When there’s someone else who looks like you and sounds like you to the untrained eyes and ears, it might not take much for the world to believe there’s only one of you. But, when everyone knows there are two of you, persuading anyone (including yourself) that you are who you say you are necessitates mastering the art and craft of playing twins. Cinema has an expansive track record in this department.
Behold:
The Dark Mirror (Robert Siodmak, 1946)
Dead Ringer (Paul Henreid, 1964)
The Parent Trap (David Swift, 1961)
The Parent Trap (Nancy Meyers, 1998)
Along with all the films on this list.
It’s easy to play twins when each one has a different hairstyle, fashion sense, food preferences, and body language. It’s easier for the viewer to distinguish between the two as well, such as the twins in the story of The Pretty One (Jenee LaMarque, 2013).
But when the twins have very similar hair and clothing choices, the demarcation lines lie
in much more subtle factors like facial expressions and demeanor. If one twin were to pretend to be the other, while still displaying their own personality traits occasionally, she can’t forget own her identity. Bette Davis nails it in A Stolen Life (Curtis Bernhardt), 1946). Zoe Kazan does it pretty well in The Pretty One.
The audience sees so much more of both sisters in A Stolen Life, therefore it highlights more of Bette’s skill in portraying two different people in and between scenes.
The Pretty One focuses mostly on one sister and explores the journey that she embarks on to figure out who she is without her twin…while everyone else thinks she is her twin.
Zoe Kazan as Audrey and Laurel in The Pretty One
The corollaries between the films:
~ The good-natured sister is a painter.
~ There’s an accident and the rebellious sister dies.
~ Complications arise with the incidental/deliberate mistaken identity.
~ When to reveal the charade of being someone you’re not.
Beyond those plot points, the two films delve into different aspects of self-identity and second chances. A Stolen Life follows Katie Bosworth (Davis), a woman with fine arts aspirations, who falls in love with a lighthouse keeper (Glenn Ford) but loses her chance at his romantic affections when her twin sister Pat charms him away.
Bette Davis as Pat Bosworth and Glenn Ford as Bill Emerson in A Stolen Life
When a sailing accident claims Pat’s life, Katie pretends to be her so she can have a chance at a life with Bill. Little does she know, though, that Pat did not try hard enough to deserve his love in the year they were married. Katie must decide how and if she can move on with her life.
Glenn Ford as Bill Emerson and Bette Davis as Kate Bosworth in A Stolen Life
The Pretty One centers on Laurel (Kazan), a painter who helps her dad make copies of famous paintings while her twin sister, Audrey, lives a more exciting life as a real estate agent. When a traffic accident claims Audrey’s life, Laurel doesn’t correct people’s assumption that she was the one who died. Laurel may not be going into the name-switch with a concrete goal like Katie, but what she experiences and accomplishes in the end is definitely worth the medium-sized con.
Watch Bette Davis in action:
Trailer for The Pretty One:
Pic creds: imdb
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