Sisters - Criterion Collection (1973)

Does your sister have issues like this?

This is a great film! Although the acting is a bit rough for a few characters I found myself drawn into the story line. We have Danielle Breton (Margot Kidder) has a one-night stand with a black TV-game show player. The morning after, he is killed by Danielle's psycho twin sister, Dominique Blanchion. But Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt), an aspiring journalist, sees everything from her flat across the street. Things get even uglier when the journalist starts following Danielle and his strange ex-husband, Dr. Emil Breton (De Palma perennial weirdo Bill Finley). What dark secret lies behind this murder? Uh? Of course, nobody really seems to care about the plot - De Palma plays the genre rules, twisting every second with his split screen techniques and neat suspense touches. There is a "dream" sequence, some blood, a hideous scar, drugs and a birthday cake.

Sure, the movie owes more than a passing nod to Psycho (Collector's Edition) and Rear Window (Collector's Edition)specifically, but De Palma's exhilarating use of that split-screen technique as well as Margot Kidder's creepy performance add up to a genuinely frightening experience. The "peeping tom" opening is brilliant. The humor doesn't lessen the shock, but rather enhances it by keeping the audience continually caught off guard. He takes the most vulnerable and receptive of human reactions--laughter, fear, and anticipation--and pushes them to their extremes until the audience is caught up in giddy bewilderment. You don't know what the director is going to pull next, so you can't prepare yourself.

De Palma is nothing if not a visceral filmmaker, and in his comfort with the comic and the horrific, he resembles Roman Polanski more than he does Hitchcock. Taking into consideration their mutually varied filmographies and how they've been received, it seems a more apt comparison. The one major difference is that Polanski has a deep sense of the tragic, and almost always ends on that note. Not so much De Palma. In the final scene in Sisters, we find Charles Durning's private dick, who had all but disappeared from the movie, high up on a telephone pole dressed as an electrician, dutifully watching a couch through a pair of binoculars. The movie is over in every way--the blood has been shed, the mystery has been solved, and the suspense is gone--except that it apparently isn't. De Palma wants to leave us with something else. So we have Durning waiting to see who comes to get the couch. This could well be that Shock Recovery Period that the movie posters promoted. This was another great film that was highly recommended by Chris and the one only #1 Depalma fan R.A. Bean which I greatly enjoyed.
November 8, 2007

DePalma's Psychotic Siamese Sisters...

In 1973, after spending the last few years making great independant films like "Murder a La Mod", "The Wedding Party", "Greetings", and "Hi, Mom!", Brian Depalma was put on the map as the new Master Of Suspense with his first 'mainstream' film, "Sisters", a very demented, deranged, twisted, psychological horror film that rivals even the best of todays top thrillers. He uses themes that would continue throughout his career in this film: The doppleganger, split personalities, multiple personality disorder(s), mistaken identity, voyuerism, and horrorfying psychological madness and muder and mayhem. And sinister satire!
The film starts as a game show "Peeping Toms" is being played out before a live audience. The contestant on the show, a young black man named Philip Woode (Lisle Wilson), and the guest 'prankster', a model named Danillele Breton (Margot Kidder in her BEST performance ever). After the show is over, Philip recieves a gift card which is a ticket for two to have a free dinner at an African themed restaraunt, and for Danielle's participation on the show, she recieves a very nice set of steak knives (establishing sterotypes and irony in one set piece).
They attend dinner together, where they are followed by Danielle's ex-husband, Emil Breton (William Finley), but he is removed from the restaraunt; so they have a very nice dinner together, then go to Danielle's to spend the night together. As they are making out, we are shown a very large, ugly scar on Danielle's thigh.?.?.
The next morning, there is loud yelling from the next room, someone calling out "Danielle! Danielle!" in a very impatient voice that awakens Danielle, who goes to respond, having a conversation, one person speaking French, and Danielle in French-English (the accent she has throughout the entire film); then coming back and telling Philip that it was her sister, well, her twin sister, Dominique, and she is upset because today is their birthday, and she wanted to spend the day together, and is upset that Danielle has a man in the apartment. Philip gets dressed, and goes to the local pharmacy for Danielle to pick up a prescription for her, and in the meantime he drops by a local bakery and buys a birthday cake for the twin sisters, Dominique and Danielle. When he returns to the apatment, he is murdered in a very shocking scene that I will not detail for I don't wanna spoil it for people who haven't seen the film.
From a window in a buiding next to Danielle's apartment building, a young female reporter, Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt) witnesses the entire muder in an awesome split screen scene that DePalma first employed in this film; and, in which he uses effectively in a few more scenes. She calls the cops, there is an investigation, but no body is found, but this is when Grace starts noticing signs and/or clues that Danielle may have a sister, a TWIN sister, and all is not what it appears to be; so, she hires a private detective, Joseph Larch (Charles Durning). He finds a folder that has files on the Blanchion twins, an infamous story about two Siamese twins who got seperated about a year before, so Grace investigates the story further by seeking out the top reporter that was there during the operation, Mr. McClennon (Bernard Hughes), who tells Grace that Dominique died on the operating table.?.?.?.
And, this leads Grace, who in her (God bless her heart) naivete, and stubborness, and her drive to someday be a 'respected' journalist, on a search that ends in a psychological/sinister/demented/deranged/almost psychodelic/hypnotic/kaleidoscopic/bloody climax that will leave you utterly stunned, breathless, and scared witless!
And, the final twist at the end, where a particular character is watching a particular item through binoculars until the cows (literally) come home is awesome and utterly hilarious, but also very bone chilling all the same.
Of special mention: DePalma cast Jennifer Salt's real-life mother, Mary Davenport as Grace's mother. One of the cops was played by Dolph Sweet, who is remembered for his role on the tv sitcom "Gimme A Break". And, the awesome score was done by the great Bernard Herrmann, who DePalma got to come out of retirement to do, and who went on to score DePalma's "Obsession". And, DePalma originally wanted to get bigger name stars for the roles of Grace and Philip: He wanted to get Marlo Thomas to play Grace, and Sydney Poitner to play Philip, but due to budget constraints, and/or other reasons, that never came to fuition, which in my opinion is a good thing, because what may have appeared as a good idea on paper, I don't think would have worked as well on screen. Jennifer Salt (who had been in DePalma's "The Wedding Party" and "Hi, Mom!") was born for this role, and Lisle Wilson gave a very topnotch performance as the 'male Janet Leigh'.
This is a very great mixture of genres, mainly horror and satire, and something that will stick in the recesses of your mind and stay there for days and days to come, and haunt you on a very deep scale.
As one reviewer on here put it, this isn't DePalma's first film, but in many ways, it is the first 'Brian DePalma film'. Easily in the same league as "Psycho", "Halloween", "Suspiria", "Rosemary's Baby", "Repulsion", and referencing such greats as "Rope", "Rear Window", "Psycho", and "The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari", this is a very timeless classic masterpiece that will rival anything in its genre that you've ever seen! And, why Margot Kidder didn't have every award there is thrown at her for her performance is a crime, for she is show stopping in this.
Currently, there is a remake of this trying to get thatrical disribution...AVOID it!!!
This is the ONLY version of "Sisters" you'll ever want and/or need to see!
Thank you & happy Halloween! ;-) October 29, 2007

Siamese Twins with a French-Canadian Twist

Watching the 'Special Features' section on Siamese Twins on the DVD, they make it look like the director wanted to pay homage to Siamese Twins in general. However, this film is far from it. If you always thought of Siamese Twins as sort of freaky/weird, then heres your chance to think of them as functionally delusional and hysterically dysfunctional as well. In this case, this works for the movie, but in real life does a disservice to the noble, yet troubled life plaguing many real life Siamese Twins.

Margot Kidder (with the most over the top Quebecois accent this side of Montreal) is wonderful in a role that doesn't shy away from showing her in an unflattering physical light. It is clear that this is a woman whose charms are enhanced by make-up alone, and she plays this card to the hilt. As one half of a Siamese Twin couple that were surgically separated, Margot plays Danielle, a mentally disturbed young woman who takes on her sisters' persona once her sister died on the surgical table during their separation process. Due to this, Danielle becomes a pathological killer with a penchant for blood, but of course when she 'comes to' she can't remember any of it. How convenient.

The director deals with all sorts of interesting issues here. Push through the intelligent script and you'll find a subtle irony in how the movie deals with racism (still very perceptible in 1973 when the movie was shot), to the bleakness of modern urban and suburban life, where 'Peeping Toms' are virtually you and I (better executed in the recent 'Disturbia').

The final shot of the film alienated many core fans of the movie to that point, as it seemed to many viewers as nonsensical and idiotic. Its sort of funny, actually, and reduces the movie from being a serious crime-noir to becoming a more pedestrian comedy. This minor flaw apart, the rest of the film plays out wonderfully. The now-famous 'split screen' effect first found its roots' here (yes, it was done in other films too, but this was the first time so much of it was used, and to great effect, even with overlapping dialogue).

The posters and adverts for this portray 'Sisters' as a companion of sorts to another thriller - 'Pscyho'. While I wouldn't go that far, this movie does have its scary moments and charms. To its' credit, I can say that I was never once bored or irritated by its' slow and languid pace. And even though Margot Kidder is not a great actress, the director knows exactly how to use her. Especially disturbing is her epileptic seizure once she commits murder in her bedroom. You will definitely be quite moved by this scene, one way or the other.

"Sisters" is a cinematic achievement that may or may not work for you. If you like most of DePalma's later work, don't even compare this to those films as its so very different. Its also quite dated compared to other films of the same genre from the same era. However, you cannot deny the slick direction, cool dialogue, and smart performances from all the leads (especially the nosy reporter neighbor).

Criterion's DVD is a fine transfer as always, though not as great as some of their other more recent transfers. I had a huge problem with the extras here, though, as most of them seemed an afterthought. For example, the feature on Siamese Twins is not a documentary or anything - just scans of an article from a magazine. I could get this off the Internet if I wanted to. Can't really call this a special feature. The poster section is mildly interesting, but since they're mostly the same poster in different lettering, theres really not much watchability in this regard.

For both the film and DVD, I give a generous three stars. This movie may not be a classic, but its a fine addition to the crime-mystery genre nonetheless. And while this is a let down in terms of extras (by Criterion standards - I had the same issue with their edition of "Le Samourai"), the film is good enough to stand on its' own. Go into this one with minimal expectations, and it makes fine viewing for a lazy Sunday afternoon. And try not to take the other five star reviews on this page too seriously. Its not a five star film by any means.

Hope this helped! September 27, 2007

I love ya sis, but please quit killing my boyfriends...

Piercing through the cinematic skin, Depalma's artistry bleeds on the screen in chilling and stylistic fashion. He probes deep into your mind and stuns your senses with this twisted murder mystery. I'm sure it's been said before, but you just can't help but think "Hitchcock" when watching this story unfold.
Looking through a window, a news reporter witnesses a murder from across the street. She calls the cops, but no evidence or body is found at the scene of the crime. The reporter eventually suspects the psycho Siamese twin sister as the culprit, and then investigates further to prove her beliefs.
I think the most impressive ingredient Depalma stirs into this pot is his inventive camera techniques. He uses a dual screen, or split-screen shot which looks way cool. Plus there is no shortage of brutality during the murder scene, I almost started bleeding on my couch.
This is a great horror/thriller, Depalma in fine form. The ending was perfect! August 13, 2007

I saw a murder, and I'm going to prove it! ....But there was no body because there was no murder

"Sisters"(1973) - written/directed by Brain DePalma, terrifying but at times funny and always very effective thriller/horror about a murder committed by a beautiful model Danielle Breton - or was it her once-conjoined twin sister Dominique? Or was there any murder at all? Reporter Grace Collier is absolutely sure it was because she saw it by her own eyes from the apartment across the street and she calls to the police at once. Police officers find no evidence whatsoever and Grace decides to investigate the murder herself with the help of private eye Joseph Larch. Investigation brings Grace to a creepy mental asylum where she would find out the truth but what will be the price? Or did she dream it all? Or did Grace descended into madness while hallucinating of the events that happened with Danielle, her former husband and doctor Emil, Dominique in the scene both Bunuel and Dali would be proud of? DePalma in his interview tells about his fascination with the mystery of Siamese twins which gave him an idea for the script. He also shares his love and admiration for Alfred Hitchcock's movies which "Sisters" remind a lot. Some innocent bystanders get brutally murdered; some -involved in the investigation of the crime they had nothing in common with. There is a musical score written by Bernard Hermann, once regular Hitchcock's composer. Some scenes are direct references to the famous Hitchcock's scenes in "Psycho" and "Rear Window". But the film is undeniably DePalma's - I think his use of the split screen in "Sisters" was simply terrific and added to the building tension. The opening of the film is so typical DePalma - the director teases the viewers by making them believe that they participate in the scene of voyeurism but it is actually a double voyeurism. DePalma who said once that "The camera lies all the time; lies 24 times/second", never ceases to trick his characters as well as his viewers with the difference in what they look at versus what they really see but I don't mind to be tricked by such a visual master with great sense of style and dark humor. Another DePalma's remark could be a key to better understanding and enjoying his film - "I always want them (the viewers) to remember that they watch a movie." I think it is a mistake to take DePalma's movies as realistic and look for logic there. He distorts reality creating "a stylized, expressionistic world that has a kind of grotesque beauty about it". August 7, 2007

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