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 & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Irons	...	Beverly Mantle / Elliot Mantle
Geneviève Bujold	...	Claire Niveau
Heidi von Palleske	...	Cary
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

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:

twins | identical twins | impersonating one's identical twin brother | male protagonist | twin brothers | 

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Taglines:

Two bodies. Two minds. One soul

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada USA

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)

Gross USA:

$9,134,733

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment Group, Téléfilm Canada, Mantle Clinic II

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 25 Most Dangerous Movies".

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Goofs

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.

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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 ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Castle: Inventing the Girl (2009)

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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

Outstanding Performance of Jeremy Irons Associated to a Great Edition Work

The twin brothers Beverly and Elliot Mantle are close to each other since they were kids. They are bright students at the medical school were they undergraduate in gynecology. They work in their clinic Mantle Inc. where Beverly (Jeremy Irons) is shy and hard worker and Elliot is eloquent, cynical and daring. When the actress Claire Niveau (Genevieve Bujold) comes to their clinic for a fertilization treatment, Elliot seduces her and they have one night stand. Elliot offers Claire to Beverly and soon he falls in love with her. Claire is addicted in pills and Beverly becomes also addicted. When Claire accidentally discovers that Beverly has an identical twin brother, she finds the truth about her initial affair with Elliot and breaks up with Beverly. He becomes depressed and uses more pills reaching the rock bottom. Elliot decides to use pills to "synchronize" with his brother leading the Mantle's brothers to a tragic end.

"Dead Ringers" is a strange and mesmerizing film by David Cronenberg. The story of identical twin brothers with different behaviors that are affected by a woman has outstanding performance of Jeremy Irons associated to a great edition work. The film is gruesome in many moments and the conclusion is predictable, with the destruction of both twins. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Gêmeos - Mórbida Semelhança" ("Twins – Morbid Ressemblance")