DARK MIRROR

US, 1946, 85 minutes, Black and white.
Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ayres, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Long.
Directed by Robert Siodmak.

An interesting but dated melodrama with pretensions to psychology especially about twins. This material, questioned in the film, is still quite questionable. As melodrama it is quite entertainingly effective.

Olivia de Havilland has a tour-de-force playing twin roles, the good and evil sister. Bette Davis did the same kind of thing at the same time in Deception. Lew Ayres gives competent support as the doctor and Thomas Mitchell the same as the policeman. Direction is by Robert Siodmak who directed the famous initial version of The Spiral Staircase with Dorothy Mc Guire at this time.

1. The film is a famous horror psychological classic. The basis of its reputation, its impact and themes now? How dated does it seem? An effective film of its time?

2. The presuppositions about twins and psychology? The old wives' tales referred to in the film? Did the film perpetuate these tales in any way? Themes of rivalry, age, truth, jealousy? Reactions to the psychology of twins? Sufficient for a thriller of this kind?

3. The quality of Olivia de Havilland's performance? How did she differentiate the twins? Moving from one to the other, making the identification easy? The character differences of the two? The use of trick photography for their presence together and their acting with one another?

4. The impact of the black and white photography, the stylised sets and the studio atmosphere, the brevity of the filmy its urban netting, psychological setting?

5. The atmosphere of the film as a murder mystery with the conventional devices of mystery at the opening? The use of detective thriller techniques and the solving of a murder mystery? Audience interest in and involvement in murder mysteries? Puzzle, clues, seeking a solution?

6. The quality of the film as a detective story - the presentation of the police, the nature of their inquiries, the discovery of the two sisters and the interrogation and the differences in response, people's identification of the murderess, their reaction at the line-up, the nature of evidence and people's belief in it? The transition to the use of doctors and psychologists for the detection? The final trick and its effectiveness for a detective story?

7. The film an a psychological thriller? Scott Elliot and his practice of psychology, his interest in investigation? As a romantic lead, attractive to each of the girls? His decision to help? His reaction with each? His love in response to Ruth, wariness of Terry? The staging of the test, especially the ink blot tests, the word associations and the stories? His emotional response to Ruth? The formulation of the theory? The romantic way of testing the presence of Ruth? The device of the final trick? The vindication of his methods?

8. The presentation of the two sisters - the age differences, the control, poise? The delineation of each character? Their relationship to one another and interaction? Terry's calm and control, Ruth's hallucinations and Terry's contriving them at night? Ruth's reactions and her not telling Terry the truth about her love for Scott? Could audiences differentiate the two sisters? Audience sympathy for each? Where did audiences' suspicion lie and why?

9. Terry's attempt at the interchange? The importance of Scott's lecture to her and the attitude that she took? Her own scrupulous manipulation?

10. The final set-up and its melodramatic and emotional impact? Terry and her self-protective lies and the sudden appearance of Ruth? Terry's breakdown - the expected happy ending and its appropriateness?

11. The overall impact of the film as psychological drama, romantic melodrama? The perennial appeal of this kind of psychological thriller?