Subject: REVIEW: DEAD AGAIN

From: [email-masked] (Desiree Sy)
Date: 27 Aug 91 13:45:05 GMT

[Followups directed to rec.arts.movies.]

				DEAD AGAIN
		       A film review by Desiree Sy
			Copyright 1991 Desiree Sy

(1991, directed by Kenneth Branagh)

     DEAD AGAIN is a stylishly executed thriller that doesn't take
itself too seriously.  The plot of the movie is a double mystery: who
murdered the beautiful concert pianist Margaret Strauss in 1945, and
what is the identity of the amnesiac woman who looks just like her in
1991?  As the title implies, murder could occur  more than once.  

     Both roles are played by Emma Thompson, just as the double roles of
Margaret's husband, conductor Roman Strauss -- who was convicted and
executed for the murder -- and the investigator Mike Church are played
by her husband, Kenneth Branagh.  

     The interior plot of the Strausses is filmed in black and white,
and pays homage to the large, lavish genre of black and white films of
the 40s.  Roman and Margaret live in a large, lavish mansion, wear
beautiful clothes, attend large, lavish parties, and even have
beautifully overblown arguments.  

     The major plot of Mike Church and the amnesiac, though in colour
and contemporary, also pays homage to various types of film.  From the
running chases down sidewalks and over fences to the rain-drenched
dancing on a roof, DEAD AGAIN echoes faintly with the romance of other
films.  DEAD AGAIN manages to poke gentle fun at Hitchcock (the murder
implement is a valuable antique pair of scissors), art (the decoration
of the woman's apartment provides a very funny set of clues to her
identity), and even I, CLAUDIUS and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

     Robin Williams and Derek Jacobi in supporting roles as the lunatic
ex-psychiatrist who counsels Mike, and the slightly dishonest 
hypnotist-cum-antiquarian who regresses the woman hypnotically into her
past life both steal scenes shamelessly.

     Branagh and Thompson give performances that are very enjoyable to
watch -- and that they clearly enjoyed giving.  (Branagh's American
accent sounds surprisingly like Mandy Patinkin's voice) Although I found
the ending slightly disappointing, the film is well-plotted, and has one
deft twist mid-movie.

     To say more is give away plot details.  If you're in the mood for a
slick but gentle thriller (or if you're a Branagh fan -- as I am), I'd
recommend DEAD AGAIN strongly.

-desiree