Shadows of the Past (1991)

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Movie
German title Shadow of the past
Original title Dead Again
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1991
length 103 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Kenneth Branagh
script Scott Frank
production Lindsay Doran ,
Charles H. Maguire ,
Sydney Pollack
music Patrick Doyle
camera Matthew F. Leonetti
occupation

Shadows of the Past (Original Title: Dead Again ) is an American thriller directed by Kenneth Branagh from 1991 .

action

Grace suffers from amnesia and from recurring nightmares in which a woman is murdered. It is under the care of a church institution. Investigator Mike Church is asked to take Grace to a hospital. Shocked by the prevailing conditions there, he takes Grace to himself.

A friend of Church wrote an article about Grace in the newspaper. Then some people say they know Grace. Grace undergoes at Franklyn Madson a hypnosis - therapy . She can speak again after the first session. It turns out that the woman seen in the nightmares was Margaret Strauss and was murdered in the 1940s. Grace could be her reincarnation . Some evidence suggests that Mike Church may be the reincarnation of Roman Strauss, a composer and Margaret's husband. He could have committed the murder, especially since he was jealous of his wife's friend, Gray Baker. Later it turns out that not Grace, but Mike Church is the reincarnation of Margaret Strauss. Grace is the reincarnation of Roman Strauss. The murder was committed by Franklyn Madson, the then underage son of the Strauss couple's housekeeper.

Madson tries to kill Grace, but Church overpowers him in time.

Reviews

James Berardinelli wrote on ReelViews that the film was a tribute to the films of Alfred Hitchcock and that it was "very good". The “complex” story is told “clearly” and unequivocally. Berardinelli praised numerous scenes and the "soaring" music. He also praised the performances of Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi and Andy Garcia; However, Robin Williams could not play to his strengths. Overall, the film competes with the best works by Alfred Hitchcock and is one of the most “fascinating” and “remarkable” thrillers of the 1990s.

Roger Ebert compared the thriller in the Chicago Sun-Times of August 23, 1991 with the film Ghost - Message from Sam and wrote that both films are intended for an audience that is not afraid of “big gestures”. The very first word spoken is “Murder!”. The music seems "ominous" and "suggestive". Ebert praised the production by Kenneth Branagh.

The review in Spiegel on February 17, 1992 said: "Kenneth Branagh [...] conjures up the melodramas of the forties in his second film in the elegant black-and-white pictures of the flashbacks."

Awards

Patrick Doyle was nominated for the Golden Globe Award in 1992 . Derek Jacobi was nominated for the BAFTA Award in 1992 . Gregor Hesse was nominated for the Young Artist Award in 1992 . Scott Frank was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1992 . The film was also in competition at the 1992 Berlinale , but received nothing at the award ceremony.

background

The shooting took place in Los Angeles and Pasadena ( California instead). The film grossed $ 38.02 million in US cinemas and £ 3.19 million in the UK . There were over 307 thousand moviegoers in Germany .

reception

The concept album " Scenes from a Memory " by the American progressive metal group Dream Theater is based on this film , according to drummer Mike Portnoy .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Review by James Berardinelli
  2. ^ Review by Roger Ebert
  3. ↑ Pretty brittle . In: Der Spiegel , February 17, 1992. Retrieved October 14, 2013
  4. ↑ Filming locations for Dead Again
  5. ^ Business Data for Dead Again