The Dark Mirror

Olivia de Havilland plays identical twins in this handsome 1946 murder mystery that combines competitive-sister melodrama with a psychotic-twin thriller. De Havilland is both good girl Terry and jealous, conniving Ruth, siblings who stick together when one is accused of murder. When police lieutenant Stevenson (Thomas Mitchell) can't prove which of the two was witnessed leaving the scene of the crime, he enlists a psychiatrist, Dr. Scott Elliott (Lew Ayres), to profile the pair, a process that leads to romance with Terry, much to the resentment of Ruth. Director Robert Siodmak effectively builds up to the final revelation, and the photographic tricks that put the two de Havillands in a single shot are seamless—as is the actress's interplay with herself, keeping the focus on the drama rather than the gimmick. Although it's built on drawing-room murder mystery tropes and simplistic psychoanalytic mumbo-jumbo (a reading of inkblots reveals the insane sister in mere seconds), The Dark Mirror is stylishly directed, handsomely produced, and full of personality, thanks to Mitchell's dogged New York gumshoe and de Havilland's nuanced performance. Fans of old Hollywood classics will enjoy this, even though it may seem creaky to viewers accustomed to modern mysteries. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)