"The Life in a Theatre."

A DOUBLE LIFE tells the simple story of a theatre actor who's losing his mind, which means the lines between reality and fantasy are becoming blurred. Things reach a head with his latest performance in the title role of Othello, as he can no longer distinguish between real life and the events of the play, thus putting the lives of his nearest and dearest in danger.
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This is a film with a straightforward plot and straightforward characters, which nevertheless works thanks to some great direction from George Cukor. The look here is very much rooted in film noir, all atmospheric shadows and angles, and the suspense follows on naturally from the visuals. The Shakespeare side of the narrative gives this a timeless, undated feel and Ronald Colman's excellent performance is more than enough to keep viewers watching.

| Oscars Winning Performance for : Ronald Colman

Ronald Colman works double time as a highly regarded stage actor and maniacal serial killer, lost in his Shakespearean role. Mesmerizing piece of pitch-appropriate scene chewing. Part noir/thriller and part behind-the-scenes melodrama. All Colman stache.

This isn’t what I remembered at all. I thought Shelley’s departure was at the very end but it’s actually half way through and then there’s a weird, clunky detective/noir/love triangle plot that doesn’t work at all. 

Colman’s good I suppose but it feels like awards bait rather than a proper role.

Way too much Shakespeare.

Without doubt,the definitive portrayal of Othello in cinema.Ronald Colman transforms into
a monster but at the same
time also humanises the
character to a great extent.

I'd been wanting to see this for, oh, fifteen years or so, ever since I read Patrick McGilligan's biography of Cukor. Why I picked it up, I can't remember: I've never had any affinity with Cukor, but that's precisely why I wanted to see this, since the way he described it made it seem very un-Cukorian (and also somewhat un-Kanin-Gordenesque in its film noir lighting, and subjective psychedelic shots of impending madness), all of which made it seem appealing. And sure enough: it was a pretty great little movie. Ronald Coleman plays a Broadway star cast as Othello, and his surrendering to the role makes him -- you guessed it -- go crazy with jealousy and want to strangle women to death! Fun stuff. Beautifully shot.

'On the stage my life was so complete,
there were only he.
But here I am, me -- me!'

Poor actors,
their part is the role of a serpent,
serpent who its colors changed,
serpent whose head escapes to its stern
and always this way
it escapes itself
finally biting its own tail.

Fundamentally dumb, though it at least gives Colman’s obnoxious scenery chewing context. Cukor’s an odd fit for this material. He has a tendency to go for inappropriate laughs and tries to class up what’s clearly a tawdry, pulpy tale. You might as well just watch Theater of Blood.

46/100

I binned this one after about 40 minutes because I honestly could not make head nor tail of what the hell was going on here.

I thought it may have been the massive amounts of nasal decongestant I've snorted in the last 3 days that caused it but I'm not sure. I get the impression that if you know anything about Othello that it might be a whole lot clearer.

But I don't, so it didn't. If you're going to make your film about Shakespeare then make it like 10 Things I Hate About You or don't bother.

good movie

Nicely done mix of melodrama and thriller. The conceit is some good hokum but the performances and writing all are little more specific, a little better than they need to be. Few films have done well realised Shakespeare scenes AND some smart overheard hard bitten New Yorker side character dialogue. The feel for the city and Broadway comes across as real.

I didn’t hate it, but I did doze off for about 30 minutes in the latter half and didn’t bother to go back and see what I missed

Great brooding by Ronald Colman. He’s pretty over the top at a few points (“Rita! Bill! Rita! Bill!”) but it’s a fun performance. 

I wasn’t sure if Colman was wearing blackface on stage but a scene in his dressing room shows the contrast around his neck and hairline. It seems that this was an accepted part of staging othello until like 1990. 

This could be redone with a black or brown lead maybe? Paul Robeson would probably have been available at the time though he was blacklisted. This is a fun role that deserves an updated interpretation. Maybe I’ll just watch the Laurence Fishburne Othello.

20th Academy Awards (1948)
Winner:
Best Actor
Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture

Nominee:
Best Director
Best Original Screenplay

Interesting to watch his how Coleman’s portrayal of Anthony portraying Othello shifts from opening night to the last performance.

A terrific performance by Ronald Colman as an actor whose stage persona as Othello takes over his normal life.

This isn’t what I remembered at all. I thought Shelley’s departure was at the very end but it’s actually half way through and then there’s a weird, clunky detective/noir/love triangle plot that doesn’t work at all. 

Colman’s good I suppose but it feels like awards bait rather than a proper role.

Way too much Shakespeare.

Lo de Colman y lo de Cukor es bestial pero no me termina de convencer la mezcla de noir con tragedia shakespeareana. En realidad creo que no hay tal mezcla: por momentos es lo uno y por momentos lo otro.

Fascinating melodrama about an actor who always takes his roles too far... and now he's taking on Othello. Good story has a slow spot or two, but if you're interested in getting a look into NYC theater in the 1940's, this is a priceless evocation: the rehearsals, the smoke in the lobby, the crowded bars and after-parties, and the hordes of workers bantering in the wig shop.

George Cukor's rare venture into the psychological thriller genre after the success of "Gaslight". It has a great premise in which a fanatically dedicated theatre actor, played by Ronald Colman, who takes the notion of preparing for a role to another level. When he says "yes" to playing Othello, he starts being consumed by poisonous jealousy towards his beloved ex-wife with whom he has an amicable relationship. The realisation is not the best, though, it is too long in places, Colman chews the scenery way too much and it seems as if the film doesn't know exactly what to do with such a great opportunity. Unfortunately, this is a half-assed feature, despite the potential and some great scenes with everyone involved (quite a solid cast, with Colman, Signe Hasso, Edmond O'Brien and Shelley Winters).

A well-made film about one man's descent in to madness.