A Double Life (1947) - George Cukor

Ronald Colman won an Academy Award for his portrayal of an off-the-beam actor in A Double Life. A beloved stage star, Anthony John (Colman), has problems with his private life due to his unpredictable outbursts of temper. This trait has already cost him his wife, Brita (Signe Hasso), and threatens to sabotage his career. Nonetheless, Anthony makes his peace with Brita, and the two actors star in a new Broadway staging of Othello. The play is a hit, running over 300 performances, but the pressures of portraying a man moved to murder by jealousy takes its toll on Anthony. In a fit of delirium, he strangles his casual mistress, Pat (Shelley Winters), but retains no memory of the awful crime. Press agent Bill Friend (Edmond O'Brien), unaware that Anthony is the killer, uses Pat's murder as publicity for Othello. Anthony becomes enraged at this cheap ploy, and attacks Friend. At this point, Anthony realizes that he has been living "a double life" and is in fact Pat's murderer. A Double Life was written for the screen by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, who occasionally digress from the melodramatic plotline to include a few backstage inside jokes.

Review:
Originally written for Laurence Olivier, A Double Life ultimately served as the vehicle which brought Ronald Colman his only Oscar. It's certainly a worthy performance, although some might carp that Colman goes for "showy" effects when subtler choices might prove more effective. Nonetheless, he does take hold of the screen and never let it go, delivering an energetic and enthralling performance that is essential to making the film work. The encroaching madness, the frenzy, the fight for sanity are all portrayed in an electrifying manner; Colman makes this man both monstrous and appealing. Of course, he's working from a well-structured script by Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon that is filled with the kind of scenes and dialogue that an actor kills for. And director George Cukor provides invaluable support, showcasing his star in the most favorable manner. Cukor also makes extensive use of mirrors throughout, an appropriate metaphor, and his visual flair really comes into play as Colman sinks further into madness. His evocative use of sound and music throughout also helps to intensify the race away from sanity. In addition, the director pulls an affecting and vulnerable performance from Shelley Winters, who plays very well off of Colman. If A Double Life's melodramatic heights are a little artificial for modern audiences, it still packs a sizable wallop. (allmovie.com by Craig Butler)

Awards: A Double Life won 2 oscars: Best Actor (Ronald Colman) and Best Score - Drama or Comedy (Miklos Rozsa). It was nominated for 2 oscars: Best Director (George Cukor) and Best Original Screenplay (Garson Kanin, Ruth Gordon).