7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
One of a pair of twins, jealous that the other became wealthy and took away her husband, kills her sister and takes over the latter's identity.
Starring: Bette Davis, Karl Malden, Peter Lawford, Philip Carey, Jean HagenThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? proved that actresses of a certain age could have a second—perhaps more appropriately, a third—act in feature films, if only they were willing to subjugate their once glamorous images to the requirements of the horror genre. Bette Davis managed to crank out a handful or so of shockers in the sixties based largely on the overwhelming success What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? had experienced. While there was a certain level of diminishing returns through some of these enterprises, taken as a whole, Davis’ post-Jane horror career offers some standout performances in such fare as Hush. . .Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The Nanny and 1964’s Dead Ringer. In some ways Dead Ringer is the most interesting of the bunch, at least for those who like psychological mysteries more than outright Grand Guignol (or something close to it). Taking a cue from such well regarded noirs as The Dark Mirror , and in a way from Davis’ own A Stolen Life, the actress gets to play twins, though unlike the Olivia De Havilland Mirror film, there’s not a “bad twin, good twin” formulation, at least not in absolutes. That’s one of the fun things about Dead Ringer, for it makes no bones about the fact that both of the characters Davis plays are flawed in their own ways. Both women have made shall we say questionable decisions at one point in their lives, and it becomes clear they share as many character traits as they resemble each other in terms of outward appearance.
Dead Ringer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Though this film was lensed by Ernest Haller, who did such magnificent work on What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (and earning a well deserved Academy Award nomination in the process), and despite the fact that Dead Ringer was ostensibly at least a relatively higher budgeted feature than Jane, the results here aren't quite as sharp as in the former Davis vehicle. Haller repeatedly shoots Davis in soft focus, casting a gauzy layer over a lot of the close-ups of the legendary star. Contrast is generally okay, if not exceptional, with some of the brightly lit daytime scenes looking just slightly washed out. Detail is quite crisp in close-ups (aside from the soft focus issue). The opticals (as in the shots of Davis side by side) are fairly grainy and soft looking, as is to be expected. Generally speaking this is a very good looking transfer culled from elements that are in good shape, but having just watched What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, it pales (literally and figuratively) in comparison.
Dead Ringer's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix sounds just fine, although Andre Previn's harpsichord infused score (obviously modeled on DeVol's similar approach to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) sounds a bit brittle at times, especially in the higher registers. Dialogue sounds precise, and the film actually has some decent dynamic range at times, including in the nice segment in Edie's bar where a jazz duo plays while she's upstairs "taking care" of Margaret.
Dead Ringer is much more of a character study than a repeat of the gothic charms of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? or indeed Davis' next film, Hush. . .Hush, Sweet Charlotte. The film is marked by two distinct and distinctive turns by the venerable Davis, who is obviously having a grand old time playing these characters to the veritable second balcony. Malden is very sympathetic and enjoyable, but Lawford seems like an extremely odd choice for the smarmy boyfriend. Keep your eyes peeled for a number of great supporting turns by a nice group of fantastic character performers. Paul Heinreid directs in a workmanlike but effective manner, and the film, while no great classic, is still notable for a compelling latter day job by Bette Davis. This Blu-ray's image quality has some niggling issues, and Previn's score makes some of the soundtrack a bit tough to take, but generally speaking, Dead Ringer comes Recommended.
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