Dead Ringers (1988)

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

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writers:

David Cronenberg, Norman Snider

Stars:

Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske

20 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Irons	...	Beverly / Elliot
Geneviève Bujold	...	Claire / Leo's wife(actress)
Heidi von Palleske	...	Cary / Elliot's girlfriend
Barbara Gordon	...	Danuta / clinic receptionist
Shirley Douglas	...	Laura / Claire's friend
Stephen Lack	...	Anders Wolleck
Nick Nichols	...	Leo / Claire's husband
Lynne Cormack	...	Arlene / patient
Damir Andrei	...	Birchall / Claire's secretary
Miriam Newhouse	...	Mrs. Bookman / patient
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

Storyline

The Mantle brothers are both doctors - both gynecologists - and identical twins. Mentally however, one of them is more confident than the other, and always manages to seduce the women he meets. When he's tired of his current partner, she is passed on to the other brother - without her knowing. Everything runs smoothly, until an actress visits their clinic, and the shy brother is the first to fall in love. Will they be able to 'share' her ?

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Plot Keywords:

identical twins | mutated organ | downward spiral | 1950s | gynecologist | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

Jeremy Irons used his British accent to play the roles of the adult twins, even though the characters grew up in Canada.

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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 ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Horror Movies Inspired by True Events (2014)

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Soundtracks

In the Still of the Night (I'll Remember)
Performed by The Five Satins
under license from Arista Records, Inc.
Copyrighted by Llee Corp.
Composed by Fred Parris

User Reviews

Gold instrument intrudes your soul

To date, Cronenberg's deepest film.

Jeremy Irons summons a performance of profound complexity, to pull off a double-act so credible that your feelings are divided, twin egg-like, between two characters. The polar-opposite attraction/repulsion of each brother's personality shines through in his every scene - to flesh out two characters so distant yet so deeply intimate, and do it so convincingly, requires more than acting, and this is by far his finest moment.

I can't say any more about this film other than that seeing it is a life-enhancing experience. Anyone who has ever taken potent substances with a close friend, as a kind of emotional rite, will be moved beyond words by the twins' climactic scene.

Never mind the detractors who say it's cold and clinical and abusive - they just don't understand it. There is love, warmth and beauty in abundance in this film - a horror film? A psychological thriller? A love story? Don't try and give it a name and place, it's just an essential part of understanding us: as adults; as children; as weird, fathomless organisms.

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead Ringers

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,012,180, 25 September 1988

Gross USA:

$8,038,508

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,038,508

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment, Téléfilm Canada, Mantle Clinic II

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1