The Dark Mirror (1946)

A man is found murdered, and witnesses are sure about the woman they saw leaving his apartment. However, it becomes apparent that the woman has a twin, and finding out which one is the killer seems impossible.

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (written for the screen by), Vladimir Pozner (original story)

Stars:

Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres, Thomas Mitchell

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Olivia de Havilland	...	Terry Collins / Ruth Collins
Lew Ayres	...	Dr. Scott Elliott
Thomas Mitchell	...	Police Lt. Stevenson
Richard Long	...	Rusty
Charles Evans	...	District Attorney Girard
Garry Owen	...	Franklin (as Gary Owen)
Lela Bliss	...	Mrs. Didriksen
Lester Allen	...	George Benson

Storyline

A woman suspected of murdering her doctor boyfriend has an identical twin sister. When both twins have an alibi for the night of the murder, a psychiatrist is called in to assist a detective in solving the case. Through a series of tests, he discovers which twin actually committed the crime, and in the course of his investigation he falls in love with one of them.

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Plot Keywords:

same actress playing twin role | one actress for twin sisters | actress playing multiple roles | evil twin | 1940s | 

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Taglines:

Please don't tell the secret dramatic ending to your friends! (Signed) The Secret Order of the Dark Mirror

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although the name pendants, monogram dressing gowns, and brooches are swapped for plot purposes, Terry is consistently left-handed and the only one who smokes.

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Goofs

A character says that the victim was stabbed through the heart. But the corpse shown at the beginning of the movie has a knife in its side, several inches from the heart.

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Quotes

Dr. Scott Elliott: Not even nature can duplicate character, not even in twins.

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Connections

Referenced in Fatal Instinct (1993)

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Soundtracks

Frankie & Johnny
Music by Hughie Cannon (uncredited)
Played on the cigarette music-box in the Collins sisters' apartment

User Reviews

Intriguing Film-Noir

When Dr. Frank Peralta is found stabbed to death straight to the heart in his apartment, two neighbors swear to the veteran Lt. Stevenson (Thomas Mitchell), who is charge of the investigation, that they saw Ruth Collins (Olivia de Havilland) leaving his apartment late night. The detective interrogates Ruth and she has the alibi of three witnesses that she was walking around in the Jefferson Park during the night. Then he visits Ruth in her apartment and discovers that she has an identical twin sister called Terry. Lt. Stevenson does not know who the killer is and the prosecutor does not accept to open the case. The sisters can not find a job and Dr. Scott Elliott (Lew Ayres), who is a specialist in twins that had been contacted by Lt. Steenson and has a crush on Ruth, offers a reasonable allowance to the sisters to be submitted to a series of tests for his research of personalities of twins. Scott finds through the results that Terry is a psychotic woman and Ruth might be in danger.

"The Dark Mirror" is a tense psychological film-noir with an intriguing story that has excellent beginning and conclusion. The impressive performance of Olivia de Havilland in a dual role is top-notch, using different attitudes for each sister; and the direction of Robert Siodmak is tight as usual. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Espelho d'Alma" ("Mirror of the Soul")

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1947 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

The Dark Mirror

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Pictures (I), Nunnally Johnson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1