The Second Twin Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

The Second Twin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 17, 2026

Christian-Jaque's "The Second Twin" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only supplemental feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary by author and critic Simon Abrams. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In America, during the late 1950s and especially the 1960s, various directors began adjusting the classic identity of film noir. They did it by gradually altering and replacing its key characteristics. For example, Don Siegel enthusiastically discarded several of them in The Lineup (1958), which creates its atmosphere with scorching sunlight rather than thick darkness and trades elegance for raw action of the kind that documentary features produce. Soon after, Siegel began shooting in color, too. Edge of Eternity (1959) and The Killers (1964) play with colors in the same ways that then-fashionable magazines did. (To describe films like the former, which is drenched in vibrant sunlight, French critics even created the phrase soleil noir). As the number of TV owners in America continued to grow, and the major studios began creating more meant-for-TV content to meet demand, the trend accelerated, and other directors went further. Jack Smight’s Harper (1966) is essentially a modern adult pulpy melodrama trapped in the body of a film noir. Buzz Kulik’s Warning Shot (1967) is an even more outlandish variation of the same hybrid film. John Guillermin's P.J. (1968) and Paul Bogart’s Marlowe (1969) produce content that is not even relatable to the classic identity of film noir. (Bruce Lee, for instance, has a major part in the latter).

This massive trend was not a unique American development. On the other side of the Atlantic, in Italy and France, local directors were also shooting similar films. However, they quickly veered off in different directions. The most popular ones were the James Bond copycats, virtually all of which are now labeled Eurospy films. (Ironically, the biggest among them all cast American actors). However, the less popular ones, which were French films, were dramatically better. More importantly, the directors who shot these less popular films began adjusting another classic identity, established in the 1930s with masterpieces like Julien Duvivier’s Pépé le Moko (1937) and Marcel Carne’s Port of Shadows (1938) and Daybreak (1939). It was the classic identity of “poetic realism”, the forerunner of film noir.

Christian-Jacque’s The Second Twin (1966) is one of these less popular French films that offered a fresh new take on “poetic realism”. It is loosely based on Jean Laborde’s novel “Un homme à part entière", and features dialogue by Jacques Sigurd, who penned Yves Allegret’s Such a Pretty Little Beach (1949), widely considered to be one of the top classic post-war films associated with “poetic realism”.

In The Second Twin, married middle-aged lawyer Pierre Montaud (Robert Hossein) meets twentysomething medical student Nathalie Neuville (Michele Mercier) in a trendy nightclub and the two begin an affair. However, because of Montaud’s busy schedule and family obligations, the two struggle to spend as much time as they wish, and eventually Neuville begins drifting toward another, wealthier, far more aggressive bachelor. When someone guns down the bachelor, Montaud is arrested, tried in court, and sent to prison. More than a year later, a crucial discovery unexpectedly proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Montaud is innocent, and the authorities release him. Nevertheless, the public, while speculating that a deal has been struck, refuses to exonerate him, and Neuville, despite still being madly in love with him, reveals that she is skeptical about their future. Struggling to clear his name and rebuild his reputation, Montaud then slowly begins reconstructing several events preceding the bachelor’s murder.

Arguably the greatest decade for French crime and gangster films, the 1960s were dominated by the stylish films Claude Sautet, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Henri Verneuil directed. These films, while all boasting unique identities, paid homage to the classic American film noirs. Often incorrectly profiled as a crime film, The Second Twin does not in any way, direct or indirect, pay homage to the American film noirs. It is a contemporary romantic melodrama, reinventing the special mood and fatalism that popularized “poetic realism”.

Hossein and Mercier share great chemistry. Mercier also looks gorgeous, like a French twin sister of Jean Seberg. However, the real star is the camera, constantly surprising with interesting movement and unorthodox close-ups, creating a most deserving special atmosphere for the crime puzzle the two lovers are trying to solve.

*Kino Lorber’s release presents a new 4K restoration of The Second Twin, sourced from the original camera. The 4K restoration was completed on behalf of StudioCanal.

The Second Twin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Second Twin arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release presents a gorgeous new 4K restoration of The Second Twin, sourced from the original camera. I liked everything that I saw on my system. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to outstanding. From time to time, small fluctuations are noticeable, but they are inherited, not a byproduct of poor digital work. Grain exposure is healthy and convincing. Color reproduction and balance are great. In a few places, select blue nuances emerging in larger shots where the camera is pointed at the sky could have been managed slightly better, but there are no distracting anomalies. All primaries are properly set and balanced. Image stability is excellent. Also, the entire film looks strikingly healthy. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Second Twin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

It is easy to tell that the audio has been fully restored as well. All exchanges, effects, and the music sound terrific, never revealing any signs of damage introduced by aging. Dynamic contrasts are very good, too. The English translation is outstanding, but I would have preferred to see larger English subtitles. The ones included on this release are a bit too small.

The Second Twin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and critic Simon Abrams.

The Second Twin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Second Twin reimagines "poetic realism" in the same way The Killers, Warning Shot, and P.J. did film noir -- with enthusiasm and elegance that are incredibly attractive. Also, The Second Twin comes from the 1960s, when Michele Mercier was indescribably gorgeous. I have always liked this film a lot and could not be happier that Kino Lorber chose to release it on Blu-ray, after it was fully restored in 4K. I will make sure that the Blu-ray appears on my Top Ten list at the end of the year. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.