Sisters [Blood Sisters] **** (1972, Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning) – Classic Movie Review 5,378

Brian De Palma casts Margot Kidder, Charles Durning and Jennifer Salt in his enjoyable, shocking, graphic 1972 psychological horror murder thriller Sisters [Blood Sisters].

Co-writer/ director Brian De Palma again employs Charles Durning and Jennifer Salt, who starred in his early film Hi, Mom! (1969) for his enjoyable, shocking, graphic 1972 psychological horror murder thriller Sisters [Blood Sisters]. The idea for story by Brian De Palma is inspired by the lives of the real-life Soviet conjoined twins Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova (3 January 1950 – 17 April 2003), without the murders of course.

Cheekily influenced as homage by the films of Alfred Hitchcock (Rope, Psycho, Rear Window), and written by De Palma and Louisa Rose, the screenplay focuses on naïve young French Canadian model Danielle Breton (Margot Kidder) whose separated Siamese twin sister Dominique Blanchion (also Kidder) is suspected of a brutal murder witnessed by newspaper reporter Grace Collier (Jennifer Salt) in Staten Island, New York City. Charles Durning plays private investigator Joseph Larch, who is brought in by Grace’s editor to help her investigate the story.

The score is composed by Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Herrmann (Psycho, Marnie and Vertigo), who although semi-retired admired the screenplay and came aboard.

Sisters was shot over eight weeks in spring 1972 mainly on location in Staten Island by cinematographer Gregory Sandor, with apartment interiors filmed on a set, and makes copious use of split-screen techniques.

The budget was $500,000 and it took $1 million at the North American box office.

Sisters premiered at Filmex in Los Angeles on November 18, 1972 and was released in the US by American International Pictures on April 18, 1973.

The cast are Margot Kidder as Danielle Breton / Dominique Blanchion, Jennifer Salt as Grace Collier, William Finley as Emil Breton, Charles Durning as Joseph Larch, William Finley as Emil Breton, Lisle Wilson as Phillip Woode, Barnard Hughes as Arthur McLennen, Mary Davenport as Mrs Peyson Collier, Dolph Sweet as Detective Kelly, Olympia Dukakis as Louise Wilanski, Catherine Gaffigan as Arlene and Justine Johnston as Elaine D’Anna, James Mapes as Guard, Burt Richards as Hospital Attendant, and Bill Durks as a Sanitorium resident.

Sisters is notable as De Palma’s first thriller, which became his stock in trade, along with other film homages to Hitchcock. As the Hitchcock references are narrative, structural and visual, it is certainly plenty cheeky. Was Hitchcock flattered or amused? The theme of voyeurism is its main stock in trade, a Hitchcock favourite: notably James Stewart in Rear Window.

To come up with his story, De Palma was prompted by reading an article in Life magazine back in 1966 about the Soviet Siamese twins Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova. He recalled: ‘There was a picture of the two girls sitting on a couch. One of the twins had a very surly, disturbing look on her face and the other looked perfectly healthy and smiling. And this strong visual image started the whole idea off in my mind.’ De Palma uses point of view and split screen shots to show events happening simultaneously, which he again uses in subsequent films like Carrie. He also uses long tracking shots, some over six minutes long.

De Palma concludes his film was shot with a ‘truly classical style’.

It is also known as Blood Sisters, its release title in the UK.

It was remade as Sisters in 2006 with Lou Doillon, Stephen Rea and Chloë Sevigny.

Sisters is directed by Brian De Palma, runs 92 minutes, is made by Pressman-Williams Enterprises, is distributed by American International Pictures, is written by Brian De Palma and Louisa Rose, based on a story by Brian De Palma, is shot by Gregory Sandor, is produced by Edward R Pressman, and is scored by Bernard Herrmann.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5,378

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com