- Actors: Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Long, Charles Evans
- Directors: Robert Siodmak
- Writers: Nunnally Johnson, Vladimir Pozner
- Producers: Nunnally Johnson
- Language English
- Classification: PG
- Studio: Second Sight
- VHS Release Date: 24 Jan 2000
- Run Time: 85 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CVT8
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 9,966 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Lt Stevenson (Thomas Mitchell) enlists the help of psycho-analyst Dr Elliott (Lew Ayres) to solve a murder case. There are 2 suspects - twins Ruth and Terry (both played by Olivia De Havilland). Dr Elliott spends time analyzing the twins in the name of research but he is instructed to report back his findings to Lt Stevenson. One of the twins is a murderess......probably the insane one.....
The film gets straight into the story as we are encouraged to try and work out who is the good sister and who is the bad sister. At times it is difficult to make out who is who but if you pay attention, you can manage to do it. The film portrays both sisters on the screen at the same time for much of the film and it is very well done. Olivia de Havilland is good as the twins - she plays evil and intelligence very well - and it is her film. The scenes where she pits her wits against Dr Elliott during the ink-blot tests and word association games are good, although I think that I would have certified both sisters insane after hearing their interpretations of the first ink-blot test....it's obviously a cow's head!
Perhaps Dr Elliott is the crazy one. When I was psycho-analyzed at age 4, I was told to draw a picture. I drew a woman and a house on fire, the meaning of which was that I wanted to burn my mother! I didn't want to do anything of the sort. In fact, I was in love with her.....yet the psycho-man made me sound like a nutcase. I was also given some soldiers to play with and told that I had a persecution complex because I had one cowboy shooting against lots of indians. This meant that I felt the world was against me. Wrong again! I was playing out hero worship as I was hooked on the "Friday Western" TV slot inevitably starring Randolph Scott. I watched him every week being a good-guy hero and took my behaviour cues from him. These psycho Dr's get it wrong and maybe neither Ruth nor Terry were insane.....actually, one of them obviously has problems.....but so does Dr Elliott. He grows attached to one of the twins.
There were a couple of silly points about the film: 1 - it's just totally unbelievable. The policeman would have just arrested them both after the murder; 2 - why have twins dress in the same clothes all the time..!!?... These points aside, it is an entertaining film that is worth keeping onto and watching again. I guess Olivia de Havilland had her own sibling rivalry with sister Joan Fontaine to draw upon for the role. Neither speak to each other to this day. They have both obviously looked into the dark mirror.
The film gets straight into the story as we are encouraged to try and work out who is the good sister and who is the bad sister. At times it is difficult to make out who is who but if you pay attention, you can manage to do it. The film portrays both sisters on the screen at the same time for much of the film and it is very well done. Olivia de Havilland is good as the twins - she plays evil and intelligence very well - and it is her film. The scenes where she pits her wits against Dr Elliott during the ink-blot tests and word association games are good, although I think that I would have certified both sisters insane after hearing their interpretations of the first ink-blot test....it's obviously a cow's head!
Perhaps Dr Elliott is the crazy one. When I was psycho-analyzed at age 4, I was told to draw a picture. I drew a woman and a house on fire, the meaning of which was that I wanted to burn my mother! I didn't want to do anything of the sort. In fact, I was in love with her.....yet the psycho-man made me sound like a nutcase. I was also given some soldiers to play with and told that I had a persecution complex because I had one cowboy shooting against lots of indians. This meant that I felt the world was against me. Wrong again! I was playing out hero worship as I was hooked on the "Friday Western" TV slot inevitably starring Randolph Scott. I watched him every week being a good-guy hero and took my behaviour cues from him. These psycho Dr's get it wrong and maybe neither Ruth nor Terry were insane.....actually, one of them obviously has problems.....but so does Dr Elliott. He grows attached to one of the twins.
There were a couple of silly points about the film: 1 - it's just totally unbelievable. The policeman would have just arrested them both after the murder; 2 - why have twins dress in the same clothes all the time..!!?... These points aside, it is an entertaining film that is worth keeping onto and watching again. I guess Olivia de Havilland had her own sibling rivalry with sister Joan Fontaine to draw upon for the role. Neither speak to each other to this day. They have both obviously looked into the dark mirror.
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
This is a classic film which I watch often. If only it was available on DVD!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
9 reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Olivia De Havilland Shines
7 Aug 2000
Although director Robert Siodmak is most closely identified with noir classics such as The Killers, Crisscross, and The Phantom Lady, The Dark Mirror is a fine addition to his portfolio. Expanding on the scope of his creativity, Siodmak relies heavily on the performance that he draws from star actress Olivia De Havilland. The Dark Mirror is a psychological thriller about a murder committed by one of two twin sisters; Ruth and Terry Collins. Playing both sister roles, De Havilland's acting ability and developmental character depth is tested. De Havilland passes admirably. At first the twin sisters seem physically and emotionally similar. Subltle nuances differentiate their personalities and it is De Havilland's fine acting that peels away the layers of emotionalism that define each sister's character traits. De Havilland aided by keen camera work by Siodmak, keeps viewers on edge as she shifts roles within frames that are shared by both sisters. ( I still don't understand how Sidomak achieved this- especially the scenes when Terry is comforting a terrifed Ruth.) When Terry attempts to drive Ruth insane, thoughts of Gaslight come to mind, but De Havilland's dual performance creates even more interest. Dimitri Tomkin's musical score is also a plus as it serves to accentuate the emotions that heighten the film's climactic expressions shared by the twin sisters. The script by Nunnally Johnson, is sometimes mundane, and it seems that the film's eighty- five minute running time is consciously stretched. The film's ending is a surprise as Terry's wrath and frustration finally surface.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Double DeHavilland
9 Jan 2000
The Dark Mirror is an improbable, yet entertaining suspense story about a detective and a psychiatrist's attempts to determine which one of a pair of twins committed murder. The movie succeeds because of the effective performance by Olivia deHavilland as the twins. Rather than making the twins polar opposites (which is what most actresses whould have done and most twins aren't), she subtlely distinguishes between the two, and her performance at the climax of the movie is very memorable. The special effects to give the illusion of two Olivias are quite good, especially given the time when the film was made. All in all, it's an entertaining movie and I'd recommend it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
"Double trouble--for sure".
21 Feb 2007
Amazon Verified Purchase
For those of you who think Olivia de Havilland's career was only that of
sweet ladies (Melanie--Gone With the Wind), think again! She is the reason to watch this film, and the movie launched her in several roles
where she was not very good-(The Heiress, My Cousin Rachel, etc.) In my
opinion, she's better when she's bad. She's not Bette Davis "bad"--she's
much more subtle and a lot more fun to watch. Try this picture--you might
like it!
sweet ladies (Melanie--Gone With the Wind), think again! She is the reason to watch this film, and the movie launched her in several roles
where she was not very good-(The Heiress, My Cousin Rachel, etc.) In my
opinion, she's better when she's bad. She's not Bette Davis "bad"--she's
much more subtle and a lot more fun to watch. Try this picture--you might
like it!
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