THE DARK MIRROR

The Dark Mirror is a curious psychological thriller based on a novel by Vladimir Pozner. It's overloaded with Freudian inferences, but it does show a willingness to lunge full force into exploring the dark side of human nature, which is something not often done in a Hollywood film. Olivia de Havilland shrewdly plays in an understated fashion the dual role of identical twins, one sister a loving person and the other severely disturbed. A doctor suitor of one of the twins is murdered, though it is uncertain if he knew his girlfriend had a twin. Witnesses identify the attractive candy clerk in the lobby of the medical building as the one seen last quarreling with the doctor before his demise. But when the lead detective, Lt. Stevenson, investigates, he can't determine which of the identical twins, Ruth or Terry, did the murder. Several witnesses identify Terry, but she has an alibi from three reliable witnesses, that she was in another part of town at the time of the murder. The other sister Ruth claims to have been home alone. Since the detective is sure one of the sisters is the killer but can't arrest them without proof, he asks research psychologist Dr. Scott Elliott to help him sort out one twin from the other - the study of twins happens to be Elliott's field of research. (Dennis Schwartz)