The black circle
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The black circle |
| Original title | Dead ringer |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1964 |
| length | 116 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Paul Henreid |
| script |
Albert Beich Oscar Millard |
| production | William H. Wright |
| music | André Previn |
| camera | Ernest Haller |
| cut | Folmar Blangsted |
| occupation | |
| |
The black circle (original title: Dead Ringer ) is a 1964 thriller by the American director Paul Henreid .
action
The two have not seen each other in years and are still twin sisters: the bar owner Edith and the wealthy Margaret. The reason: Margaret Edith took her husband away 20 years ago. Now, at this man's funeral, the two meet again. Without further ado, Edith kills her sister and takes on her identity. The question, however, is whether she can fool Margaret's servants and the authorities with their murderous games and keep her stolen wealth for a long time - or whether her sister's dog might get in her way and betray her. The employees also seem to suspect something. In addition, the secret admirer of her dead sister appears. In the end Edith ends up in the gas chamber.
criticism
“The film plays with surprise effects against a morbid intellectual background. A double role for the fabulous Bette Davis. "
“DEAD RINGER is simply a feast for Bette Davis fans, who doesn't act as (wonderfully) exaggerated as in 'Baby Jane' and portrays the two fundamentally different characters Edith and Margaret very convincingly down to the nuances. As unbelievable as the whole thing is, it is entertainingly staged by Paul Henreid, who himself co-starred Bette Davis several times during her golden years in Hollywood and will not be forgotten as Victor Laszlo in the immortal classic 'Casablanca'. The always cuddly Karl Malden and the adorable Estelle Winwood shine in supporting roles. The B / W camera does without any antics, André Previn's film music is also very successful. "
“In the style of a Greek tragedy, Edith, despite subjectively understandable motivation, brings her own ruin upon herself and, once she has embarked on the path, cannot stop it. The implementation is flawless. As is so often the case with films like this, the question of whether you want to watch it depends primarily on how much Bette Davis you can endure: It's a 'one-woman show'. "
useful information
- Robert Aldrich was a candidate for the director's chair
- Bette Davis smokes 16 cigarettes in the film
- The budget was about $ 1.2 million
- The film was shot mainly in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills .
- In 1986 a TV remake was made under the title "The Devil's Mirror Image" with Ann Jillian .
- The film grossed about $ 2 million
- Lana Turner refused the lead because she didn't want to play a twin.
- Bette Davis originally wanted to see James Philbrook in the role of Sergeant Jim Hobbson
Web links
- The black circle in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The black circle in the online film database
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c The black circle in the lexicon of international film