The dark mirror 46 is a brisk, supercharged 85 minutes, a taut psychological suspense tale directed by robert siodmak who directed the spiral staircase and the killers. With franchot tone, ella raines, alan curtis, aurora miranda. This nearclassic thriller from director robert siodmak stars lew ayres as a psychologist trying to discover which twin sister is a. Nov 21, 2018 we will start this terms focus on the gothic notion of the double by showing the dark mirror 1946, robert siodmak, 85mins. Siodmak, like his hero lang, was adept at melding both subgenres, and the dark mirror is an unsettling hybrid work not least in its lurches from comedy to romance to horror.
Nov 23, 2017 ernest hemingway considered robert siodmak s the killers the only motion picture he ever saw of his works that he could admire. The texture triumphs, partly because robert siodmaks direction imparts an. The dark mirror by robert siodmak visual 23 editions published between 1946 and 2012 in english and no linguistic content and held by 198 worldcat member libraries worldwide. The dark mirrors focus is on the experience of two women, their struggles to earn a living, to deal with social disapprobrium and to live with sibling rivalry. Lew ayres, richard long, charles evans, thomas mitchell, robert siodmak. Ascona, switzerland, march 11 ap robert siodmak, the film director and producer, died of a heart attack yesterday in a hospital in locarno near here.
A filmographic pedant might insist that robert siodmak only made one movie called criss cross. The dark mirror is a lesserknown entry into the canon of films noir that dominated hollywood in the midforties. Jun 05, 2014 identical twins with one being buckets of crazy. The dark mirror a traves del espejo palregion 0 dvd. Noir filmography of robert siodmak born 8 august 1900, dresden, saxony, germany died 10 march 1973, locarno, switzerland like his fellow expatriates from germany otto preminger, fritz lang, and billy wilder, siodmak was trained in the german expressionist film style and lent a european sense to film noir.
Subjects some common elements in the films of robert siodmak. Four film noir classics bluray arrow academy frame. The dark mirror 1946 is almost bachlike in its play with symmetry and. May 07, 2015 one such epiphany for me was phantom lady, one of several movies directed in 1944 by robert siodmak. Nunnally johnsons interpretation of vladimir pozners novel is stuffed with codfreudian jargon. Robert siodmak, the subject of a ninefilm retrospective at film forum, directed in different genres, but his worldview remained remarkably consistent. How robert siodmak s hollywood hack work is being rediscovered. His earliest memories are not of hearth and kin but of this dark stranger who while not unkind is mysterious i. The dark mirror, october 18, 1946, was the first motion picture to deal with the idea of twins, one good, one pure evil, but which is which. The director robert siodmak which he insisted, be pronounced seeoddmack was a masterful film maker who. Played by a single actress, their identical appearance is exaggerated, and the recurring motif of the mirror suggests a heightened surreality along with the interior space of their dark bedroom. Nov 20, 2017 high definition bluray 1080p and standard definition dvd presentation of four film noir classics. The dark mirror robert siodmak, 1946, secret beyond the door fritz lang, 1947, force of. Trouble ensues when a man is murdered and witnesses identify one of the sisters as seen fleeing the scene.
Michael walker, robert siodmak, the movie book of film noir, ed. The film marks ayres return to motion pictures following his conscientious objection to service in world war ii. The dark mirror by lutz koepnick paperback university of. What really makes it work, though, is siodmak s firm grasp of mood and suspense. Robert siodmak, film director, 72 the new york times. Dimitri tiomkins clever background score is an added bonus. The reputation of robert siodmak rests on a number of thrillers made during a few brief years in the 40s. Makeup mirror vanity mirror with lights 3 color lighting modes 72 led trifold mirror, touch control design, 1x2x3x magnification, portable high definition cosmetic lighted up mirror. The dark mirror opens on a plushly furnished city apartment with director robert siodmak panning his lens over the slightly askew interior an overturned lamp, a shattered mirror, and a welldressed corpse with a shard planted firmly in the mans back. Directed by robert siodmak the killers, it is a psychological thriller focusing on the attempts of lt. Since siodmacks death, his reputation has grown and through a. Although his work in europe both before and after that period is now rarely seen, he remains an important, if underrated, figure in the development and exploration of the style now known as film noir. Scott elliott lew ayres to discover the killer of a wellestablished doctor. A devoted secretary risks her life to try to find the elusive woman who may prove her boss didnt murder his selfish wife.
I dont own this film and recommend purchasing a copy to support our. A man is found murdered, with witnesses convinced about the woman they saw leaving his apartment. However, it becomes apparent that the woman has a twin, and finding out which one is the killer seems impossible. The dark mirror also boasts a very solid supporting cast, with especially fine work from thomas mitchell and lew ayres. In accordance with the directives of government and health authorities, we have temporarily suspended operations. Bridei is a young nobleman fostered at the home of broichan, one of the most powerful druids in the land. Robert siodmak retrospective at film forum the new york. An investigation led by thomas mitchells lieutenant stevenson leads to several witnesses. Dark mirror by robert siodmak lew ayres, thomas mitchell. The dark mirror is a clever mystery filmed in noir style by director robert siodmak, about twin sistersone of whom is a murderessbut which one. The dark mirror examines the split course of german popular film from the early 1930s. Robert siodmak great director profile senses of cinema. Robert siodmak robert siodmak directed films in germany, france and the united states.
Jean andren, rodney bell, robert siodmak, the dark mirror 1946. The dark mirror is the first book in juliet marilliers bridei chronicles. Pais estados unidos director robert siodmak guion nunnally johnson historia. The dark mirror 1920 film, a silent drama starring dorothy dalton. This is one of the rare slips in robert siodmak s otherwise assured and effective direction another slip being dimitri tiomkins occasionally oversprightly music accompanying early parts of the investigation. Dark mirror 2007 film, a film directed by pablo proenza, starring lisa vidal. Beautifully shot in glorious blackandwhite by milton krasner all about eve with a haunting musical score by dimitri tiomkin dial m for murder and superior direction by noirspecialist robert siodmak the killers. He is known for lavishly styled works, including blackandwhite film noir, and lush color swashbuckling adventures. Vladimir pozner received a best writing, original story oscar nomination. The dark mirror examines the split course of german popular film from the early 1930s until the mid 1950s, showing how nazi filmmakers appropriated hollywood conventions and how german film exiles reworked german cultural material in their efforts to find a working base in the hollywood studio system. Robert siodmak s 1946 seminoir the dark mirror is a tricky little mystery picture.
1352 79 1259 540 66 423 610 400 1106 1069 552 1034 121 1344 742 1192 1532 76 683 1019 431 1460 290 1183 1439 374 1352 986 925 1132 900 503 436 376 126 231 1451 1121 28 672 1123 715 62 121 1291 1331