Canadian Film Forum

achim_dana · Trimis: 20/02/2012 23:08 Titlul subiectului: Dead Ringers

Dead Ringers

As Corina didn't manage to subscribe, I will send her review bellow:

It is a 1988 psychological horror film whose director is David Cronenberg. The film was based on “Twins” novel written by Barry Wood and Jack Geasland.
One of the main themes of the “Dead Ringers” is that of the female body, which has expansive historical and cultural significance. The view of dissection as analytical, sterile and rational and the perception of gynecology represent other themes in the film.
The film possesses many associations to the mythological conceptions of the feminine body. For example, the myth of the Medusa represents a connection between how we view our internal and external bodies.
The main characters of the film are the Mantle brothers, Elliot and Beverly. They both are gynecologists and identical twins. They are in a position of power and control over the female body.
Elliot, one the two highly successful gynecologists, is more aggressive but also more confident. He seduces women who come to the Mantle Clinic. When he got tired of them, the other one, Beverly replaces his brother, while the women don’t know about the substitution.
Claire Niveau, an actress comes to the clinic for her infertility. Elliot finds out that she probably won’t be able to have children because she has a “trifurcated cervix”. Then Elliot seduces Claire then induces his brother to sleep with her. Beverly takes in with her. When Claire finds out they are twins, she becomes angry for a while but she continues a relationship with Beverly. But Claire informs him that she must go for 10 weeks because she has to work another film. He thinks that it’s a too long period and he has depressions, he drinks a lot and takes drugs in abuse. He also supposes that Claire has never been confident to him, fact that made him suffer more. Then Beverly is put on administrative leave by the hospital board after collapsing on a patient. He is takes by his brother in the clinic who tries to clean him up. In this time, Claire calls Beverly to announce him that she is back and tells him to go and see her. He remembers about his brother and goes back to the clinic, but Elliot was intoxicated with drugs.
After they have celebrated their birthday, Elliot asks his brother to kill him, “to separate the Siamese twins”. After that Beverly goes to call Claire, but when she answers he just hears her telling “Who is this” and he goes back to the clinic and dies in Elliot’s dead arms.

DOBRICAN CORINA MARIA
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"Lives, like money, are spent. What are you buying with yours?" Roy H. Williams

achim_dana · Trimis: 23/02/2012 18:43 Titlul subiectului:

Beverly and Claire are spending their time at home, when Claire is very confused. She reproaches him that he didn’t tell her about his twin and identical brother. She found out they were living in the same apartment and they were very close. Beverly hesitates to tell her details about his brother, maybe because he is afraid to lose her. But Claire is more and more interested in meeting his twin brother, Elliot. In that moment, Beverly seems to become like crazy. Almost the entire scene is filmed with close-up, it concentrates on their face and gestures and shows very little background. The film-maker makes us feel uncomfortable about Beverly because he is very stressed and restless when Claire insists to see Elliot. The scene is filmed in the house, where there is not too much light.
Beverly tries to propose Claire to meet Elliot only. Maybe he wants to test her, but she refuses because she wants to meet both of them. At least they meet together, they talk and Elliot reveals her that he was the first who met her, but because she wasn’t good enough, he left her to his brother. Of course she feels betrayed and leaves the two brothers there.

DOBRICAN CORINA MARIA
_________________
"Lives, like money, are spent. What are you buying with yours?" Roy H. Williams