A Double Life (1947)
If you’ve ever wondered whether or not playing a role can take its toll on an actor, you’re not the only one. Hollywood made an entire movie out of that question in 1947, A Double Life. It won Ronald Colman a highly coveted Academy Award and his second even more highly coveted (if I do say so myself) Hot Toasty Rag Award. Reportedly, the stoic actor was so moved, he wept backstage after receiving the Oscar. Although I have been known to be highly critical of the Oscars, I fully agree that this performance is a winner. Ronald Colman’s transformation into madness is so realistic, it’s as if we’re really watching a man, not an actor.
He plays an accomplished, excellent actor who has a habit of diving into his roles. His wife, Signe Hasso, has learned to cope with his chameleon-like personality, and she looks forward to the time in-between plays when he can just be at home with her. When he takes on the title role of Othello, she worries he might start to get jealous and paranoid – and he does. No one is safe from his paranoia, not his wife or even his best friend, Edmond O’Brien. He hears voices, his emotions take over, and he starts to live a double life.
George Cukor’s direction is excellent, and he won a Rag for his work as well. It’s tricky to have stage work appear realistically on the big screen; the truth is that it’s not very glamorous, but Hollywood doesn’t want audiences to see it that way. Anyone who’s ever been in the theatre knows it’s dirty, cramped, smelly, dark, the costumes look dingy, and the makeup looks comical. But if John Doe from Small Town America sees that portrayal in a movie, he might not enjoy it. All About Eve glamorized and sanitized the theatre so much that I almost forgot it took place in that world. During the stage portions of A Double Life, you can actually smell the greasy makeup, feel the sweat and spit, and see blind spots from the lights in your face. It’s extremely accurate.
This movie is pretty heavy, and there are scenes where the mild-mannered proper English gentleman Ronald Colman will actually frighten you. But if you want to see a magnificent piece of acting and a very realistic scenario for burnt-out actors (or just unstable ones), you’ll see a high-quality classic. Shelley Winters got her big break in the movies with this role, and it’s fun to see her young and pretty (if you only associate her with The Poseidon Adventure). If you read her memoirs, you’ll learn a hilarious story about Colman’s reaction to her wardrobe malfunction during the outtakes. Keep an eye out for Ray Collins, Millard Mitchell, and Whit Bissell.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "YT Episodes" for posting!
More Whit Bissell movies here!
He plays an accomplished, excellent actor who has a habit of diving into his roles. His wife, Signe Hasso, has learned to cope with his chameleon-like personality, and she looks forward to the time in-between plays when he can just be at home with her. When he takes on the title role of Othello, she worries he might start to get jealous and paranoid – and he does. No one is safe from his paranoia, not his wife or even his best friend, Edmond O’Brien. He hears voices, his emotions take over, and he starts to live a double life.
George Cukor’s direction is excellent, and he won a Rag for his work as well. It’s tricky to have stage work appear realistically on the big screen; the truth is that it’s not very glamorous, but Hollywood doesn’t want audiences to see it that way. Anyone who’s ever been in the theatre knows it’s dirty, cramped, smelly, dark, the costumes look dingy, and the makeup looks comical. But if John Doe from Small Town America sees that portrayal in a movie, he might not enjoy it. All About Eve glamorized and sanitized the theatre so much that I almost forgot it took place in that world. During the stage portions of A Double Life, you can actually smell the greasy makeup, feel the sweat and spit, and see blind spots from the lights in your face. It’s extremely accurate.
This movie is pretty heavy, and there are scenes where the mild-mannered proper English gentleman Ronald Colman will actually frighten you. But if you want to see a magnificent piece of acting and a very realistic scenario for burnt-out actors (or just unstable ones), you’ll see a high-quality classic. Shelley Winters got her big break in the movies with this role, and it’s fun to see her young and pretty (if you only associate her with The Poseidon Adventure). If you read her memoirs, you’ll learn a hilarious story about Colman’s reaction to her wardrobe malfunction during the outtakes. Keep an eye out for Ray Collins, Millard Mitchell, and Whit Bissell.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "YT Episodes" for posting!
More Whit Bissell movies here!