Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1946)

THE DARK MIRROR' UNUSUAL AND EUGROSSSNG PSYCHOLOGICAL MYSTERY Rett • • • — generally Universal-International 80 minutes Olivia de Havilland, Lew Ay res, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Long, Garry Owen, Lela Bliss, Lester Allen, Marta Mitrovitch, Ida Moore, Amellta Ward. Directed hy Robert Siodmak. An unusual psychological murder-mystery, "The Dark Mirror" pits one twin against the other to confuse police — and the audience as well. Although the identical twins' contrasting natures are not always clearly defined, Olivia de Havilland gives a splendid emotional portrayal of a most difficult dual role and her draw, added to that of Lew Ayres, in his first screen appearance since 1942. will insure above-average grosses, especially in first-runs. As the initial Leo Spitz-William Goetz production for Universal-International, this also has the advantage of taut direction by Robert Siodmak, who builds suspense slowly but surely, and the trick photography, which frequently has the twins in close proximity, to place it in the out-of-the-ordinary class. The story of a murder which defies solution because both the suspect and her identical twin sister furnish fool-proof alibis for each other is incredible but strangely fascination and especially suspenseful during the later scenes when one of the sisters is revealed as insane enough to murder the other. At this point, the spectator notices subtly differences in the girls' characters but, in the early scenes, only the use of initialed clasps or necklaces which spell out the first names give a clue to their identities. The romantic element is introduced gradually but it never becomes uppermost mainly because Lew Ayres, who looks older and rather drawn and haggard, lacks warmth in his familiar role of a phsysician this time a specialist in psychology. Thomas Mitchell, who is convincing as a baffled detective, has the only other important role. When a prominent physician is found stabbed to death in his apartment, suspicion centers on Olivia de Havilland, who runs a magazine stand in the doctor's office building and who had an engagement with him the night of the slaying. Thomas Mitchell, the detective on the case, checks on all of her alibis but comes to an impasse when he learns that the girl has an identical twin sister (also Olivia de Havilland) and it is impossible to declare one of them guilty and the other innocent. Mitchell seeks the advice of Lew Ayres, specialist in psychology, who agrees to help solve the mystery by giving each girl various tests. Both indicate a romantic interest in Ayres, one of them rather agressively, while the other girl is led to believe she is having hallucinations. As a result of his tests, Ayres comas to the conclusion that one of the sisters is suffering from a dangerous form of criminal insanity. He calls up the gentler sister but the other answers and agrees to come to his apartment to discuss her sister. As he replaces the phone, the gentler girl walks in and he realizes his error but, with Mitchell, he sets a trap. Led to believe that the gentler girl had killed herself, and that her scheme to drive her sister out of her mind had succeeded, the insane girl betrays her true identity to Ayres. The gentler girl then realizes that her sister is a hopeless paranoic and she refuses to shield her any longer. LEYENDECKER 'THE INVISIBLE INFORMER' MINOR HORROR YARN LACKS NAMES Rates • • — as supporting dualler in minor action and nabor hood houses Republic 5" minutes Linda Sterling, William Henry, Adele Mara, Gerald Mohr, Tom London, Peggy Stewart, Cy Kendall, Claire DuBrey, Tristram Coffin, Donia jBussey, Charles Lane, Francis McDonald. Directed by Philip Ford. This is another ol Republic's minor action programmers Lacking in name value and running less than an hour, "The Invisible Informer" is suited only to dual billing in the lesser action and naborhood houses. Although the story is laid in the Louis. ana Bayou country, replete with swamps and lurking figures, it is p3opIed with stock characters, most of them members of a decadent family so often portrayed in murder mysteries of this type. The picture has a few eerie moments, a bang-up fi:tic encounter between hero and villain and plenty of murders — enough to satisfy the devotees of mystery fare. The romantic interest is negligible mainly b:cause the two young private investigators toss off wisecracks and quarrel incessantly until they go into a clinch just before the final fade-out. William Henry and Linda Sterling make an attractive couple, but their performances are unconvincing and the best acting job is turned in by Gerald Mohr, as the handsome, sinister head of the decadent family. Claire DuBrey also contributes a good performance. However, Donia Bussey acts like a high school student made up to resemble a quavering-voiced old grandmother. The title, incidentally, has no relation to the story. Linda Sterling and William Henry, detec 'WILD BEAUTY' BOY-HORSE PROGRAMMER FOR KIDDIES Rates • • — for minor naborhood duals only Universal Wl minutes Robert "Buzzy" Henry, Lois Collier, Don Porter, Jacqueline DeWit, George Cleveland, Robert Wilcox, Dick Curtis, Eva Puig, Pierce Lyden, Isabel Withers, Roy Brent. Directed by Wallace W. Fox. Made-to-order for the kiddies, who will enjoy its boy-and-wild colt plot and the outdoors action, "Wild Beauty" is tame stuff for the majority of adult patrons. One of Universal's low-budget programmers, this is lacking in name values and will serve only as a supporting dualler in sub-run family houses. N. G. elsewhere. Producer-Director Wallace W. Fox probably started out with the laudable idea of presenting the problems of our Indian population on Arizona reservations, but, except for a long-winded spiel about their poverty and lack of edu cation, the picture is typical juvenile action fare Excellent scenic shots of wild horses on the run and an appealing performance by Robert "Buzzy" Henry, as a 12-year-old Indian orphan, cannot make up for the routine romantic plot which continually slows up what action the picture has. Lois Collier gives an artificial portrayal as a school teacher who wears pretty frocks and long blonde curls and Don Porter is stiff and amateurish as a frontier doctor. Jacqueline DeWit struggles hard to get a few chuckles and only George Cleveland gives a human, likable adult performance. Lois Collier, arrogant Easterner, comes to the Indian reservation in Arizona to teach school. Disliking her primitive surroundings, she vents her spleen on one of her pupils, Robert "Buzzy" Henry, an Indian orphan and protege of Don Porter, who has charge of the local hospital. When Miss Collier compels Henry's guardian, George Cleveland, to withdraw the boy's privilege tive and romantic partners, are sent by their insurance firm to Louisiana to investigate a claim made by an aristocratic family after the theft of a heavily insured emerald necklace. They have a lovers' quarrel and decide to work separately. Linda becomes friendly with Gerald Mohr, one of the wealthy sons, and learns from him that his brother had committed suicide. Henry, meanwhile, meets Adele Mara, who had had romances with both brothers, and she agrees to help Henry on the case. Mohr, afraid that Adele will expose him, strangles her one night, and shortly thereafter Linda discovers that the other brother is really alive, having pretended suicide in a plot with Mohr to collect the insurance money. When Linda reveals her knowledge to Mohr, he is about to strangle her when Henry comes to the rescue. of riding his pinto, the youngster runs away into the desert to join Wild Beauty, a colt whose life he and the doctor saved. Porter rescues the kid and orders Miss Collier to leave but Henry intercedes for her and she remains. Two years later. Miss Collier has come to like the reservation — and the doctor who is about to propose to her when her former suitor, Robert Wilcox, arrives. Wilcox, who is a shoe manufacturer, sees a chance to exploit the herd of wild horses of which Wild Beauty has become "king," and he plots with a rancher to capture them and slaughter them for their hides. The herd is barricaded in a box canyon but Wild Beauty smashes the fences, and" the rancher is crushed to death in the stampede. Henry is shot while attempting to rescue Wild Beauty but, after Porter thrashes Wilcox, t;ie latter leaves and the boy is reunited with his beloved wild horse. YORK BOX OFFICE RATING: 'oor Average •••Good ••••Excellent 10 FILM BULLETIN