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 Dead Ringers 1988 / 115 min Directed by David Cronenberg Written by David Cronenberg, Bari Wood, and Jack Geasland Cinematography: Peter Suschitzky Production Design: Carol Spier Available on Amazon Prime Whenever I think about body horror (which I do a lot), I always keep coming back to from the interview book Cronenberg on Cronenberg where David describes the violent transformations his characters undergo in his films as “the separation of a partner that could be very valuable as an equal rather than something you dominate. I think the flesh in my films is like that. I notice that my characters talk about the flesh undergoing revolution at times. I think to myself: “That’s what it is: the independence of the body, relative to the mind, and the difficulty of the mind accepting what that revolution might entail.” While Dead Ringers mostly eschews this kind of visceral depiction of body horror (apart from a few prominent instances), it is still a film which is fundamentally driven by the same basic concept: A body is separating from a mind’s control and both halves are trying to reckon with this new reality. It marks a pretty solid turning point in his career where David Cronenberg's films become much more subdued yet no less fascinated with the ways we see bodies, both our own and others.  Cronenberg very loosely bases this film on the novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland which is itself loosely based on the story of Stewart and Cyril Marcus, identical twins who worked as gynecologists in New York and supposedly died together. Elliot and Beverly, this film’s stand-in for the real twins, fundamentally operate as one composite body, with one organ flowing into the other. They work the same job, eat the same things, and gently caress the same women. They have built up a delusion of control and cold, clinical rationality, seeing the bodies of the women they operate on as purely parts to be manipulated and examined, divorced from the person who inhabits them. When Claire, the actress they're currently both seeing, realizes what they're doing and calls them out on their manipulation, this communal body goes into flux and begins to break down. Beverly begins to lose himself to barbituate addiction. While Elliot initially maintains some distance, he feels the need to “synchronize” himself to adapt and reset the equilibrium, leading them both down a dark path. Jeffrey Irons' dual performance as Eliot and Beverly is one of the best examples I've seen of such. Rather than falling into tired dynamics like good twin/bad twin, both of his characters feel like believable components of the same mind. The “actors playing twin versions of themselves” trope is fairly common, but conceptually and technically, this remains one of the most impressive implementations of that concept. The technology behind this film is especially impressive, given that they achieved this effect with splitscreens and computerized moving-matte before CGI became a mainstay. There are some great behind the scenes videos on YouTube showing the computer set-up in action that are worth watching if you have a minute. Genevieve Bujold is wonderfully discerning as Claire, being able to cut through the layers of disconnection and clinical distance the twins have built up for themselves.  Carol Spier, Cronenberg’s consistent production designer who’s worked with him in one capacity or another since The Brood, is on her absolute A game here. The world they inhabit is washed in clinical greys and whites, which makes places like the deep-red surgery room where they operate feel all the more grotesque. Cronenberg’s films would mostly continue to use this sterilized aesthetic going forward, but I would argue this is the most effective version of that aesthetic. There are a scant few exterior scenes here, lending to a claustrophobic feeling and keeping you in as close proximity to the twins as possible. The instruments for “operating on mutant women” feel appropriately nasty and are probably the strongest visual ties to his earlier work. The film itself is pretty easy to find on Amazon Prime, though there's also a Shout Factory blu-ray out in the wild featuring more featurettes/behind-the-scenes stuff. I don't own that version myself, but I hear very good things about it. Likewise, there is also a very early Criterion release on DVD which I have not taken a look at. Some additional recommended reading/viewing: Dead Ringers - Criterion The psychosexual pleasures of David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers - Little White Lies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT42xpbddRQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WCOl2fKJNI Fran edit: Previous Movies of the Month Somebody fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Jan 1, 2020 |
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Jan 1, 2020 21:26
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| # ? May 6, 2024 12:01 |
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Excellent choice. Dead Ringers is a movie that I've only seen once but it immediately shot to the upper tier of my Cronenberg rankings. I'd probably put it at #3 after The Fly and Videodrome. Hard to argue with DDL getting a Best Actor award, but with the other nominees that year it's ridiculous that Irons wasn't included. Apparently when he did win it a few years later he thanked Cronenberg in his speech.
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Jan 2, 2020 17:15
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This is one of my top Cronenburg's too, the characterisation of the twins is totally believable, helped a lot by a standout performance from Jeremy Irons. Big recommend to any thriller fan. Funnily enough was watching him in Watchmen the other night, he puts in a commendable performance there too.
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Jan 9, 2020 22:16
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The real standout thing about this movie for me was the production design. It really is desolate and oppressive, and it does a lot to sell how fundamentally lonely Elliot and Beverly are. The final act of the movie where they're together in their ruined clinic is a landmark achievement in set design.
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Jan 19, 2020 20:03
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Howard Shore’s best soundtrack ever, and it’s got some stiff competition. Just heartbreaking.
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Jan 28, 2020 01:38
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| # ? May 6, 2024 12:01 |
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New Movie of the Month thread is up: In The Mood For Love
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Feb 4, 2020 01:46
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