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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Two Sisters remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have an hour to kill and want to see some late-1920s chaos, Two Sisters is a solid pick. It is perfect for anyone who loves those old double trouble plots where a single actor does all the heavy lifting.
You should probably skip it if you need your movies to make total logical sense. The detective in this thing is honestly one of the most confused people I have ever seen on screen.
Viola Dana plays both Jane and Sally. One is a sweetheart and the other is out here pulling robberies and totin' pistols like it is a hobby.
The detective is chasing them for completely different reasons, but he keeps grabbing the wrong one. I started feeling bad for the guy after the third time he looked genuinely hurt that the 'good' sister didn't have his stolen money.
It is not exactly a deep masterpiece like A Chapter in Her Life. It feels more like a quick popcorn flick from back when popcorn was a new thing in theaters.
The camera work for the twin scenes is actually pretty decent for 1929. You can see the line where the two shots join if you squint, but it mostly works because Dana is so good at changing her body language.
The 'bad' sister wears these outfits that scream *I am going to steal your wallet.* She has this way of holding a pistol that is way too dramatic, almost like she is aiming at the ceiling half the time.
I noticed a scene where a curtain in the background just stops moving mid-breeze. It is one of those tiny things that reminds you how manual everything was back then.
If you are looking for more grit, A Rogue's Romance does the crime stuff better. But that movie does not have Boris Karloff in a suit that looks slightly too small for him.
Speaking of Karloff, he is playing a guy named Cecil. He is not the Frankenstein monster yet, just a lanky guy hanging out in the plot.
He has this one reaction shot where his eyes just bug out for a second. It is pure Karloff and it made me laugh more than it probably should have.
The pacing is a bit weird, kind of like Pie-Eyed but with more guns and less drinking. It feels like they shot the middle of the movie three times and then realized they forgot to write an ending.
There is a sequence in a hallway that goes on for way too long. People just keep walking in and out of doors like a low-budget stage play.
I did like the detective's mustache, though. It looks like it is trying to crawl off his face whenever he gets frustrated with the sisters.
It reminded me a bit of the energy in Salty Saunders, just in a city instead of the desert. There is that same kind of rough around the edges feeling to the production.
The ending happens so fast you might miss it if you blink. Suddenly everyone is happy and the legal issues just kind of... go away?
It is definitely not as serious as His Vindication. It knows it is a bit of a silly romp and it stays in that lane.
Is it a great movie? Not really. But seeing a pre-fame Karloff and Viola Dana arguing with herself is worth the price of admission. 🎬
I’d watch it again just to see if I can spot the moment the detective finally gives up on his life choices. He looks so tired by the final frame.
IMDb —
1922
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