Sisters

It should come as no surprise that this low-budget affair is a product of Samuel Z. Arkoff's American International factory. Like his counterpart Roger Corman Arkoff was not adverse to advancing the careers of talented neophytes. For a price. A cheap price. Brian De Palma was previously noticed for his counterculture comedies featuring Robert DeNiro, "Greetings" and Hi, Mom!". This homage to Alfred Hitchcock must have come out of leftfield when it was released in 1973. I'll be first to admit that the denouement was telegraphed here fairly early. Also, the gratuitous use of gore isn't so much shocking but redundant. Hitchcock as demonstrated in his masterpiece "Psycho" knew that you can suggest bloodshed without actually showing it. Those quibbles aside "Sisters" is a case of style trumping substance. And what style. De Palma displays a real knack for ratcheting tension. His use of split-screen is something to behold. I always thought this to be a tired device from that period but De Palma utilizes it for maximum effect. Along with Michael Wadleigh's "Woodstock" this has to be the best use of split-screen I've seen in a feature film. As a bonus De Palma hired Bernard Herrmann who contributes a score worthy of his work with Hitchcock. The performances here are something to behold. Margot Kidder absolutely shines assaying brilliantly the distinct personalities of the separated French-Canadian Siamese twins, Danielle and Dominique. Kidder would later be typecast as Lois Lane much like the late Christopher Reeve would be as Clark Kent/Superman. Kidder did an earlier film with Gene Wilder called "Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx" that also demonstrates her versatility as an actress. The real eye opener here is William Finley as Danielle's creepy ex-husband, Emil. Finley imbues Emil with enough ticks and complexity that you can't take your eyes off him. De Palma is degraded nowadays as a mere Hitchcock copycat which is a shame. He later successfully tackled films in other genres but he'll always be remembered for the thrillers. What shouldn't be forgotten is that he wasn't ripping off Hitchcock but paying tribute to him. He was an astute student of Hitchcock and had an innate understanding of what made the Master's films work.

There is obvious ripping from the frames of Hitchcock and De Palma was still young in his imagination, but if you like Charles Durning (I recently watched him in "When a Stranger Calls" and enjoyed that performance very much) then you will enjoy "Sisters" too. What's different about De Palma's film is that it does provide a new twist upon the 'twins separated at birth' formula, and there is a marvelous sense of social satire about our new "hyperreality" (a world in which people are so awash with media stories containing violence that they refuse to be anything other than apathetic and suspicious when a real violent act occurs next door to them--a kind of world in which TV and movies have replaced the reality and impact of real life violence for most) that the most humorous Hitchcock films never dared approach. "Sisters" is short, with an ending that leaves one hanging, but that's part of what makes it so punchy. With Margot Kidder's sexy-as-hell French accent and composer Bernard Herrmann's chilling music score, "Sisters" is a good time, with laughs, scares, scenes of pain and agony, and a real awareness of itself as a piece of cinema (which also aids its sense of satire).The Criterion disc is fine, but short on the "good stuff"--no De Palma commentary (whom I fear might be under the Spielbergian curse of being afraid of recording audio commentaries), no vintage 'making of', no interviews with the cast, no TV spots or radio spots, no extensive photo galleries, and no documentary on composer Herrmann--though a nice interview with him is included in the booklet, so think twice before buying a used copy if you're a geek about such things as I am. Overall, though, the picture and sound are good, and the film is a must see simply because it is a decent enough mystery film. We seem to be in a dry spell for good mystery films these days, but in older times that obviously wasn't so. Overall, a violent, intriguing, sometimes bizarrely plotted film, and one that is never beneath a good discussion. And for that fact alone I'm giving it a high rating because it is something to see, at least.

Played fine.

director's first masterpiece. this has one of the greatest split screen sequences in de palma's cinematography

The pun is so obvious; this twisted movie hails many old horror films, but is not so derivative that the allusions get in the way. Brian De Palma is less imitative of Hitchcock than in many of his other movies, although the referential scene that cuts between the birthday cake and Danielle writhing on the floor in pain, is excruciating, and would probably make Hitchcock proud. De Palma also alludes to some lesser known cult films, such as The Dark Mirror, but more importantly the hard-to-find Chained for Life, starring Daisy and Violet Hilton, real-life conjoined twins billed as "united" twins during their lifetime. As such, it's a feast for people who just plain like movies.However, for people who want everything spelled out for them, the movie might seem obfuscated. It's not, in my opinion, but as I said, some people like everything laid out in neat rows. This is not a tidy film. I admire De Palma's courage in not squaring all his corners; for me, it adds to the strangeness that sets this film apart from other good twin/bad twin films.Some of the acting here is less than sterling, but Margot Kidder turns out a 1000 proof performance in the title role. The movie is worth seeing just for her alone. Movies with Margot Kidder are always better than the same films would be without Margot Kidder. Her drunken French accent is a thing to behold.Give this movie a chance.