Bound by Flesh

Filmmaker Leslie Zemeckis's Bound by Flesh explores the dual lives and singular career of conjoined twins and vaudeville act Daisy and Violet Hilton. Born in Brighton, England, in 1908, the Hiltons—joined at the lower back—were forced into showbiz by grasping, greedy surrogate relatives. Trained as a multi-instrumental novelty act, the girls enjoyed success on the circuit in the 1920s, but successfully sought "emancipation" in a 1931 court case. Much of the Hilton girls' lives was high-profile (enabling frequent use of newsreel clips here), including the increasingly degrading publicity stunts (including striptease), and the romancing and marrying of a succession of men (two of the grooms turned out to be gay). The Hiltons also starred in two features, the controversial cult carnival classic Freaks (1932) and Chained for Life (1952), neither of which did much for their popularity, especially as tastes changed and their novelty wore off. The women themselves are rather elusive as personalities (singular or plural). Although described as pleasant and personable, it seems that all the Hiltons knew was touring and hanging desperately on the fringes of showbiz, until very late in life when their poverty made them accept work in the produce department of a grocery store in Charlotte, NC. Interviewees include author-biographer Dean Jensen and playwright John Bramhall, writer of a stage piece based on the pair. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)