Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Dead Ringer Blu-ray Movie Review

Two sets of Bette Davis eyes.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 5, 2012

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.

Based on the film’s promotional advertising which featured Davis’ face morphing into a skull, audiences were probably primed to experience another gothic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?-fest, but Dead Ringer is a surprisingly serious film that actually has no Grand Guignol elements and none of the campy humor that has made Jane such a cult commodity. Davis plays both wealthy widow Margaret DeLorca as well as her dowdy spinster sister Edie Phillips. Margaret has had a life of ease, sequestered away in a gargantuan mansion filled with servants and ornate objets d’art. Edie on the other hand has been scraping by for years by running a low rent bar and nightclub in downtown Los Angeles. It turns out that Margaret’s recently deceased husband had long ago been involved in a torrid romance with Edie, and Edie has never forgiven Margaret for having stolen her boyfriend, ostensibly under the auspices of having become pregnant with his child while out of wedlock. Edie’s detective work uncovers the fact that Margaret may have lied about the pregnancy, pushing the already unbalanced twin over the edge into murderous rage.

Edie dispatches Margaret, making her look like Edie and leaving a suicide note that is vague but references some financial issues Edie has been experiencing. Edie’s erstwhile boyfriend Jim Hobbson (Karl Malden) is a police sergeant who has never really fully disclosed his romantic feelings to Edie, but who is nonetheless shocked by “Edie”’s suicide as well as the fact that she had an identical twin, something he had been previously unaware of. In the meantime, Edie has taken Margaret’s place and attempts to segue into Margaret’s high-falutin’ lifestyle, with mixed results.

This is obviously a field day for Davis who gets to be imperious (Margaret, and, later, Edie pretending to be Margaret) and ferociously bitter (Edie, whether or not she’s “herself” or her sister). Rather interestingly, the film was directed by Davis’ long ago Warner Brothers co-star Paul Heinreid, and he was probably a near perfect steward to help Davis rather cogently craft two different—yet similar—characters. The film has some odd casting choices in terms of the supporting cast. While Malden is fine as the lovelorn cop, Peter Lawford is a bit callow to be playing Davis’ supposed love interest, and his role really amounts to little more than an exalted cameo despite his headlining status. Estelle Winwood walks away with every scene she’s in as one of Margaret’s religiously obsessed in-laws. Jean Hagen also has a nice bit as a shallow wealthy friend of Margaret’s. (Though she’d go on to occasional television guest stints, Dead Ringer proved to be Hagen’s last big screen enterprise.) Lovers of fantastic character actors will revel in Cyril Delevanti’s wonderful turn as Henry, Margaret’s butler. You may not recognize Delevanti’s name but you will almost certainly recognize his face from innumerable film and television appearances.

Dead Ringer really has no viscerally shocking elements, with even its focal murder being dealt with discursively. But the film manages to create some unusually tense moments with little bits like Edie as Margaret trying to figure out where “her” living room is, or what the combination to a wall safe might be. The film wraps up a bit too conveniently, but Davis remains a commanding presence from the first scene to the last.

Dead Ringer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Charles Busch and Boze Hadleigh. Hadleigh wrote Bette Davis Speaks and interviewed Davis (as he repeatedly informs us) and Busch is an actor and writer with an obvious fascination for Davis. The two work together quite well, though they don't exactly reveal any long lost facts in this commentary. While there is some occasional background information imparted here (including a little salacious material about some history of the mansion that is utilized as a location), a lot of this commentary boils down to the "and now we're seeing" category.


• Double Take: A Conversation with Boze Hadleigh (SD; 12:48). Hadleigh talks about the film's progenitor, a 1946 Mexican film starring Delores Del Rio. He gives a brief overview of Davis' contentious relationship with Warner Brothers as well as what appealed to the actress about Dead Ringer.


• Behind the Scene at the Doheny Mansion (SD; 7:02) is a vintage featurette about the mansion that provides some of the locations for the film. There's some great behind the scenes footage of shots being set up for the film.


• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 2:41)

Dead Ringer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.