Themes: Twins and Lookalikes, Sibling Relationships, Drug Addiction
Main Cast: Jeremy Irons, Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske, Barbara Gordon, Shirley Douglas
Release Year: 1988
Country: CA
Run Time: 117 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Two twin brothers, both renowned gynecologists, descend into madness after becoming romantically involved with the same woman in this disturbing, horrific drama. Jeremy Irons delivers a bravura performance as both Beverly and Elliot Mantle, Toronto-based surgeons who operate an exclusive gynecological clinic and share a reputation as brilliant innovators. They also share lovers, as the more aggressive, confident Elliott seduces women and later secretly allows the shier, more intellectual Beverly to reap the benefits. This arrangement is disturbed when Beverly falls in love with their newest conquest, Claire Niveau (Genevieve Bujold), a famous actress with an unusual gynecological deformity. Beverly's relationship with the hard-living Claire leads to him to turn away from Elliot and begin a dangerous involvement with drugs and alcohol. Elliot senses his brother's rapid decline into addiction and paranoia and attempts to save him, only to start falling victim to the same urges. Director David Cronenberg adapted the loosely fact-based tale to his own creepy purposes, tapping into primal fears regarding the uncanniness of twins and male sexual panic. His notorious gore was used sparingly here, however, with the film's most disturbing moments coming through suggestion, as in the display of a group of terrifying surgical instruments created by Beverly in his madness. Cronenberg's expertise with special effects proves crucial, however, as he and his regular cinematographer Peter Suschitzsky seamlessly combine Irons' two performances in a manner unrivalled by any previous depiction of twins. This visual achievement is more than matched by Irons, who delivers what may be his career performance, delineating the twins' differences and similarities and embodying their collapse in frighteningly believable fashion. The subject matter and chilly tone may be too intense for some viewers, but the brilliant central performance and intellectually provocative approach will prove thoroughly absorbing for others. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
Review
David Cronenberg focussed his obsession with the grotesque inward with Dead Ringers. Unlike his previous efforts, the director is more interested in the emotional defects of his characters as opposed to their physical manifestations of deviance. The clinical, disquieting tone is somewhat surprising from a director who is considered something of an auteur of vulgarity, not only because of the bizarre qualities of his films, but also because of his tendency to push the boundaries of special effects. Too often, his early work annoys because the effects are deliberately cultish and preposterous (a quality he tempered for his mainstream remake of The Fly). In Dead Ringers, however, he uses an altogether more subtle effect, making twins out of lead Jeremy Irons though computer-aided split screen; the technique has since become much more widespread. Irons' distinguished performance (or rather, performances) makes sure that the technique isn't just a gimmick. Irons won several critics' prizes for his work in the film; many feel the actor should have been nominated for an Oscar as well. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
Stephen Lack - Andrers Wolleck; Denis Akiyama - Pharmacist; Damir Andrei - Birchall; Lynne Cormack - Arlene; Warren Davis - Anatomy Class Supervisor; Richard W. Farrell - Dean of Medicine; Jonathan Haley - Beverly, Age 9; Nicholas Haley - Elliot, Age 9; Jill Hennessy - Escort Twin Mimsy; Joe Matheson - Sean; Dee McCafferty - Surgeon; Marsha Moreau - Raffaella; Miriam Newhouse - Mrs. Bookman; Nick Nichols - Leo; Rina Polley - Soap Opera Character; Nick Rice - MC; Hadley Kay - Delivery Boy; Madeleine Atkinson - Soap Opera Character; Bob Bainborough - Mr. Glaser; John Bayliss - Performance Double; Murray Chuchley - Assisting Surgeon; Nora Colpman - Mrs. Randall; Cynthia Eastman - Sobbing Woman; Graham Evans - Picture Double; Jacqueline Hennessy - Escort Twin Coral; Jane Luk - Lecture Hall Nurse; Susan Markle - Operating Room Nurse; Denise McLeod - Art Gallery Lady; Nicholas Rice - M.C.; Liliane Stillwell - Wardrobe Person; Tita Trevisan - Furniture Salesman; David Walden - Director; David Hughes - Superintendent
Credit
James McAteer - Art Director, Alicia Keywan - Supervising Art Director, John Board - Associate Producer, Deirdre Bowen - Casting, Marc Boyman - Co-producer, David Cronenberg - Co-producer, Denise Cronenberg - Costume Designer, David Cronenberg - Director, Ronald Sanders - Editor, Steve Weslak - Editor, Carol Baum - Executive Producer, Sylvio Tabet - Executive Producer, Howard Shore - Composer (Music Score), Fred Parris - Songwriter, Shonagh Jabour - Makeup, Carol Spier - Production Designer, Peter Suschitzky - Cinematographer, Joe Roth - Producer, Elinor Rose Galbraith - Set Designer, Gordon J. Smith - Special Effects, Bryan Day - Sound/Sound Designer, Andy Nelson - Sound/Sound Designer, Don White - Sound/Sound Designer, Terry Burke - Sound Editor, Wayne Griffin - Sound Editor, David Giammarco - Sound Editor, Richard Cadger - Sound Editor, David Evans - Sound Editor, David Cronenberg - Screenwriter, Norman Snider - Screenwriter, Jack Geasland - Book Author, Bari Wood - Book Author
Grateful Dead tributaries Dead Ringers made their recorded debut with this live album. The track listing for the self-titled collection reads like many an actual Dead set list, balancing compositions from that band's extensive songbook with a handful of Bob Dylan covers, even throwing in the odd traditional or country blues tune for good measure (and to show you where their roots lie). It's not as if these folks don't have real connections with the Dead, either, as many of the players are a part of the band's extended family. Tom Constanten served as their keyboard player in the late '60s/early '70s, while David Nelson and Barry Flash have both played prominent roles in Dead-related acts. Indeed, Nelson was a member of the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band during the late 80s, which may be the closest comparison to Dead Ringers. The band warms up on the more traditional, acoustic material, interspersing the Dead's "Mountains of the Moon" and "Cumberland Blues" between songs like the traditional "Deep Elem Blues" and Mississippi John Hurt's "Slidin' Delta." They never drift too far from the songs at hand, proving that, while the Dead and their ilk are best known for their astral-tinged improvisations, they can also excel in a straightforward, acoustic setting as well. Midway through, the group strap on electric instruments, but the results still steer closer to folksy rock rave-ups on songs like "Deal" and "When I Paint My Masterpiece" then psychedelic flights. The notable exception is an unearthing of crowd favorite "Dark Star." The vocal performances are occasionally lacking, but, otherwise, this is a solid, if relaxed, set of live near-Dead. ~ Nathan Bush, All Music Guide
Tom Constanten (Piano), Tom Constanten (Keyboards), Tom Constanten (Vocals), Dead Ringaz (Main Performer), Barry Flast (Guitar (Acoustic)), Barry Flast (Keyboards), Barry Flast (Vocals), Barry Flast (Producer), Barry Flast (Mastering), Brian Godchaux (Fiddle), Timothy Harris (Design), Timothy Harris (Cover Design), Timothy Harris (Design Assistant), David Nelson (Guitar (Acoustic)), David Nelson (Mandolin), David Nelson (Guitar (Electric)), David Nelson (Vocals), David Nelson (Artwork), David Nelson (Mastering), David Nelson (Art Direction), David Nelson (Cover Art), Bob Walker (Engineer), Bob Walker (Recording), Fred Campbell (Guitar (Acoustic)), Fred Campbell (Bass), Fred Campbell (Vocals), Keith Sklower (Mastering), Richard Duarte (Engineer), Richard Duarte (Recording), Andrew Niedzwiecki (Engineer), Andrew Niedzwiecki (Recording), Barry Sless (Guitar), Barry Sless (Pedal Steel), Maureen Chen (Engineer), Maureen Chen (Recording), Ted Hatsushi (Engineer), Ted Hatsushi (Recording), Pete Plympton (Engineer), Pete Plympton (Recording), Woody Vermeer (Fiddle), Rich Werdes (Engineer), Rich Werdes (Recording), Arthur Steinhorn (Drums), Steve Berger (Conga), Dead Ringers (Arranger), Dead Ringers (Main Performer), Bill Laymon (Bass), Jeff Hobbs (Saxophone), Richard George (Engineer), Richard George (Recording)
Elliot and Beverly Mantle are identical twins and highly successful gynecologists. Elliot, the more aggressive and confident of the two, seduces women who come to the Mantle Clinic. When he tires of them, the women are passed on to the shy and passive Beverly, remaining unaware of the substitution.
When Beverly becomes attached to the troubled actress Claire Niveau (Geneviève Bujold), it upsets the equilibrium between the twins. It turns out that Niveau is a trifurcate; she has an abnormal reproductive system. Beverly describes her internal arrangement as having "three doorways," which means she probably won't be able to have children. Beverly tells Niveau that her condition is "fabulously rare."
Beverly mistakes Claire's male assistant for her lover, and comes to believe that she's cheating on him. This sends him into clinical depression, prescription drug abuse and delusions about "mutant women" with abnormal genitalia. Beverly seeks out metallurgist Anders Wolleck and he constructs a set of bizarre gynecological instruments for working on these mutant women, even using them once on a real person. Beverly is then put on administrative leave by the hospital board after collapsing on a patient. The board holds the surgical tools as evidence of a disturbed mind. Due to the twins' codependent relationship, Beverly's breakdown eventually causes Elliot to follow.
It is the favorite Cronenberg film of Korean director Chan-wook Park[2] and was voted for in the 2002 Sight and Sound Poll by Lalitha Gopalan[3]. In 1999, Rolling Stone listed Dead Ringers as 95th on their list of 100 Maverick Movies.[4]Total Film placed Dead Ringers 35th on their list of the "50 Greatest Horror Movies Of All Time"[5] while Entertainment Weekly placed it 20th on their list of The 25 scariest movies of all time[6]. In 2004, the Toronto International Film Festival Group named Dead Ringers the 6th best Canadian Film ever made[7].
