Themes: Twins and Lookalikes, Sibling Relationships, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Main Cast: Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, William Finley, Lisle Wilson
Release Year: 1973
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A reporter gets more than she bargained for when she tries to prove that a murder has occurred in Brian De Palma's disturbing thriller. Danielle (Margot Kidder) meets Phillip (Lisle Wilson) on a "Peeping Tom"-themed game show and, dodging her ex-husband Emil (William Finley), takes him back to her apartment. But Danielle has a separated Siamese twin sister, Dominique, who is not pleased about the overnight guest. Journalist neighbor Grace (Jennifer Salt) sees Phillip slaughtered by one of them through her window; the body vanishes before she can convince a skeptical detective (Dolph Sweet) to take a look. Determined to prove that she's right (and get a career-advancing story), Grace investigates, assisted by a private eye (Charles Durning), and becomes more involved in the relationships among Danielle, Dominique, and Emil than she ever expected. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Review
In Sisters, Brian De Palma reworks elements of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Rear Window to tell a timely and eerie tale about the fate of women who deviate from normalcy in ways that go beyond stabbings and voyeurism. Using split screens to ratchet up the suspense, De Palma also hints at a kinship between Grace and Danielle, as they are both patronized by various male authority figures. Bernard Herrmann's foreboding score adds to the Hitchcockian atmosphere (as does the darkly humorous final shot), but the nightmarishly surreal visit to a mental hospital signaled the technical virtuosity (and gore) that would characterize De Palma's subsequent work. Shot for little money, Sisters became quite profitable, establishing De Palma's directorial standing after a handful of little-seen independent films and one Hollywood debacle with Get to Know Your Rabbit (1970). Although Carrie (1976) would surpass it at the box office, Sisters is remarkable proof of De Palma's visual skill and ability to creep out his audience. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Sylvia Fay - Casting, Alan Hopkins - First Assistant Director, Brian De Palma - Director, Paul Hirsch - Editor, Bernard Herrmann - Composer (Music Score), Gary Weist - Production Designer, Gregory Sandor - Cinematographer, Edward R. Pressman - Producer, Dick Vorisek - Sound/Sound Designer, Brian De Palma - Screenwriter, Louisa Rose - Screenwriter
De Palma was inspired by reading an article about the Soviet Siamese twins Masha and Dasha.[1] The film is heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock, and de Palma even persuaded Hitchcock's semi-retired composer, Bernard Herrmann, to write the score.[1] The film also uses unusual point of view shots and split screen effects to show two events happening similtaneously.
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