The Dark Mirror

A doctor is killed in his home and witnesses say they saw the murderer: the woman leaving the scene was Terry Collins. The trouble is that Terry has an identical twin, each confirms the other's account of that night, and establishing which one is guilty is legally impossible. The police bring in a psychologist who tests the two separately. Robert Siodmak builds the film between noir and psychological thriller. Olivia de Havilland plays both parts, and what makes the twins distinguishable is not makeup but the eyes and the rhythm of speech. The split screen and double exposure work was advanced for its time. It is a good example of how psychoanalysis was being used in the cinema of the forties. Who it is for: viewers who like classic noir and mysteries about twins. Who it is not for: anyone who will find the psychology simplistic by today's standards.