Dead Again, 1991.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Andy García, Derek Jacobi, Hanna Schygulla, Emma Thompson, and Robin Williams.
SYNOPSIS:
Kenneth Branagh’s 1991 modern noir Dead Again arrives in a new Blu-ray edition featuring a new HD master struck from a 4K scan of the original camera negative and approved by the director. The same pair of commentary tracks that have been available since 2000 show up here, but no new extras are included. Still, if you’re a fan of this one, you may want to grab it for the improved picture quality.
When I wrote about John Milius’s 1973 film Dillinger, I noted how hard it is to simply get a movie made, let alone of good quality. I find myself considering that notion again with the 1991 film Dead Again, out now on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD courtesy of Kino Lorber.
This movie certainly had the right people involved: Kenneth Branagh directed and played a dual role, while Scott Frank handled the script and Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia, and Robin Williams rounded out the cast. Sure seems like a recipe for success, doesn’t it?
Dead Again is an homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Notorious, as well as the stylized look of Citizen Kane and the noir genre in general. The film opens on newspaper headlines telling the story of famous composer Roman Strauss (Branagh), who was found guilty of his wife’s murder in 1948 and condemned to death.
In 1991, private detective Mike Church (Branagh again) is summoned to the orphanage where he grew up to help figure out the identity of a woman (Emma Thompson) who showed up there mute, with amnesia and recurring nightmares. A friend of his (Derek Jacobi) hypnotizes the woman to help her understand what happened to her, and he uncovers her past life as the woman seemingly murdered by her husband.
Robin Williams has a few scenes as Dr. Carlisle, a psychiatrist Mike visits to learn more about the use of hypnosis in treating patients. He’s skeptical about the talk of past lives, but Dr. Carlisle assures him they’re the real thing.
The mystery woman regains the use of her voice, but she still has amnesia, and Mike finds himself continuing to help her because he feels sorry for her situation. Further hypnosis sessions reveal more of what happened between Roman Strauss and his wife Margaret, also played by Thompson.
It’s not hard to figure out where the story goes from here, although Frank’s script throws in a couple nice curveballs along the way. For me, it’s the ending that leaves Dead Again on a sour note: I find it a bit pedestrian and hackneyed.
If you’re a fan, though, you’ll appreciate that this new edition uses a fresh HD master approved by Branagh. The Blu-ray looked just fine on my setup, so I don’t know if this one really needed a 4K release too, but, again, fans may feel otherwise.
On the bonus features front, though, nothing new was commissioned here. In addition to the theatrical trailer, you get a pair of commentary tracks, one with Branagh and the other featuring Scott Frank and producer Lindsay Doran. They both hail from the DVD issued in 2000, but they’re perfectly fine discussions that serve up plenty of good information about the film.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
