Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Shawn Spencer Q: How can a film starring Ronald Coleman, Edmond O'Brien, Shelley Winters and Lt. Tragg (I mean Ray Collins), written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, and directed by George Cukor be so awful?A: To quote Shakespeare (who is used abominably in the movie): "It is a tale told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing..."The characters are poorly drawn, the action, choppy and incoherent; the plot, slow as molasses and yet telegraphed from a mile away.The movie was a big hit with the Oscars in 1947, which only proves the deep wisdom of the "Emperor's New Clothes" all over again. They filled it up with Shakespeare and modern psychobabble and choppy editing and crazy camera angles and no one wanted to admit that they didn't get it.If you want a great Ronald Coleman romance, watch "Random Harvest." If you want a great O'Brien noir, see "D.O.A.", a great Cukor comedy watch "The Philadelphia Story."But don't waste your time on "A Double Life."

gavin6942 Anthony John is an actor whose life is strongly influenced by the characters he plays. When he's playing comedy, he's the most enjoyable person in the world, but when he's playing drama, it's terrible to be around him. That's the reason why his wife Brita divorced him; although she still loves him and works with him, she couldn't stand living with him anymore.As far as noir goes, I don't think this one is very well known. You would think that with George Cukor directing, it would have some sort of resonance, but apparently only in the right circles. Ronald Colman, somehow, never seems to have been as big of an actor as he obviously should have been. He's not one of those household names.At least the DVD comes with an intro by Martin Scorsese to give the film its proper respect, but this is one of those titles that would benefit from a deluxe edition if you were able to find a scholar to talk about it.

Spikeopath A Double Life is directed by George Cukor and written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. It stars Ronald Colman, Signe Hasso, Edmond O'Brien, Shelley Winters, Ray Collins, Philip Loeb and Millard Mitchell. Music is by Miklos Rózsa and cinematography by Milton Krasner.Renowned actor Anthony John (Colman) becomes unable to differentiate between real life and his stage role of Othello.Colman would win the Academy Award for best actor for his riveting performance here, and it was justifiable reward. Truth is is that as a technical production it's pretty stunning all round. Krasner's chiaroscuro photography provides a cloak of psychological disharmony, Rózsa score (also Academy Award winning) pumps the blood through the story, the screenplay is skillfully literate and Cukor, in his only foray into film noir, has wonderful theatrical experience to draw on to really infuse the picture with meticulous realism.Dualities and the blurring of what's real and what's illusion are the prominent features here, while Colman's transformations between persona's are in turn heartfelt and terrifying. It looks and sounds immense, in fact the opposing contrasts between the stage scenes and the murky discord of the streets are to die for for the film noir visualist. However, there's still a whiff of pretentiousness about the picture that stops it being the whole package, while the play within a play idea certainly makes for an interesting backdrop, yet it renders the pace of the piece as being laborious at times.Are the flaws enough to stop it being a must see film? No, not at all, there's just too much great on both sides of the camera to be ignored. 7/10

piverba Let me just admit it: I am Ronald Colman junkie. I love all his movies. I think the guy got real class. His voice, his quiet confidence, his aristocratic demeanor.Although this film is somewhat literal it does have an interesting message that is perhaps an original one - what does it take to be an actor and not just any actor but a very good one, the best? If you believe in Stanislavski's method of "living the part" this emotional immersion into life of a character an actor plays must be as complete as possible to be able to feel what the character feels in order to communicate your feeling to an audience. If the actor also forced to play this role for many years it is not surprising that the actor's psyche alters, perhaps significantly. Not being an actor myself, I could not even begin to understand how it must make someone feel. This must be especially difficult for theater actors.I think this film considers one such scenario that, if played consistently, could only lead to actor's madness. It got me thinking of dangers of 'role playing' in my individual life, that this role playing is consequential. After all "All the world's a stage ...", is it not?