slit in his stomach to which a video cassette could be inserted; "The Fly" (1986) displayed the agonizing process of slow death and the effect it has on those involved - showcased by a woman having to watch her lover, a brilliant scientist whose DNA is mixed with that of a common housefly, waste away into something more terrifying; Cronenberg's third work of genius at this time, 1988's "Dead Ringers," dissected duality, that two separate minds can possibly equal one whole body or personality. Cronenberg explored each of these with graphic special effects and detailed and imaginative storytelling, both of which earned him the love and following of many fans and essayists.

Here, in "Dead Ringers," Cronenberg explores this issue of duality, and the possibility that two individual personalities, twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle (Jeremy Irons, in a hefty and confusing performance), are actually halves of a whole. Elliot is the smooth ladies man - confident, bright, highly sexual. Beverly is the more secretive one - confused, lonely, desperate.

Based on supposedly true events and a book called "Twins" by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, both men share each other's secrets, lives, patients, and sexual conquests of women. Sex comes up a lot in Cronenberg's film, and he uses it as a joke between the two twins: "You'd still be a virgin if it weren't for me," quips the extrovert Elliot to the introvert Beverly. Elliot and Beverly live together, but live as each other and can't live without each other; they would rather die than be separate.

Things become complicated for them both when Beverly begins romancing a desperate actress named Claire Niveau (Genevieve Bujold), and for once he begins to come out of his shell when he finds that he's falling madly in love with her. She eventually discovers that Elliot and Beverly are twins. Beverly attempts to win her back when she calls it quits to their relationship and eventually does, but where does this leave Elliot, the smoother of the Mantle Brothers?

It's not enough that Beverly is also hounded by a rather ghastly dream and he eventually begins down a tragic spiral of drug addiction, as does Elliot, who says that they share the same body and mind. The two brothers then begin attempts to "separate," which will have tragic consequences for both of them.

Cronenberg has a knack for getting commanding performances from his players and "Dead Ringers" is no exception. Irons puts on a confusing and masterful performance as both Mantle twins, as the film really makes you believe you're watching two men (when it's actually one man interacting with himself). Cronenberg utilizes extraordinary split-screen technology, body doubles, and editing to make you think Irons has a twin that nobody's ever seen before. (P.S: One should also be on the lookout for a real-life pair of twins: a young, pre-"Law & Order" Jill Hennessy and her sister Jacqueline in brief cameo roles as two female escorts.)

Hardcore Cronenberg fans will definitely find "Dead Ringers" rewarding, if not lacking. You know what I'm talking about: gore, oh, delicious, explicit carnage and gore. Well, if one is a gorehound, you'll be disappointed but a more observant hound will find their desserts in the psychological gore that makes up for much of what's normally missing in this picture. The graphic gynecological surgical instruments, one particular dream sequence, and the ending "surgery" will definitely make those thirsty for blood + guts crave for more.

"Dead Ringers" shows David Cronenberg at his artistic best; I've waited a long time to see this movie and I myself was not disappointed in the slightest. If "The Fly" is considered his greatest film, then "Dead Ringers" shows him at his most mature as a director. This picture allowed Cronenberg to begin real work in mainstream cinema and also allowed for him to get the respect of other great directors (I've heard that Martin Scorsese has a lot of admiration for him).

David Cronenberg's theatrical masterpiece - "Dead Ringers."

8/10