| Videos |
| Jeremy Irons | ... | Beverly Mantle / Elliot Mantle | |
| Geneviève Bujold | ... | Claire Niveau (as Genevieve Bujold) | |
| Heidi von Palleske | ... | Cary (as Heidi Von Palleske) | |
| Barbara Gordon | ... | Danuta | |
| Shirley Douglas | ... | Laura | |
| Stephen Lack | ... | Anders Wolleck | |
| Nick Nichols | ... | Leo | |
| Lynne Cormack | ... | Arlene | |
| Damir Andrei | ... | Birchall | |
| Miriam Newhouse | ... | Mrs. Bookman | |
| David Hughes | ... | Superintendent | |
| Richard W. Farrell | ... | Dean of Medicine (as Richard Farrell) | |
| Warren Davis | ... | Anatomy Class Supervisor | |
| Jonathan Haley | ... | Beverly, Age 9 | |
| Nicholas Haley | ... | Elliot, Age 9 | |
| Marsha Moreau | ... | Raffaella | |
| Dennis Akayama | ... | Pharmacist (as Denis Akiyama) | |
| Dee McCafferty | ... | Surgeon | |
| Susan Markle | ... | Operating Room Nurse | |
| Murray Cruchley | ... | Assisting Surgeon | |
| Jane Luk | ... | Lecture Hall Nurse | |
| Tita Trevisan | ... | Furniture Salesman | |
| Jacqueline Hennessy | ... | Coral (as Jacqueline Hennessy) | |
| Jill Hennessy | ... | Mimsy (as Jillian Hennessy) | |
| David Walden | ... | Director | |
| Liliane Stillwell | ... | Wardrobe Person | |
| Denise McLeod | ... | Art Gallery Lady | |
| Bob Bainborough | ... | Mr. Glaser | |
| Nick Rice | ... | MC (as Nicholas Rice) | |
| Joe Matheson | ... | Sean | |
| Hadley Kay | ... | Delivery Boy | |
| Cynthia Eastman | ... | Sobbing Woman | |
| Nora Colpman | ... | Mrs. Randall | |
| Rena Polley | ... | Soap Opera Character | |
| Madeleine Atkinson | ... | Soap Opera Character | |
| John Bayliss | ... | Performance Double | |
| Graham Evans | ... | Picture Double | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| David Cronenberg | ... | Obstetrician (uncredited) | |
| Alan Gough | ... | Director / producer of TV soap opera (uncredited) | |
| Jordan-Patrick Marcantonio | ... | Twin Boy (uncredited) | |
| Julian-Peter Marcantonio | ... | (uncredited) | |
| Greg Van Riel | ... | Man in reception (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| David Cronenberg | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Bari Wood | (book "Twins") and | |
| Jack Geasland | (book "Twins") | |
| David Cronenberg | (written by) and | |
| Norman Snider | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Carol Baum | .... | executive producer | |
| John Board | .... | associate producer | |
| Marc Boyman | .... | producer | |
| David Cronenberg | .... | producer | |
| Sylvio Tabet | .... | executive producer | |
| James G. Robinson | .... | executive producer (uncredited) | |
| Joe Roth | .... | executive producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Howard Shore | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Peter Suschitzky | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Ronald Sanders | |||
Casting by | |||
| Deirdre Bowen | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Carol Spier | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Alicia Keywan | (supervising art director) | ||
| James McAteer | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Elinor Rose Galbraith | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Denise Cronenberg | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Eva Coudouloux | .... | hair stylist: TV soap opera | |
| Eva Coudouloux | .... | makeup artist: TV soap opera | |
| Shonagh Jabour | .... | makeup artist | |
| Ivan Lynch | .... | hair designer | |
| Maxine Rennes-Gunderson | .... | assistant hair stylist | |
| Barbara Szablowski | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Gabriella Martinelli | .... | post-production supervisor | |
| Gabriella Martinelli | .... | production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| John Board | .... | first assistant director | |
| Cynthia Clayton | .... | trainee assistant director (as Cyndie Clayton) | |
| Kevin Larstone | .... | assistant director: TV soap opera | |
| Laurie Mirsky | .... | third assistant director | |
| Izidore K. Musallam | .... | second assistant director | |
Sound Department | |||
| Terry Burke | .... | foley artist | |
| Richard Cadger | .... | sound editor | |
| Viktoria Cseh-McCormick | .... | assistant sound editor (as Victoria Cseh) | |
| Bryan Day | .... | sound mixer | |
| David Evans | .... | sound editor | |
| David Giammarco | .... | sound editor | |
| Wayne Griffin | .... | sound editor | |
| Sean Kelly | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Judy 'Lucky' Kemeny | .... | assistant sound editor (as Judy Kemeny) | |
| Michael LaCroix | .... | boom operator (as Michael Lacroix) | |
| John Laing | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Andy Nelson | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Dino Pigat | .... | adr recordist | |
| Donna Powell | .... | assistant foley artist | |
| Peter Tarshis | .... | sound recordist: TV soap opera sequence | |
| Don White | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Randall Balsmeyer | .... | motion control programmer | |
| Gordon J. Smith | .... | special effects designer (as Gordon Smith) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Dimitris Anapliotis | .... | optical printer | |
| Jon Campfens | .... | optical printer camerman | |
| Bill Francis | .... | laboratory assistant: motion control system | |
| Chris Furniotis | .... | optical line-up | |
| George Furniotis | .... | optical director | |
| John Furniotis | .... | optical director (as G. John Furniotis) | |
| Derek Howard | .... | laboratory supervisor: motion control system | |
| Walter Klassen | .... | mechanical designer: motion control system | |
| Shelly Morrow | .... | junior optical layout/camera animation | |
| Richard Palin | .... | motion control assistant | |
| Alan Peppiatt | .... | rotoscope artist | |
| Ted Ross | .... | laboratory assistant: motion control system | |
| Don Snowdon | .... | rotoscope artist | |
| Lee Wilson | .... | optical effects supervisor | |
| Bob Yoshioka | .... | optical line-up | |
Stunts | |||
| John Bayliss | .... | stunt double | |
Animation Department | |||
| Peter Grucza | .... | animation stand | |
Casting Department | |||
| Peter Lavender | .... | extras casting | |
| Melanie Tanz | .... | extras casting | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Trysha Bakker | .... | wardrobe assistant | |
| Jay Du Boisson | .... | wardrobe mistress | |
| Nancy Duggan | .... | seamstress | |
| Brenda Gilles | .... | wardrobe assistant | |
| Patricia Hanley | .... | seamstress | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Lesley Clark | .... | post-production assistant | |
| Charlotte Disher | .... | editing production assistant | |
| Chris Hinton | .... | color timer | |
| Bernadette Kelly | .... | trainee assistant editor | |
| Susan Maggi | .... | second assistant editor | |
| Michael Rea | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Sandra Tucker | .... | post-production assistant | |
| Steve Weslak | .... | associate editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Homer Denison | .... | orchestrator | |
| Brian Eddolls | .... | electronic music preparation | |
| Jean Kerr | .... | music coordinator: London | |
| Dick Lewzey | .... | music re-recording engineer | |
| Suzana Peric | .... | music editor | |
| Howard Shore | .... | conductor | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Howard Brenner | .... | driver | |
| David Brown | .... | driver | |
| Ron Coles | .... | driver | |
| Frances Hendry | .... | head driver | |
| Allen Kosonic | .... | driver (as Al Kosonic) | |
| Gilbert Lacasse | .... | driver | |
| Jerome McCann | .... | driver captain | |
| Chris Radley Walters | .... | driver (as Chris Radley-Walters) | |
| Steven Sacrob | .... | driver | |
| Richard Spiegelman | .... | transportation coordinator | |
Other crew | |||
| Jami Abell | .... | assistant: Mr. Roth | |
| James F. Breithaupt | .... | post-production accountant (as Jim Breithaupt) | |
| John P. Cassels | .... | production assistant | |
| Lesley Clark | .... | assistant: Mr. Boyman | |
| Prudence Emery | .... | unit publicist | |
| Alice Ferrier | .... | production coordinator | |
| Marta Fischer | .... | production assistant | |
| John Gaskin | .... | assistant accountant | |
| Janet Gayford | .... | production secretary | |
| Alan Gough | .... | director: t.v. soap opera (as R. Alan Gough) | |
| Alan Gough | .... | producer: t.v. soap opera (as R. Alan Gough) | |
| Lynn Gran | .... | craft service | |
| Sara Holmes | .... | office clerk | |
| Ted Hunter | .... | sculptor: Wolleck's studio sculptures | |
| Anthony Kadak | .... | location assistant | |
| Neil Kredentser | .... | location assistant | |
| Heather McIntosh | .... | production auditor | |
| Vince Nyuli | .... | unit location manager | |
| Jeremy Podeswa | .... | unit publicist | |
| James G. Robinson | .... | presenter | |
| Margaret Roiphe | .... | representative: financer | |
| Joe Roth | .... | presenter | |
| Dug Rotstein | .... | script supervisor | |
| Wendie Saltarski | .... | post-production accountant | |
| Lillian Sarafinchan | .... | location manager | |
| Cindy Scott | .... | accounting clerk | |
| Teri Spasov | .... | assistant accountant | |
| Melanie Tanz | .... | assistant: producers | |
| Sandra Tucker | .... | assistant: Mr. Cronenberg | |
| Paul Van Zyl | .... | intern | |
| Janet M. West | .... | assistant: Mr. Robinson (as Janet West) | |
| Anita Simand | .... | creative executive (uncredited) | |
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I must admit that I have a bit of a fascination with identical twins, and I don't think I'm alone on this. We often wonder to ourselves about how life must be for those that are, being able to con others by one twin being able to pose as the other or one twin taking the blame for the other's misdeeds.
I first encountered a pair of identical twins when I was still in preschool and the concept has stuck with me ever since. So have the questions and the articulate pondering of how they can socialize in an environment as active as something, say, a public high school. How would they function? Normally, I would guess, but that's not enough for some, and director David Cronenberg also explores the concept of twins and has made a delicate and obsessive film that dives deep into its subject matter and doesn't relent in his hunt.
Cronenberg is a director with an impeccable track record of nasty, gore-laden and brilliant horror and sci-fi movies that many times serve a greater purpose other than grossing out the audience. To paraphrase his IMDb biography, his works are often metaphors for larger social questions that are left up to the viewer to answer. Hence, this in no way makes his work easy to grasp or understand; it may take repeated viewings, but the pieces will eventually fall into place.
Let's reflect: "Videodrome" (1983) explored the notion of reality-morphing television and technology and its fusion with human flesh - as witnessed by a man whose obsession with a strange television signal warps his perceptions of reality and he literally becomes a media assassin, as well as a human VCR with a vagina-like slit in his stomach to which a video cassette could be inserted; "The Fly" (1986) displayed the agonizing process of slow death and the effect it has on those involved - showcased by a woman having to watch her lover, a brilliant scientist whose DNA is mixed with that of a common housefly, waste away into something more terrifying; Cronenberg's third work of genius at this time, 1988's "Dead Ringers," dissected duality, that two separate minds can possibly equal one whole body or personality. Cronenberg explored each of these with graphic special effects and detailed and imaginative storytelling, both of which earned him the love and following of many fans and essayists.
Here, in "Dead Ringers," Cronenberg explores this issue of duality, and the possibility that two individual personalities, twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle (Jeremy Irons, in a hefty and confusing performance), are actually halves of a whole. Elliot is the smooth ladies man - confident, bright, highly sexual. Beverly is the more secretive one - confused, lonely, desperate.
Based on supposedly true events and a book called "Twins" by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, both men share each other's secrets, lives, patients, and sexual conquests of women. Sex comes up a lot in Cronenberg's film, and he uses it as a joke between the two twins: "You'd still be a virgin if it weren't for me," quips the extrovert Elliot to the introvert Beverly. Elliot and Beverly live together, but live as each other and can't live without each other; they would rather die than be separate.
Things become complicated for them both when Beverly begins romancing a desperate actress named Claire Niveau (Genevieve Bujold), and for once he begins to come out of his shell when he finds that he's falling madly in love with her. She eventually discovers that Elliot and Beverly are twins. Beverly attempts to win her back when she calls it quits to their relationship and eventually does, but where does this leave Elliot, the smoother of the Mantle Brothers?
It's not enough that Beverly is also hounded by a rather ghastly dream and he eventually begins down a tragic spiral of drug addiction, as does Elliot, who says that they share the same body and mind. The two brothers then begin attempts to "separate," which will have tragic consequences for both of them.
Cronenberg has a knack for getting commanding performances from his players and "Dead Ringers" is no exception. Irons puts on a confusing and masterful performance as both Mantle twins, as the film really makes you believe you're watching two men (when it's actually one man interacting with himself). Cronenberg utilizes extraordinary split-screen technology, body doubles, and editing to make you think Irons has a twin that nobody's ever seen before. (P.S: One should also be on the lookout for a real-life pair of twins: a young, pre-"Law & Order" Jill Hennessy and her sister Jacqueline in brief cameo roles as two female escorts.)
Hardcore Cronenberg fans will definitely find "Dead Ringers" rewarding, if not lacking. You know what I'm talking about: gore, oh, delicious, explicit carnage and gore. Well, if one is a gorehound, you'll be disappointed but a more observant hound will find their desserts in the psychological gore that makes up for much of what's normally missing in this picture. The graphic gynecological surgical instruments, one particular dream sequence, and the ending "surgery" will definitely make those thirsty for blood + guts crave for more.
"Dead Ringers" shows David Cronenberg at his artistic best; I've waited a long time to see this movie and I myself was not disappointed in the slightest. If "The Fly" is considered his greatest film, then "Dead Ringers" shows him at his most mature as a director. This picture allowed Cronenberg to begin real work in mainstream cinema and also allowed for him to get the respect of other great directors (I've heard that Martin Scorsese has a lot of admiration for him).
David Cronenberg's theatrical masterpiece - "Dead Ringers."
8/10