A Double Life
| Program section: | Shakespeare Meets Noir |
|---|---|
| Directed by: | George Cukor |
| Year: | 1947 |
| Country: | USA |
| Length: | 104 min. |
| Cast: | Ronald Colman, Signe Hasso, Edmond O’Brien, Shelley Winters, Ray Collins, Philip Loeb and others. |
Screening:
- 20. 8. 2026 | 13:00 - Central Bohemia Hall (castle - gothic kitchen) / CZ subs /
- 21. 8. 2026 | 13:00 - Cinema Sokol Č. Šterrnberk (below castle - Sokolovna) / CZ subs /
Production: Kanin Productions
Script/Based on: Ruth Gordon, Carson Kanin
Director of Photography: Milton L. Krasner
Score: Miklós Rózsa
The main theme of director George Cukor’s film is already evident in its title: the story focuses on the duality of life experienced by the self-absorbed actor Anthony John, who is so consumed by his role in a stage production of Othello that elements of Shakespeare’s tragedy begin to seep into his private life. The screenplay was written by the experienced husband-and-wife team of Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, who, like director Cukor, received Oscar nominations. Composer Miklós Rózsa and actor Ronald Colman fared even better, winning Academy Awards for 1947. Colman is the true star of the film: at the age of 56 – after thirty years in the film industry and three Oscar nominations – he finally reached the pinnacle by, in the words of Michael L. Stephens, managing „to capture the duplicity of his character with a splendid over the top performance that ranks as one of film noir’s hammiest performances.” (mh)
