A Double Life (1947)

A Double Life (1947)
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Ronald Colman won an Academy Award for his portrayal of an off-the-beam actor in A Double Life. A beloved stage star, Anthony John (Colman), has problems with his private life due to his unpredictable outbursts of temper. This trait has already cost him his wife, Brita (Signe Hasso), and threatens to sabotage his career. Nonetheless, Anthony makes his peace with Brita, and the two actors star in a new Broadway staging of Othello. The play is a hit, running over 300 performances, but the pressures of portraying a man moved to murder by jealousy takes its toll on Anthony. In a fit of delirium, he strangles his casual mistress, Pat (Shelley Winters), but retains no memory of the awful crime. Press agent Bill Friend (Edmond O'Brien), unaware that Anthony is the killer, uses Pat's murder as publicity for Othello. Anthony becomes enraged at this cheap ploy, and attacks Friend. At this point, Anthony realizes that he has been living "a double life" and is in fact Pat's murderer. A Double Life was written for the screen by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, who occasionally digress from the melodramatic plotline to include a few backstage inside jokes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Whit Bissell, Ronald Colman, (more)
Director(s):
George Cukor
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of A Double Life

Ronald Colman won an Academy Award for his portrayal of an off-the-beam actor in A Double Life. A beloved stage star, Anthony John (Colman), has problems with his private life due to his unpredictable outbursts of temper. This trait has already cost him his wife, Brita (Signe Hasso), and threatens to sabotage his career. Nonetheless, Anthony makes his peace with Brita, and the two actors star in a new Broadway staging of Othello. The play is a hit, running over 300 performances, but the pressures of portraying a man moved to murder by jealousy takes its toll on Anthony. In a fit of delirium, he strangles his casual mistress, Pat (Shelley Winters), but retains no memory of the awful crime. Press agent Bill Friend (Edmond O'Brien), unaware that Anthony is the killer, uses Pat's murder as publicity for Othello. Anthony becomes enraged at this cheap ploy, and attacks Friend. At this point, Anthony realizes that he has been living "a double life" and is in fact Pat's murderer. A Double Life was written for the screen by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, who occasionally digress from the melodramatic plotline to include a few backstage inside jokes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
103 mins

Complete Cast of A Double Life


Director(s):
George Cukor
Writer(s):
Garson Kanin, Ruth Gordon
Producer(s):
Michael Kanin
Categories:
Mystery & Suspense
A Double Life Awards:
  • 1947 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Actor
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    Ann C.

    This powerful film noir, set on Broadway and starring Ronald Colman as a vengeful star, had me hooked from the first scene. I'm a Colman fan and was delighted to find this winner, which has been restored to full black & white magnificence by the UCLA Film Lab. Here's hoping that more Colman films--now listed on the BB site--will become available to us soon.

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    Sophia M.

    I love Ronald Colman, and this movie is so different than the usual roles he has performed. This is really an excellent movie, and I recommend it highly.

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    Tina B.

    Ronald Colman is always amazing, but even more so in the movie that finally snagged him an Oscar. In this he is Anthony John, a troubled but brilliant actor, who manages to become so engrossed in his roles that he nearly becomes them, a fact that destroyed his marriage to Brita -- with whom he is still good friends. The pair is asked to star in a new production of Othello, and we watch as Anthony becomes so much a part of Shakespeare's Moor, he begins to have trouble separating reality from fantasy. His already volatile temper and temperament is pushed to the edge, threatening to destroy his relationship with Brita, his friendship with his press agent, and his off-again, on-again stands with waitress Pat (played by a svelte Shelley Winters). Whether he is able to withstand the pressure and retain his sanity is for the viewer to find out. I watched it twice, and was blown away each time by Colman, as I usually am. Miklos Rozsa's score is a magnificent addition.

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