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Greetings, and welcome to VIEWING THE CLASSICS. Here you'll find capsule reviews of vintage movies from the early days of cinema through the 1970s, with a special emphasis on sci-fi, horror, and mystery movies. Be sure to check out the Pages links, where you can find a Film Index of all my reviews, links to the reviews organized by cast members, directors, and other contributors, and links to my reviews of the films of talented young director Joshua Kennedy.

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Saturday, September 24, 2016

Dead Ringer (1964)

Starring Bette Davis, Karl Malden, Peter Lawford, Philip Carey, Jean Hagen
Directed by Paul Henreid
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A struggling bar owner, fed up with her wealthy twin sister, who stole her man and his fortune, murders her and attempts to pass herself off as her.

An interesting late-career role for Davis, who of course stars as the twin sisters and does a credible job of making herself vanish into her characters, well-supported by an intriguingly cast Malden, whose sincerity as the primary sister's boyfriend gives the film its moral compass.  Those who know Malden only from his American Express commercials would be impressed with his performance here.  Henreid, one of Davis' former co-stars decades earlier, does a fine job directing and the slick photography and suspenseful screenplay are a complement to Davis' star power, which still is formidable here despite her loss of youth and beauty.

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