Dead Again (1991)

A woman who has lost her memory is taken in by a Los Angeles orphanage, and a private eye is enlisted to track down her identity, but he soon finds that he might have a past life connection to her that endangers their lives.

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writer:

Scott Frank

Stars:

Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kenneth Branagh	...	Roman Strauss / Mike Church
Andy Garcia	...	Gray Baker
Emma Thompson	...	Grace / Margaret Strauss
Lois Hall	...	Sister Constance
Richard Easton	...	Father Timothy
Jo Anderson	...	Sister Madeleine / Starlet
Patrick Montes	...	Pickup Driver
Raymond Cruz	...	Supermarket Clerk
Robin Williams	...	Dr. Cozy Carlisle
Wayne Knight	...	'Piccolo' Pete Dugan
Patrick Doyle	...	Cop #1 - Hospital Elevator / Party Guest #2
Erik Kilpatrick	...	Cop #2 - Hospital Elevator
Gordana Rashovich	...	Handcuffed Woman - Hospital Elevator
Derek Jacobi	...	Franklyn Madson
Obba Babatundé	...	Syd - Restaurant Owner (as Obba Babatunde)

Storyline

Mike Church is a Los Angeles private detective who specializes in finding missing persons. He takes on the case of a mute woman who is suffering from a total amnesia and doesn't even know her name. She keeps having nightmares involving the murder of a pianist, Margaret, by her husband Roman Strauss in the late 1940s. In an attempt to solve the mystery about her identity and her nightmares, Church accepts the help of an antiquary who arrives to offer his services as a hypnotist. The hypnosis sessions soon begin to reveal some surprises.

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Plot Keywords:

hypnosis | private eye | amnesia | scissors | past life regression | 

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Taglines:

How many times can you die for love?

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 August 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Volver a morir

Filming Locations:

380 South San Rafael Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,479,395, 23 August 1991, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$38,016,380

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Mirage Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The numbers on the back of Roman's prison uniform are "25101415" or "25 October 1415", the date of the Battle of Agincourt fought by King Henry V, which was the movie Sir Kenneth Branagh directed prior to this one.

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Goofs

Gray Baker has a pierced ear and that would not have been acceptable for the late 1940's.

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Quotes

Pete: I've known Mike Church forever. He would never hurt her.
Franklyn Madson: This is fate we're talking about, and if fate works at all, it works because people think that THIS TIME, it isn't going to happen!

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Crazy Credits

Jo Anderson and Patrick Doyle are each credited twice for their dual roles in this movie.

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Connections

Featured in 1992 MTV Movie Awards (1992)

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Soundtracks

Isn't It Romantic
by Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart

User Reviews

Classy Modern Noir Fantasy

Although he received tremendous praise for his memorable film production of Shakespeare's HENRY V, DEAD AGAIN was the film that really introduced actor/director Kenneth Branagh to mainstream American film, and for a time he and then-wife Emma Thompson were the most celebrated acting couple since Olivier and Leigh. The marriage did not last, but fortunately this film did--and I say fortunately, for although it is somewhat forgotten today, DEAD AGAIN is an overlooked jewel of a film: classy, noir-ish, stylish, and very memorable indeed.

The story is fanciful. In the late 1940s noted composer Roman Strauss was convicted of murdering his noted pianist wife Margaret, and was sentenced to death. Some forty years later, a young woman suffering from amnesia falls into the hands of a no-nonsense Los Angeles private eye--and under hypnosis she recalls not her immediate past, but the lives of Roman and Margaret. Is this reincarnation? Is she Margaret Strauss? Is the private eye to whom she is attracted but of whom she is also strangely fearful the reincarnation of Roman Strauss, Margaret's killer? Is history repeating itself? Scott Frank's clever script makes for a fast-paced, twisting, and fascinating plot-driven film--and it is flawlessly played by Branagh and Thompson, who assume dual roles as the 1940s Roman and Margaret Strauss and the 1980s Mike Church and Grace. The supporting cast is also excellent, with memorable performances by Andy Garcia and Derek Jacobi--and a truly exceptional cameo by Robin Williams, who here for the first time demonstrated that his talents went far beyond comedy. The shifts between past and present, nightmare and reality are exceedingly well done, and although the plot becomes more and more fantastic the entire film is so perfectly executed that one buys into it every step of the way.

If DEAD AGAIN has a flaw, it is that some of the twists and turns are predictable--but in the film's favor I must admit that it sweeps you along so quickly that you seldom have time to analyze that failing while you actually watch the film. It is also to a certain extent a "one trick pony" film; the film is at its most powerful upon a first viewing, when one is oblivious to what is coming. But even so, it is tremendously effective and it holds up as well today as when it first appeared on the big screen. The current DVD includes little in the way of extras beyond commentary tracks by producer Lindsay Doran, writer Scott Frank, and director-star Kenneth Branagh--and these are as hit-and-miss as commentary tracks usually are, but they hit more often than miss. The picture and sound quality is overall very good. Recommended!

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer