Excellent film, probably more a dramatic thriller than a 'noir' but it certainly has its nourish moments. Surprisingly light and almost comedic at the start and Thomas Mitchell as the cop keeps this up throughout the movie but he's likeable enough and the rest of the film soon darkens and becomes completely captivating with many a chilling scene. Lew Ayres strikes a fine balance between serious doctor/psychologist and potential boyfriend but it is the stunning performances of Olivia de Havilland as both sisters that is central here. Even on Blu-ray you cannot see the joins as we are shown both sisters at once almost throughout the entire movie. So well is the optical illusion effected and so well does de Havilland perform that as the film climaxes and the differentiating name tags disappear, we still have no difficulty telling the two apart, the good from the evil!

Hey! I'm certainly no prude, but, regardless of whether it's "just-a-movie", or not, I am one who thinks it's absolutely deplorable when a "professional" (such as a physician or a psychiatrist) who, due to having a very low standard of ethics, becomes romantically involved with one (or more) of their patients.And this, I'm sorry to say, was the case here in The Dark Mirror.Supposedly a "respected" psychiatrist, Dr. Elliot, who was psycho-analyzing both Ruth & Terry Collins (to determine if either one of these identical twins could, in fact, be a murderess) became romantically involved with the "good" twin. (natch) The doc literally came onto this woman like a horny-toad buzzard, passionately and frequently embracing her, and kissing her, and telling her that he loved her.And I don't care that this was "just-a-movie" (even if it was from the 1940s), I think that this sort of unprofessional behaviour was absolutely despicable and completely unacceptable.And I definitely don't think that even "in-the-name-of-love" any movie (unless it's porn-trash) should give the green-light to something as contemptible as this in nature. No movie should treat this lousy business of a doctor sleeping with a patient as if it were alright. 'Cause it's not! When it comes to the likes of a professional's morals and ethics, it is very, very wrong. Indeed! And, like, who the hell did the producers of this picture think they were telling the audience that it's OK for a psychiatrist (out of his own selfish desires) to encourage sexual relations with his/her patient? And for that, this film only rates one star from me.

Fans of this movie will be delighted to know that the new DVD release from Olive Films is in pristine condition and makes viewing it a double pleasure, especially for de Havilland fans.THE DARK MIRROR ('46) is a brisk, supercharged 85 minutes, a taut psychological suspense tale directed by Robert Siodmak (who directed THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE and THE KILLERS). Dimitri Tiomkin's clever background score is an added bonus.It stars Olivia de Havilland in a fascinating dual role as Ruth and Terry Collins, sisters involved in the murder of a doctor they were both dating. When good sister Ruth gives her bad twin an alibi, detective Thomas Mitchell asks psychiatrist Lew Ayres to determine which twin could be the killer, based on their differing personalities. Of course he falls in love with the good twin and solves the case in an effective ending which gives de Havilland the chance to do some real emoting. A clever scene has the bad twin pretending to be the good one in a serious talk with doctor Ayres in which he reveals what makes the psycho sister tick.It's a double-layered cat-and-mouse scene in which he is really talking about her (not her sister) and de Havilland's reactions are fascinating to watch. Thomas Mitchell is excellent as a relentless but befuddled detective unhappy with the game the sisters are playing. Richard Long has a small role as an admirer of one of the twins--or is it both of them? Bit roles are well played with occasional flashes of humor and the whole thing moves swiftly under Siodmak's tight direction.By the way, 1946 was a strong year for de Havilland. After being off the screen for more than two years due to legal action against Warner Bros., she suddenly had four films in release: DEVOTION (as Charlotte Bronte), THE WELL GROOMED BRIDE, TO EACH HIS OWN and THE DARK MIRROR, entering a four-year period climaxed at the end of the decade by THE SNAKE PIT and THE HEIRESS--and two Oscars.Summing up: two Olivia de Havilland's are better than one. Life magazine reported that she "contributes to the impression gained from TO EACH HIS OWN that she is the actress to beat for this year's Academy Award."

As stated in everyone's write-ups, this is a story of a murder with a twist; the perp is one of two identical twins. One alibis for the other, and since both can't be prosecuted for the crime, the guilty one walks. This does not sit well with Insp. Thomas Mitchell, who tries to think of a way to implicate the guilty one - whichever one that is. And so he enlists the help of psychiatrist Lew Ayres.At first, the murder is presented as an unsolvable conundrum and in a light-hearted vein, but things get serious thereafter and, unfortunately, the plot begins to bog down over some technical psychological data. But Olivia DeHavilland saves the day and the movie with a splendid performance (or two) as the twins. Gradually there appear personality differences so that even the audience can tell the difference between the two. Not many actresses could have pulled off the layered performances of the twins, but not many actresses are as proficient or as skilled as DeHavilland.This is another neglected gem from Universal's cobwebbed movie vaults that needs to be put into circulation by that comatose studio. It is one of Ms. DeHavilland's best performances and raises an average, talky movie to classic status.