Dead Again (1991)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writer (WGA):

Scott Frank (written by)

Release Date:

23 August 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A Mystery About True Love...And Certain Death.

Plot:

Mike Church is a Los Angeles private detective who specialises in finding missing persons. He takes on the case of a mystery woman who he calls Grace...

Plot Keywords:

Church | Murder | Hypnosis | Strauss | Private

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Kenneth Branagh	...	Roman Strauss / Mike Church
Andy Garcia	...	Gray Baker
Derek Jacobi	...	Franklyn Madson
Wayne Knight	...	'Piccolo' Pete Dugan
Hanna Schygulla	...	Inga
Campbell Scott	...	Doug
Emma Thompson	...	Grace / Margaret Strauss
Jo Anderson	...	Sister Madeleine / Starlet
Christine Ebersole	...	Lydia Larsen
Lois Hall	...	Sister Constance
Richard Easton	...	Father Timothy
Patrick Montes	...	Pickup Driver
Raymond Cruz	...	Clerk
Robin Williams	...	Doctor Cozy Carlisle
Patrick Doyle	...	Policeman in lift

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

380 South San Rafael Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Mirage

Trivia:

The scene with Grace and Mike walking along the lake at night was shot at Echo Park in Los Angeles three months after the rest of the film. It was felt that the scene was needed to show the characters growing closer together.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The address on the driver's license Pete gives "Grace" has one street number on Hightower, then later, when Mike Church kicks in her door, the *real* address of the actual Hightower residence is on the exterior wall beside the door.

Quotes:

Gray Baker: Aren't you afraid of dying?
Roman Strauss: To die is different than what anyone supposes and luckier.
Gray Baker: Is that a line from your opera?
Roman Strauss: It's Walt Whitman. I can't take credit for everything, Mr. Baker.

Movie Connections:

References Citizen Kane (1941)

Soundtrack:

Tangerine

Classy Modern Noir Fantasy

Although he received tremendous praise for his memorable film production of Shakespeare's HENRY V, DEAD AGAIN was the film that really introduced actor/director Kenneth Branagh to mainstream American film, and for a time he and then-wife Emma Thompson were the most celebrated acting couple since Olivier and Leigh. The marriage did not last, but fortunately this film did--and I say fortunately, for although it is somewhat forgotten today, DEAD AGAIN is an overlooked jewel of a film: classy, noir-ish, stylish, and very memorable indeed.

The story is fanciful. In the late 1940s noted composer Roman Strauss was convicted of murdering his noted pianist wife Margaret, and was sentenced to death. Some forty years later, a young woman suffering from amnesia falls into the hands of a no-nonsense Los Angeles private eye--and under hypnosis she recalls not her immediate past, but the lives of Roman and Margaret. Is this reincarnation? Is she Margaret Strauss? Is the private eye to whom she is attracted but of whom she is also strangely fearful the reincarnation of Roman Strauss, Margaret's killer? Is history repeating itself? Scott Frank's clever script makes for a fast-paced, twisting, and fascinating plot-driven film--and it is flawlessly played by Branagh and Thompson, who assume dual roles as the 1940s Roman and Margaret Strauss and the 1980s Mike Church and Grace. The supporting cast is also excellent, with memorable performances by Andy Garcia and Derek Jacobi--and a truly exceptional cameo by Robin Williams, who here for the first time demonstrated that his talents went far beyond comedy. The shifts between past and present, nightmare and reality are exceedingly well done, and although the plot becomes more and more fantastic the entire film is so perfectly executed that one buys into it every step of the way.

If DEAD AGAIN has a flaw, it is that some of the twists and turns are predictable--but in the film's favor I must admit that it sweeps you along so quickly that you seldom have time to analyze that failing while you actually watch the film. It is also to a certain extent a "one trick pony" film; the film is at its most powerful upon a first viewing, when one is oblivious to what is coming. But even so, it is tremendously effective and it holds up as well today as when it first appeared on the big screen. The current DVD includes little in the way of extras beyond commentary tracks by producer Lindsay Doran, writer Scott Frank, and director-star Kenneth Branagh--and these are as hit-and-miss as commentary tracks usually are, but they hit more often than miss. The picture and sound quality is overall very good. Recommended!

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer