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IMDbPro

A Double Life

  • 19471947
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
31,778
8,575
Shelley Winters, Ronald Colman, and Signe Hasso in A Double Life (1947)
A celebrated actor struggles to distinguish his own life from that of his most recent stage role, Othello.
Play trailer1:34
1 Video
99+ Photos
CrimeDramaFilm-Noir
A celebrated actor struggles to distinguish his own life from that of his most recent stage role, Othello.A celebrated actor struggles to distinguish his own life from that of his most recent stage role, Othello.A celebrated actor struggles to distinguish his own life from that of his most recent stage role, Othello.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
31,778
8,575
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • George Cukor
    • Writers
      • Ruth Gordon
      • Garson Kanin
      • William Shakespeare(extracts from play "Othello")
    • Stars
      • Ronald Colman
      • Edmond O'Brien
      • Signe Hasso
    Top credits
    • Director
      • George Cukor
    • Writers
      • Ruth Gordon
      • Garson Kanin
      • William Shakespeare(extracts from play "Othello")
    • Stars
      • Ronald Colman
      • Edmond O'Brien
      • Signe Hasso
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 60User reviews
    • 39Critic reviews
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 3 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:34
    Trailer

    Photos497

    "Double Life, A" Ronald Colman 1947 Universal **I.V.
    "Double Life, A" Ronald Colman 1947 Universal **I.V.
    Shelley Winters, Ronald Colman, and Signe Hasso in A Double Life (1947)
    Shelley Winters and Ronald Colman in A Double Life (1947)
    Shelley Winters and Ronald Colman in A Double Life (1947)
    A Double Life (1947)
    A Double Life (1947)
    A Double Life (1947)
    A Double Life (1947)
    A Double Life (1947)
    A Double Life (1947)
    A Double Life (1947)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ronald Colman
    Ronald Colman
    • Anthony John
    Edmond O'Brien
    Edmond O'Brien
    • Bill Friend
    Signe Hasso
    Signe Hasso
    • Brita
    Shelley Winters
    Shelley Winters
    • Pat Kroll
    Ray Collins
    Ray Collins
    • Victor Donlan
    Philip Loeb
    Philip Loeb
    • Max Lasker
    Millard Mitchell
    Millard Mitchell
    • Al Cooley
    Joe Sawyer
    Joe Sawyer
    • Pete Bonner
    Charles La Torre
    • Stellini
    Whit Bissell
    Whit Bissell
    • Dr. Stauffer
    John Drew Colt
    • Stage Manager
    Peter M. Thompson
    • Asst. Stage Manager
    • (as Peter Thompson)
    Elizabeth Dunne
    • Gladys
    Alan Edmiston
    • Rex
    Art Smith
    Art Smith
    • Wigmaker
    Sid Tomack
    Sid Tomack
    • Wigmaker
    Wilton Graff
    Wilton Graff
    • Dr. Mervin
    Harlan Briggs
    Harlan Briggs
    • Oscar Bernard
    • Director
      • George Cukor
    • Writers
      • Ruth Gordon
      • Garson Kanin
      • William Shakespeare(extracts from play "Othello") (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      As a nervous seventeen year-old Shelley Winters read for the part of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) with her Brooklyn accent. George Cukor chased everyone out of his office, sent for two cokes, and advised her to go to college and visit public places to see how ordinary people walked and talked. It wasn't until after he had cast her in this film that he realized who she was.
    • Goofs
      From all appearances during the opening sequence, Anthony John's new comedy is just opening on Broadway - deliverymen carry a fresh sign into the lobby covered with blurbs from rave reviews, leading lady is asked to look at new publicity photos and theater is packed during scene from play. But suddenly, it's revealed that this play has been running a year and is actually about to close. In reality, virtually all plays close due to dwindling attendance (and don't have SRO audiences in last days, as does this one) nor do producers waste money on advertising and publicity on productions that have already posted closing notices, as appears to be the case here since actors are already discussing their next jobs.
    • Quotes

      Anthony John: How's the chicken cacciatore?

      Pat Kroll: It's your stomach.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits appear against a theatre image with stage curtain.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Opus 10 No. 3 in E Major
      (1829-32) (uncredited)

      Written by Frédéric Chopin

      Played a bit on piano by Brita

    User reviews60

    Review
    Top review
    Jungle and Hyde
    George Cukor, what a man. What a lesson here. Usually he takes it as his charter to get out of the way and let an actress (usually an actress) shine or more often to let the wheels of the studio machine turn.

    This may be his most distinctively personal film. And its a gem of sorts.

    Its from a time when actors put tremors into their lines and punctuating hesitations into their movements to denote gravitas. Its a tradition from 19th century Shakespearian productions, or at least became associated with them.

    And going with this here is some very careful staging and blocking. Very, very highly composed, abstract and theatrical. Its worth watching because of the simple craft of the thing. Its excellently shaped.

    But the story, and the way it weaves among all the production threads is quite special. And that is why I would like to recommend this to you.

    The story is rather simple: an actor is intense, so intense that the personality of his characters tends to take over his own. The war between identities isn't a war at all; he just doesn't like himself, sees no sense in himself. His roles offer solidity, sense, so they color his world.

    He gets talked into doing an Othello and the character takes over his life. Blackouts and all that. At this level, it is just another Jekyll and Hyde deal, and might have been as banal as the Spencer Tracy belch. But the blurring of what we see on stage and screen is blurred so effectively. In the way the actors carry themselves. In the lighting and even set dressing.

    And in the story of course. His "real" wife/loving exwife is his Desdemona. There's a folding between her screen and stage characters. Lest we not be locked in that simple two-layer structure, we have her merged with a promiscuous waitress. Its really quite deft.

    Underneath is another layer, overtly racist. That the moor is black is never mentioned, though of course he is dark makeup. But the idea (this is the 40's now) is that of all the characters he has played and whose possession he has mastered, this one overtakes him with an uncontrollable negroid passion. Its a notion explicit in many productions of Othello of course, and is played here.

    Even though it is never mentioned in terms of humans, see how the notion is spoken. Four or five times a scene begins with the principle characters and then slides off into apparently random conversations of surrounding folks. Exclusively, the conversation is about the dangers of adding white stuff (milk or cream) to black stuff (coffee).

    You might not even notice it, so deft is the introduction. Smooth and ghastly.

    Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.
    helpful•14
    7
    • tedg
    • Sep 8, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1, 1948 (Mexico)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
      • Swedish
    • Also known as
      • Inspiration
    • Filming locations
      • 1430 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Kanin Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 44 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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