{"id":38722,"date":"2017-04-17T10:16:23","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T17:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38722"},"modified":"2022-02-21T16:35:35","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T23:35:35","slug":"double-life-a-1947","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38722","title":{"rendered":"Double Life, A (1947)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I know if we ever got mixed up in an Othello kind of thing, it would be &#8212; the end.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Poster-300x238.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"238\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-38731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Poster-300x238.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Poster-128x101.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Poster.jpg 535w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn actor (Ronald Colman) with a history of becoming dangerously over-invested in his roles decides to perform as Othello opposite his ex-wife (Signe Hasso), who still loves him but fears his moodiness. While rehearsing, Colman has an affair with a sexy waitress (Shelley Winters) and becomes increasingly unhinged, leading Hasso and Colman&#8217;s manager (Edmond O&#8217;Brien) to wonder if his neurotic engagement with the play will lead to dire consequences.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Actors and Actresses<\/li>\n<li>Amateur Sleuths<\/li>\n<li>Betsy Blair Films<\/li>\n<li>Edmond O&#8217;Brien Films<\/li>\n<li>George Cukor Films<\/li>\n<li>Mental Breakdown<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Ronald Colman Films<\/li>\n<li>Shakespeare<\/li>\n<li>Shelley Winters Films<\/li>\n<li>Signe Hasso Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nWhile the premise of this theater-centric flick (scripted by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin) appears a bit overly &#8220;tidy&#8221; at first &#8212; it&#8217;s difficult to feel much sympathy for a beloved actor raking in money and applause, who (poor thing) must make challenging decisions about which roles to take on next &#8212; the storyline quickly turns satisfyingly dark, as we understand that Colman&#8217;s neuroses are deep-seated, and his situation represents the ongoing metaphorical challenge of balancing a &#8220;double life&#8221; in any context. Colman won an Oscar for his performance as Tony\/Othello &#8212; but in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, Peary gives the award instead to Charlie Chaplin in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=43157\"><em>Monsieur Verdoux<\/em> (1947)<\/a>, noting that while for years he was &#8220;impressed by Colman in almost all his films, dating back to the silent era&#8221;, he eventually came to the &#8220;sad realization that this handsome and dignified screen presence wasn&#8217;t a particularly good actor&#8221;. He further argues that &#8220;in <em>A Double Life<\/em>, he&#8217;s not convincing as the actor or as the crazed killer the actor becomes&#8221;, and that he &#8220;looks impressive but is dull in the stage scenes&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>I disagree with Peary, and find it challenging to understand how Colman&#8217;s &#8220;award-guaranteeing scenes as Othello, which critics of the day loved as much as did the audiences in the movie, reveal his limitations as an actor&#8221;. While I&#8217;m not a fan of snooty theater actors or blindingly possessive husbands, Colman&#8217;s conviction and pathos in both roles is compelling. Actors are temperamental creatures (to say the least!), and Colman takes that archetype to the hilt here. Winters, meanwhile, does a stand-out job in her break-through role as Colman&#8217;s mistress, and Hasso is poignant as well. Milton Krasner&#8217;s cinematography makes the entire shadowy affair a noir-ish treat to watch. Watch for Betsy Blair in an unexpectedly humorous (though poignant) scene as a would-be actress desperate to convince O&#8217;Brien she&#8217;s right for a real-life part in his investigative sleuthing.   <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair-1024x627.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"392\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56666\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair-1024x627.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair-768x470.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair-1536x940.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair-441x270.png 441w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Blair.png 1665w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ronald Colman as Tony\/Othello<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3-1024x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56676\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3-1024x624.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3-1536x937.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3-443x270.png 443w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman3.png 1681w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello-1024x628.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"393\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello-1024x628.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello-768x471.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello-1536x942.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello-440x270.png 440w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Colman-Othello.png 1671w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Signe Hasso as Brita\/Desdemona<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2-1024x614.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"384\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2-1024x614.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2-768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2-1536x921.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2-450x270.png 450w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso2.png 1689w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1-1024x637.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"398\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56669\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1-1024x637.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1-768x478.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1-1536x955.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1-434x270.png 434w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Hasso-1.png 1645w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Shelley Winters as Pat<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1-1024x612.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"383\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56671\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1-1024x612.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1-300x179.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1-128x76.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1-768x459.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1-1536x918.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1-452x270.png 452w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Winters-1.png 1689w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a> <\/li>\n<li>Milton Krasner&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1-1024x632.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"395\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-56674\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1-1024x632.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1-300x185.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1-768x474.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1-1536x948.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1-437x270.png 437w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Double-Life-Cinematography2-1.png 1651w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, to see Colman&#8217;s Oscar-winning performance. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#noteworthy\">Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#oscar\">Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0039335\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1948\/02\/20\/archives\/four-premieres-at-houses-here-colman-in-a-double-life-feature-at.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s3973doub.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/73502\/a-double-life#articles-reviews?articleId=464\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/horror\/adoublelife.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I know if we ever got mixed up in an Othello kind of thing, it would be &#8212; the end.&#8221; Synopsis: An actor (Ronald Colman) with a history of becoming dangerously over-invested in his roles decides to perform as Othello opposite his ex-wife (Signe Hasso), who still loves him but fears his moodiness. While rehearsing, Colman has an affair with a sexy waitress (Shelley Winters) and becomes increasingly unhinged, leading Hasso and Colman&#8217;s manager (Edmond O&#8217;Brien) to wonder if his&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=38722\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38722"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81531,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38722\/revisions\/81531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}