Trivia for
Dead Again (1991) More at IMDbPro »

• The number on Roman's prison uniform, 25101415, stands for "25 October 1415", the date of the Battle of Agincourt, fought by Henry V, subject of director Kenneth Branagh's previous film, Henry V (1989). Branagh's birthday (December 10) is shown on the first newspaper clipping in the opening sequence.
  
  
• The cover of the LIFE magazine in Mr. Madson's shop shows Laurence Olivier in Hamlet (1948); another Shakespeare reference is on the bridge where Mike and Doug fight (it reads "Shakespeare Bridge," the real name of a bridge in L.A. where the movie was filmed).
  
  
• Two additional double roles (besides Mike/Roman and Grace/Margaret) are in the film: the nun at the orphanage turns up as a snooty starlet at a party in the 1940s, and the cop at the mental hospital is seen again as an obnoxious party guest.
  
  
• Director Trademark: [Kenneth Branagh] [Patrick Doyle] the movie's composer plays the bored cop in the elevator, and the obnoxious guest at Otto's party.
  
  
• The convent is the same building that was used for exteriors of Bruce Wayne's home in the television show "Batman" (1966/II)
  
  
• The scene with Grace and Mike walking along the lake at night was shot at Echo Park in Los Angeles three months after the rest of the film. It was felt that the scene was needed to show the characters growing closer together.
  
  
• Robin Williams didn't want his name to appear in the opening credits as it might have misled audiences into thinking the film was a comedy.
  
  
• The film was shot entirely in color and was intended to be released that way. It was decided during editing, however, that the movement between past and present could be made clearer by printing the scenes in 1947 in black and white. Branagh comments on the DVD that the costume and set designers were disappointed by this, because they would have used different colors for those scenes, which would photograph better in black and white, had they known this.
  
  
• In the opening credits, the newspaper stories (other than the obvious headlines) consist of the same five paragraphs printed 37 times in succession.
  
  
• Donald Sutherland was first choice for Franklyn Madson.
  
  
• Hanna Schygulla played Derek Jacobi's mother, even though she was five years younger than him in real life.
  
  
• When we first meet Mike Church, he's parked on the wrong side of the street. Most people thought this was because Kenneth Branagh was parked up the way he would if he were in Britain. The real reason is because Branagh wanted a number of LA skyscrapers visible in the background.
  
  
• When directing, Kenneth Branagh likes uninterrupted takes, and several can be seen throughout the movie. Also, the first hypnosis scene set at the Laughing Duke features an extremely complicated camera shot in 360 degrees. It involved a great deal of precise timing and technical know-how. Although a relatively short scene, it took 15 takes and a whole day to get right.
  
  
• A lacquer box containing an antique pair of scissors, seen late in the film, has Japanese characters on it that translate into "These are for you." A recurring line of dialogue in the film.
  
  

• SPOILER: Mike spills the cup of tea during his date with Grace, and during a flashback, Margaret spills a drink while dining with Roman. Afterwards Roman remarks that she has more "beauty than grace". These two hints foreshadow each character's past identity.
  
  
• SPOILER: Derek Jacobi's stuttering as Frankie/Mr. Madson is a reference to his famous role as the stuttering Claudius in "I, Claudius" (1976).
  
  
• SPOILER: Mike's apartment contains several pictures of pianists and piano keyboards, hinting at his true identity to the careful viewer.
  
  
• SPOILER: Lots of subtle similarities between Roman/Margaret and Mike/Grace.
  
  
• SPOILER: The name of one of the characters, Madson, gives away part of the plot.
  
  
• SPOILER: Foreshadowing: When Mike lays Grace down on the couch and she says this is just like Margaret and Roman, Mike says " I'm not Roman", giving us a clue to his past identity.
  
  
• SPOILER: During the shooting of the final sequence, in which Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) and Franklyn Madson (Derek Jacobi) are fighting, Kenneth Branagh had insisted to Derek Jacobi to make sure that he protect himself, during a moment when Madson is meant to have his head slammed into a shelf. Derek Jacobi was meant to put his hands under his head. Unfortunately, when it came to shoot the scene, Derek Jacobi didn't manage to and hit his head on the shelf, having a concussion for the next hour.
  
  
• SPOILER: Near the end of the film, the movie that the old housekeeper Inga is watching on TV is "Sorry Wrong Number" in which Barbara Stanwyck plays an invalid woman who is about to be murdered.
  
  
• SPOILER: During "Grace"'s first hypnosis session, she throws back her head and screams, "Somebody help me!" We see Roman yelling the same words as he holds his wife's dead body, again hinting at her true identity.
  
  
• SPOILER: Several hints at "Grace"'s true identity are revealed by references to scissors. When the actor-boyfriend tries to steal her away, the prescription bottle he offers as evidence is made out to "Katherine Pierce." "Grace"'s real name is later shown to be "Amanda Sharpe".
  
  
• SPOILER: Another hint that Mike is Margaret reincarnated and Grace is Roman is that Margaret was very daring and fearless, like Mike, while Roman was more fearful and neurotic, like Grace.
  
  

Related Links