Cheap A Double Life (DVD) (Ronald Colman, Edmond O'Brien) (George Cukor) Price

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Customer Reviews of A Double Life

A forgotten gem.
I first saw Ronald Colman in the 1937 film "Lost Horizon" and I was immediately impressed with his acting ability, primarily his use of subtlety and gesture. His type of acting is extremely rare by todays standards, where the stories are more likely to contain rapid, complex camera shots and special effects to propel the plot. But back in the Silver Screen era it was all about a tight script and excellent acting. That is what we have here, with a particularly potent performance given by the star Ronald Colman. His performance garnered the 1947 Oscar for Best Actor, and many said it was a long time coming. The story is about a stage actor content to play comic leads when he is offered the lead role in Shakespear's "Othello." He is reluctant to play the part due to a subconcious realization that his roles eventually seep into his real life, becoming an actual part of his character. When considering the lead in "Othello" this cannot be a good thing. Tragedy is an eventuality. The highlights in the film, for me, were the scenes from the play on stage. Ronald Colman loses hiself in the character completely both on and off the stage and is ultimately very believable and creepy. There are the occasional conventional plot devices common to the era used to wrap things up neatly, but overall this is a forgotten gem of a film from acclaimed director George Cukor. Once the begining credits unfolded and that director's name was shown I knew this was going to be at the very least, acceptable; at best, exceptional. This film falls nicely between those two possibilities, with a terrific lead performance from Ronald Colman. Thank you.

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A Fellow Actor
I've been acting for 25 years. I played John Barrymore in a one man show in the fall of 2003. Ronald Colman's story playing Othello is not fantasy. Believe me.

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He DID Win an Oscar!
"A Double Life" presents a challenge to viewers (and reviewers). The basic theme explores the theory that a stage actor can carry his role into his off stage life-to the detriment of himself or others. As the story unfolds, leading man Ronald Colman is playing in a Broadway production of Shakespeare's "Othello". A murder takes place at its' climax. Without question, those who appreciate that literary work will enjoy the early part of "A Double Life" far more than those who have not. The movie fast-forwards as a waitress (a very young Shelly Winters) is murdered in "real life". The police investigation is stymied until Colman does something very stupid! This reviewer won't reveal what that was- or the ending- but DL switches to a quite credible murder investigation. The result is that DL is two movies in one, with the second half far superior to the mellow dramatic first. Somebody whose opinion mattered must have liked DL since George Cukor was nominated for Best Director and Mr. Colman won the Best Actor Oscar. There is also excellent supporting work by Edmund O' Brien as a publicity man and Millard Mitchell as a cynical reporter. This reviewer is more cautionary. Even the great Colman is hard pressed to shine in a two movies in one scenario. One wonders if his DL Oscar was truly awarded for past work such as "The Prisoner of Zenda" or "Random Harvest" and not this more mundane release. DL is NOT the movie to watch Ronald Colman for the first time!