Overview
A chilling tale of identity and deception unfolds as a psychiatrist navigates a web of intrigue and love.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- suspenseful
- eerie
- low key
- classic cinema night
- noir double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a polished, suspenseful psychological melodrama elevated by Olivia de Havilland's dual performance, while finding its explanatory resolution less ingenious than its premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Olivia de Havilland plays both Terry Collins and Ruth Collins, whose differing personalities determine the investigation.
Psychiatrist Scott Elliott uses psychological examinations to distinguish the twins and identify the murderer.
The identical sisters and the film's mirror motif externalize uncertainty over whether appearance reveals character.
The investigation foregrounds psychiatry and divided personality in a 1946 Hollywood context fascinated by psychological explanations.
Films like The Dark Mirror, and why
The Woman in the Window
shared film noir atmosphere, murder investigation, and psychological suspense
Spellbound
shared noir mystery, psychiatric subject matter, and morally unstable characters
The Seventh Victim
shared psychological suspense, identity uncertainty, and elegant black-and-white Hollywood style
A Stolen Life
shared evil-double premise, romantic tension, and suspenseful identity confusion
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Siodmak
- Release Date
- 1946-10-17
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (125)
Cast
- Olivia de Havilland
- Lew Ayres
- Thomas Mitchell
- Richard Long
- Charles Evans
- Garry Owen
- Lela Bliss
- Lester Allen
- Bess Flowers
- Ida Moore
Common questions
- What is The Dark Mirror about?
- A psychiatrist and a skeptical detective unravel a murder alibi that depends on two identical sisters whose appearances conceal radically different minds.
- What is The Dark Mirror like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Dark Mirror as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Dark Mirror violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Dark Mirror as mild.
- What did critics think of The Dark Mirror?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a polished, suspenseful psychological melodrama elevated by Olivia de Havilland's dual performance, while finding its explanatory resolution less ingenious than its premise.
- Which films are like The Dark Mirror?
- Films with a similar feel include The Woman in the Window, Spellbound, The Seventh Victim, and A Stolen Life.
- How long is The Dark Mirror?
- The Dark Mirror runs 85 minutes.
