81 mins |
Rated
PG (Parental Guidance Recommended)
After a doctor is murdered, Lt. Stevenson questions the man's girlfriend, Terry Collins (Olivia de Havilland). Sensing that she's keeping a secret, Stevenson confronts Terry in her home, where he meets her identical twin sister, Ruth (also de Havilland). Both women appear exactly alike, sometimes even posing as each other. However, when twin expert Dr. Elliott analyzes the sisters, he finds that one twin is normal, while the other is psychotic -- but which one?
Curator’s note: Initially what appears to be a contrived crime mystery becomes delightfully unhinged as the film embraces elements of psychoanalysis and protagonists tip into insanity. The film is at its strongest when it starts to allow De Havilland to flesh out her dual roles as the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ twin sisters. Sisterly rivalry in the actress’ hands because something far more sinister, especially when complemented by director Robert Siodmak’s penchant for shadowy lighting, imported with him from the recent Expressionism movement in Germany.
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After a doctor is murdered, Lt. Stevenson questions the man's girlfriend, Terry Collins (Olivia de Havilland). Sensing that she's keeping a secret, Stevenson confronts Terry in her home, where he meets her identical twin sister, Ruth (also de Havilland). Both women appear exactly alike, sometimes even posing as each other. However, when twin expert Dr. Elliott analyzes the sisters, he finds that one twin is normal, while the other is psychotic -- but which one?
Curator’s note: Initially what appears to be a contrived crime mystery becomes delightfully unhinged as the film embraces elements of psychoanalysis and protagonists tip into insanity. The film is at its strongest when it starts to allow De Havilland to flesh out her dual roles as the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ twin sisters. Sisterly rivalry in the actress’ hands because something far more sinister, especially when complemented by director Robert Siodmak’s penchant for shadowy lighting, imported with him from the recent Expressionism movement in Germany.