A Double Life [1947] All Region

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The McGuffin is a nice one - actor has a tendency to transform himself into the roles he plays which is fine when he playing some gay blade who chases the ladies - is he a darling or worm? - but disaster when he takes on Othello. One has a little difficulty in seeing Colman as a potential Othello anyway but he is, as always, unquestionably a star and Shelley Winters is good as the common bit he has an affair with, a role she played a lot in her early years in Hollywood. Signe Hasso as the hapless Desdemona makes little impression now but she did at the time. Colman got an Oscar which says all one needs to say about them - he have far better performances in many other films, but this role is a bit like the roles the women often get their Oscars for - making themselves look plain, wearing false noses and the like.

Fine film

Somewhat of its time but I can see it would be a difficult and shocking film at the time; or could be remade into a very dark uncomfortable film today. This America 1947 black and white film noir looks at what could happen if an actor becomes so wrapped up in his stage role he takes up some of their characteristics.We learn early on that Anthony John's personal life bobs up and down depending on his role, not least with how he gets on with his wife / ex-wife. Anthony is just finishing a run in a farce but we see trouble ahead as he's offered the role of Shakespeare's Othello.Its a great premise for the film but I found it too drawn out, over dramatic and dated. I can see why they did it but they could have made it an easier film by reducing the dwelling on the stage roles. They could have also been been a bit more open ended with the question of is it him or is it playing the part.Felt a bit like The Talented Mr Ripley (which I didn't like) so if you like that or very interested in old films you could well like this film.Ronald Colman does well playing the lead character(s) but it does feel a bit too stagey at time, unlike with Signe (bar one part) who is very good. It's nice to see a cameo of Shelly Winters who I've only previously seen when she was much older.Note: The films does repeated give away the ending of Othello.

A Double Life is directed by George Cukor and written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. It stars Ronald Colman, Signe Hasso, Edmond O'Brien, Shelley Winters, Ray Collins, Philip Loeb and Millard Mitchell. Music is by Miklos Rózsa and cinematography by Milton Krasner.Renowned actor Anthony John (Colman) becomes unable to differentiate between real life and his stage role of Othello.Colman would win the Academy Award for best actor for his riveting performance here, and it was justifiable reward. Truth is is that as a technical production it's pretty stunning all round. Krasner's chiaroscuro photography provides a cloak of psychological disharmony, Rózsa score (also Academy Award winning) pumps the blood through the story, the screenplay is skillfully literate and Cukor, in his only foray into film noir, has wonderful theatrical experience to draw on to really infuse the picture with meticulous realism.Dualities and the blurring of what's real and what's illusion are the prominent features here, while Colman's transformations between persona's are in turn heartfelt and terrifying. It looks and sounds immense, in fact the opposing contrasts between the stage scenes and the murky discord of the streets are to die for for the film noir visualist. However, there's still a whiff of pretentiousness about the picture that stops it being the whole package, while the play within a play idea certainly makes for an interesting backdrop, yet it renders the pace of the piece as being laborious at times.Are the flaws enough to stop it being a must see film? No, not at all, there's just too much great on both sides of the camera to be ignored. 7/10

Universal Pictures presents "A DOUBLE LIFE" (1948) (104 min/B&W) -- Starring: Ronald Colman, Signe Hasso, Edmond O'Brien & Shelley WintersDirected by George CukorAnthony John (Ronald Colman) is an actor whose life is strongly influenced by the characters he plays. When he's playing comedy, he's the most enjoyable person in the world, but when he's playing drama, it's terrible to be around him. That's the reason why his wife Brita (Signe Hasso) divorced him; although she still loves him and works with him, she couldn't stand living with him anymore. So when Anthony accepts to play Othello, he devotes himself entirely to the part, but it soon overwhelms him and with each day his mind gets filled more and more with Othello's murderous jealousy.Won Oscars for Best Actor (Ronald Colman) and for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Miklós Rózsa)Nominated Oscar for Best Director (George Cukor) and Best Writing, Original Screenplay (Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin)Not to be overlooked is Milton Krasner's atmospheric cinematography.Special footnotes: -- In the film, Ronald Colman plays a fictional actor who stars in the longest-running "Othello" in history. In real life, actor Paul Robeson, who had just become the first black actor to star in an otherwise white production of "Othello" on Broadway, had just completed the longest run of the play.The role of Anthony John was originally written for Laurence Olivier. Olivier was unavailable when the film finally went into production.BIOS:1. Frank Lloyd (Director)Date of Birth: 2 February 1886 - Glasgow, Scotland, UKDate of Death: 10 August 1960 - Santa Monica, California2. Ronald Colman [aka: Ronald Charles Colman]Date of Birth: 9 February 1891 - Richmond, Surrey, England, UKDate of Death: 19 May 1958 - Santa Barbara, California3. Signe Hasso [aka: Signe Eleonora Cecilia Larsson]Date of Birth: 15 August 1910 - Stockholm, SwedenDate of Death: 7 June 2002 - Los Angeles, California4. Edmond O'Brien [aka: Redmond O'Brien]Date of Birth: 10 September 1915 - New York City, New YorkDate of Death: 9 May 1985 - Inglewood, California5. Shelley Winters [aka: Shirley Schrift]Date of Birth: 18 August 1920 - St. Louis, MissouriDate of Death: 14 January 2006 - Beverly Hills, California6. Miklós RózsaDate of Birth: 18 April 1907 - Budapest, Austria-Hungary (now Hungary)Date of Death: 27 July 1995 - Los Angeles, CaliforniaMr. Jim's Ratings:Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 StarsPerformance: 5 StarsStory & Screenplay: 5 StarsOverall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]Total Time: 104 min on DVD ~ Universal Pictures ~ (July 22, 2003)