A dark, brooding melodrama as acclaimed actor Anthony John finds it increasingly difficult to distinguish between life and the roles he plays on stage.
A hugely successful Broadway star, Anthony John (Ronald Colman – Random Harvest, Bulldog Drummond) gives his all to his roles. The result is he’s great company when playing in a comedy, but a challenge with more serious dramas. So much so, wife Brita (Signe Hasso – Heaven Can Wait, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden) divorced him even though she still loves her ex-husband. When Othello opens to great critical acclaim, the dignified actor is beset by murderous jealousies both on and off the stage.
Directed by George Cukor (My Fair Lady, Gaslight), A Double Life centres around whipsmart dialogue and the powerful Oscar-winning performance of Colman (a role originally written for Laurence Olivier) – an obsessive, insecure thesp in spite of his successes. But it’s not all backstage insecurities as, riding high on the initial acclaim of his Othello, John finds a young waitress (Shelley Winters – A Place in the Sun, The Poseidon Adventure) falling for his charms.
Nominated for 4 Oscars in 1948 including best director and script, won 2 for Colman and music score (Miklós Rózsa).
Rating: 69%
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