27 reviews
"Chained for Life" is the story of two Siamese twin sisters, who at this point appear to be in their late 40s, as one sister falls in love. The film stars real life Siamese twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. The twins are connected at the lower back, and are able to function as normal people except that they are connected. It makes one wonder that if they were to have been alive today, would they have been able to be separated? The sisters made a living as vaudeville singers, not actors, and the best parts of this film are the musical numbers, both sisters had beautiful voices. When the sisters act, well lets just say its very fake and stilted.
The plot is simple, as a publicity stunt a trick shooter in the same vaudeville show as the sisters decides to marry one of the sisters, only to divorce her the next day. As revenge the other sister shoots to death her ex in law, and the film is told in flash back as a courtroom trial.
It is an interesting question posed to the audience, and one that I wonder how it would be answered in real life. If one conjoined Siamese twin commits murder, a crime punishable by death, the other sister will die too, meaning the state is committing murder. An interesting questions, and one that the audience is asked to answer. Sadly, its one answer I don't have.
The film is not quite exploitation, as the sisters are not exploited as freaks. This film is in the public domain and is available on VHS and DVD.
The plot is simple, as a publicity stunt a trick shooter in the same vaudeville show as the sisters decides to marry one of the sisters, only to divorce her the next day. As revenge the other sister shoots to death her ex in law, and the film is told in flash back as a courtroom trial.
It is an interesting question posed to the audience, and one that I wonder how it would be answered in real life. If one conjoined Siamese twin commits murder, a crime punishable by death, the other sister will die too, meaning the state is committing murder. An interesting questions, and one that the audience is asked to answer. Sadly, its one answer I don't have.
The film is not quite exploitation, as the sisters are not exploited as freaks. This film is in the public domain and is available on VHS and DVD.
One has to really feel sorry for the Hilton sisters. Fine vaudeville singers, they were screwed over throughout their whole lives due to the fact that they were conjoined (siamese) twins. It should be fitting then, that they took the lead roles in this film, based on their lives.
CHAINED FOR LIFE tells the story (typical of the time, in "flashback") of Vivian and Dorothy Hamilton (couldn't they be a little less obvious with the names?), conjoined twins who sing in a vaudeville show, but are humiliated by their manager through a publicity marriage stunt that goes horribly wrong when one of the twins genuinely falls in love with the "husband" Andre, only to have her heart broken when he takes the pay advance promised him for the stunt, reveals he never loved her, and annuls the marriage to marry his "normal" lover. The other twin, who never liked him anyway, avenges her sister's sorrow by shooting him during one of his final presentations with his own pistol (he was the show's trick shooter). A single judge in court has to hear the case and decide the fate of both twins, the guilty and the innocent.
Sounds interesting right? I thought so too, unfortunately this film totally ditches the court-room aspect which pulled me in, focusing instead on the re-telling of the plight of the heartbreak and the marriage stunt. In retrospect, this was probably a good thing, because the film is boring, and limiting it to the court room would be the only thing that could make the film even worse. The acting is totally dry, and, although the film attempts to address the morality of the situation and has some interesting/thoughtful quotes in monologues towards the end, the script is humdrum, exactly the same as all the other dull, low-budget '50s "thrillers", only with conjoined twins!
One can't really blame the Hilton sisters though. They deliver the goods in several musical sequences in the film, which have no purpose whatsoever other than to show us that, though bad actors, the Hilton sisters are great singers; this is really the only reason to watch the film, to see the "amazing singing siamese twins". Really, it's sad that this film and FREAKS were the only way the Hiltons could be preserved, since neither film shows their true potential, as prejudice against them had ensured that they would never get a proper recording or film contract. This is why the film itself is ironic, since its only appeal to the audience is to gawk at the siamese twins (save for those short times when we are swept up in song and hear the voices, ignoring the bodies they came from) and its overlying message is about how they have suffered throughout their lives and how this gawking and exploitation is wrong.
CHAINED FOR LIFE tells the story (typical of the time, in "flashback") of Vivian and Dorothy Hamilton (couldn't they be a little less obvious with the names?), conjoined twins who sing in a vaudeville show, but are humiliated by their manager through a publicity marriage stunt that goes horribly wrong when one of the twins genuinely falls in love with the "husband" Andre, only to have her heart broken when he takes the pay advance promised him for the stunt, reveals he never loved her, and annuls the marriage to marry his "normal" lover. The other twin, who never liked him anyway, avenges her sister's sorrow by shooting him during one of his final presentations with his own pistol (he was the show's trick shooter). A single judge in court has to hear the case and decide the fate of both twins, the guilty and the innocent.
Sounds interesting right? I thought so too, unfortunately this film totally ditches the court-room aspect which pulled me in, focusing instead on the re-telling of the plight of the heartbreak and the marriage stunt. In retrospect, this was probably a good thing, because the film is boring, and limiting it to the court room would be the only thing that could make the film even worse. The acting is totally dry, and, although the film attempts to address the morality of the situation and has some interesting/thoughtful quotes in monologues towards the end, the script is humdrum, exactly the same as all the other dull, low-budget '50s "thrillers", only with conjoined twins!
One can't really blame the Hilton sisters though. They deliver the goods in several musical sequences in the film, which have no purpose whatsoever other than to show us that, though bad actors, the Hilton sisters are great singers; this is really the only reason to watch the film, to see the "amazing singing siamese twins". Really, it's sad that this film and FREAKS were the only way the Hiltons could be preserved, since neither film shows their true potential, as prejudice against them had ensured that they would never get a proper recording or film contract. This is why the film itself is ironic, since its only appeal to the audience is to gawk at the siamese twins (save for those short times when we are swept up in song and hear the voices, ignoring the bodies they came from) and its overlying message is about how they have suffered throughout their lives and how this gawking and exploitation is wrong.
- EdYerkeRobins
- Dec 6, 2001
- Permalink
Director Harry L. Fraser, who gave us the unforgettable "I Accuse My Parents," went over the top with Hollywood's first (and, I suspect, lone) drama of the travails of two women who truly were, both in the film and in real life, inseparable.
Teen actresses and major merchandising mavens Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen have been described as joined at the hip. That was the reality for former vaudevillians Violet and Daisy Hilton, the Siamese twins starring in this crime film. Violet is Vivian and Daisy is Dorothy, not that it matters much.
The twins, a bit long in the tooth when the movie was made, reprise their old hoofer routine in a show that includes a master marksman and his gal, a beautiful on-stage assistant. Having Vivian get married is a publicity idea which she accepts enthusiastically, her close sibling less so. But she comes around hoping for her sister's connubial joy. The intended groom is the show's Dead Eye Dick. His motive: money to go through with the wedding.
Complications arise including the refusal of a number of states to issue marriage licenses on the tenuous, indeed unsustainable, grounds that a marriage by one of the twins would constitute bigamy. Nonsense. In fact Siamese twins in the nineteenth century, never mind later, got married in the U.S. Vivian is jilted on her wedding night so we don't get to see any conjugal maneuvering (not that we would have seen much in a 1951 feature).
Vivian and Dorothy watch the marksman do his act and Dorothy casually shoots the guy dead. The film begins with a judge asking, from his desk, for help from moviegoers in deciding whether to find the homicidal woman guilty, the sentence then either requiring that the other also be executed or, if a lesser charge was sustained, both would go to the slammer. I imagine conversations going on long into the night by folks who viewed the film and couldn't stop talking about the jurist's dilemma. This is a film with a question about justice-unfortunately it's too arcane for any serious discussion.
Court scenes alternate with recounting of the tale. The courtroom is as fake as the plot. And the Alpha Video DVD cover's posters from the original release promise licentious tidbits that never come close to surfacing. "Joined Together How Can They Make Love?" "What Happens in Their Intimate Moments?" That's what I wanted to know and why I forked out $4.99 for the disc. Phooey.
4/10 (for its curiosity value)
Teen actresses and major merchandising mavens Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen have been described as joined at the hip. That was the reality for former vaudevillians Violet and Daisy Hilton, the Siamese twins starring in this crime film. Violet is Vivian and Daisy is Dorothy, not that it matters much.
The twins, a bit long in the tooth when the movie was made, reprise their old hoofer routine in a show that includes a master marksman and his gal, a beautiful on-stage assistant. Having Vivian get married is a publicity idea which she accepts enthusiastically, her close sibling less so. But she comes around hoping for her sister's connubial joy. The intended groom is the show's Dead Eye Dick. His motive: money to go through with the wedding.
Complications arise including the refusal of a number of states to issue marriage licenses on the tenuous, indeed unsustainable, grounds that a marriage by one of the twins would constitute bigamy. Nonsense. In fact Siamese twins in the nineteenth century, never mind later, got married in the U.S. Vivian is jilted on her wedding night so we don't get to see any conjugal maneuvering (not that we would have seen much in a 1951 feature).
Vivian and Dorothy watch the marksman do his act and Dorothy casually shoots the guy dead. The film begins with a judge asking, from his desk, for help from moviegoers in deciding whether to find the homicidal woman guilty, the sentence then either requiring that the other also be executed or, if a lesser charge was sustained, both would go to the slammer. I imagine conversations going on long into the night by folks who viewed the film and couldn't stop talking about the jurist's dilemma. This is a film with a question about justice-unfortunately it's too arcane for any serious discussion.
Court scenes alternate with recounting of the tale. The courtroom is as fake as the plot. And the Alpha Video DVD cover's posters from the original release promise licentious tidbits that never come close to surfacing. "Joined Together How Can They Make Love?" "What Happens in Their Intimate Moments?" That's what I wanted to know and why I forked out $4.99 for the disc. Phooey.
4/10 (for its curiosity value)
Remember the old brain teaser, where someone is on trial for murder, and the judge states that though the party is clearly guilty, he is forced to set him free, and it turns out that the guilty person is a Siamese twin?? Well, someone decided to base an entire feature film around that brain teaser. "Chained for Life" stars the Hilton sisters; real life Siamese twins from the vaudeville era who play (guess what) Siamese twin vaudeville stars (vaudeville, by the way, was pretty much a dead issue by the time this film was made), one of whom gets involved with a gigolo who abandons her on her wedding night, and the terrible retributions that follow. The Hilton sisters seem to be quite competent singers (though somebody should pick out better songs for them to sing), but don't quite cut it as actresses. When one has dialogue, the other completely goes blank, as if she were somewhere else. Most of the film, though, is padded out with other corny vaudeville acts who add nothing to the story, but help bring the movie to feature length rather than being a short subject. And there's a dream sequence that's not to be believed. All in all, for exploitation completeists only.
Chained For Life (1951)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The Hilton Sisters of FREAKS fame were brought back to the screen in this, at the time, controversial film that tries to take a closer look at their lives. The two sisters are part of a theater group and to make money their manager sets up a marriage. When the man hurts one of the sisters the other kills him and it's up to a judge to see how this should be handled. Unlike FREAKS, this caught me off guard because it wasn't simply an exploitation film, which is what I was expecting. The film shows the personally lives of these Siamese twins and it's all rather interesting. I think it would have been better had the film not started in the courtroom and then replayed the events as they happened. Either way, those fans of the Browning film should certainly check this one out.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The Hilton Sisters of FREAKS fame were brought back to the screen in this, at the time, controversial film that tries to take a closer look at their lives. The two sisters are part of a theater group and to make money their manager sets up a marriage. When the man hurts one of the sisters the other kills him and it's up to a judge to see how this should be handled. Unlike FREAKS, this caught me off guard because it wasn't simply an exploitation film, which is what I was expecting. The film shows the personally lives of these Siamese twins and it's all rather interesting. I think it would have been better had the film not started in the courtroom and then replayed the events as they happened. Either way, those fans of the Browning film should certainly check this one out.
- Michael_Elliott
- Mar 10, 2008
- Permalink
- michaelRokeefe
- Jun 7, 2008
- Permalink
- planktonrules
- Sep 23, 2007
- Permalink
If you've missed "Chained for Life," you haven't missed much. Based loosely (very loosely) on Siamese twins Daisy and Violent Hilton's lives, Chained For Life is low melodrama at its lamest. The starring ladies did, however, sing very sweetly, and their musical performances are worth sitting through the rest of the movie.
The movie opens with a judge begging the audience for help in resolving a terrible dilemma. The action moves to a courtroom, where conjoined twin Vivian Hamilton is on trial for the shooting death of her sister Dorothy's two-timing husband. The story unfolds in flashback as various characters are called to testify about how a publicity stunt turned to cruel heartbreak and eventually murder.
With a premise close to the sisters' real-life romances, "Chained for Life" could have been compelling drama in the hands of competent writers, a competent cast, and a director capable of pulling adequate performances out of Daily and Violet. We're left with a pure exploitation film, memorable only for its novelty.
The movie opens with a judge begging the audience for help in resolving a terrible dilemma. The action moves to a courtroom, where conjoined twin Vivian Hamilton is on trial for the shooting death of her sister Dorothy's two-timing husband. The story unfolds in flashback as various characters are called to testify about how a publicity stunt turned to cruel heartbreak and eventually murder.
With a premise close to the sisters' real-life romances, "Chained for Life" could have been compelling drama in the hands of competent writers, a competent cast, and a director capable of pulling adequate performances out of Daily and Violet. We're left with a pure exploitation film, memorable only for its novelty.
- catfish-er
- Aug 22, 2019
- Permalink
- classicsoncall
- Apr 19, 2009
- Permalink
CHAINED FOR LIFE is an exploitation/sensation film follow up to Tod Browning's FREAKS, made some twenty years after that cult classic. Sadly, this is very much a middle-of-the-road production and the only - and I mean ONLY - thing going for it is the presence of real-life Siamese twins, The Hilton Sisters.
The narrative follows the template of a fictional biography that explores the girls and their origins, leading to their successful singing careers. Of course, being an exploitation film, events soon take a darker turn with the onset of marriage and then murder; the latter part of the film takes the form of a courtroom drama in which a moral dilemma is explored.
CHAINED FOR LIFE has plenty of reasons to watch it from the premise alone, but sadly the execution is very weak which robs this of about 90% of its interest. The Hilton Sisters are fine - and good singers to boot - but the rest of the script, cast, and production values are, and I hate to say it, terrible.
The narrative follows the template of a fictional biography that explores the girls and their origins, leading to their successful singing careers. Of course, being an exploitation film, events soon take a darker turn with the onset of marriage and then murder; the latter part of the film takes the form of a courtroom drama in which a moral dilemma is explored.
CHAINED FOR LIFE has plenty of reasons to watch it from the premise alone, but sadly the execution is very weak which robs this of about 90% of its interest. The Hilton Sisters are fine - and good singers to boot - but the rest of the script, cast, and production values are, and I hate to say it, terrible.
- Leofwine_draca
- Sep 17, 2015
- Permalink
Unique film poses the question "How do you punish the guilty without violating the rights of the innocent?" A Siamese twin is charged with murder. In flashback style, the facts leading up to the murder, and subsequent trial are presented. the case is presented before only a judge. No jury is involved. He alone must decide how to punish only the guilty sister, without violating the innocent sister's rights. How will he decide? How would you decide? Definitely low budget, but worth viewing as an oddity. Definitely at the top of the list as far as Siamese twin murder mystery films go! Film will also hold the interest of vaudeville / circus side show fans.
- CinemaArchive
- May 18, 2001
- Permalink
A Siamese twin kills the husband who left her. The courts have to decide if she is convicted of murder, how can they punish her sister, who had nothing to do with the crime?
Starring the Hilton sisters, probably the most famous conjoined twins who ever lived. They are connected in such a way that you can hardly even tell... how thy were able to fit out the birth canal is a mystery, as is why the doctor couldn't separate them. And also, how do they use the toilet? And how can they have different blood types?
I am frankly impressed with how old the sisters were... I cannot imagine sharing every intimate detail of my life with another person for decades on end. Bathrooms, showers, sex, marriage... what if one sister wants to read and the other likes loud music? What if one tries to roll over in her sleep? And then, is a marriage bigamy as the film suggests? I doubt it, but I see the point.
I enjoyed the William Tell overture on an accordion... second best use of the song ever? And there is a very early form of trick BMX biker here.
Alpha Video has an adequate video quality on their disc, though the sound could be touched up a bit. Some of it is pretty muffled, and considering there is a singing scene, it would sound much better if clear.
Starring the Hilton sisters, probably the most famous conjoined twins who ever lived. They are connected in such a way that you can hardly even tell... how thy were able to fit out the birth canal is a mystery, as is why the doctor couldn't separate them. And also, how do they use the toilet? And how can they have different blood types?
I am frankly impressed with how old the sisters were... I cannot imagine sharing every intimate detail of my life with another person for decades on end. Bathrooms, showers, sex, marriage... what if one sister wants to read and the other likes loud music? What if one tries to roll over in her sleep? And then, is a marriage bigamy as the film suggests? I doubt it, but I see the point.
I enjoyed the William Tell overture on an accordion... second best use of the song ever? And there is a very early form of trick BMX biker here.
Alpha Video has an adequate video quality on their disc, though the sound could be touched up a bit. Some of it is pretty muffled, and considering there is a singing scene, it would sound much better if clear.
If you want a story about gripping law drama, this isn't the place to go, but then I suspected that before I obtained the film. Chained for Life isn't Judging Amy, the Practice, Ally McBeal or Law & Order (thank goodness, if you ask me). It's pure grade B, with dead performances from Daisy and Violet Hilton, yet seems better than what I expected; filmed better and with interesting dialogue at times (the blind doctor the twins went to see about a separation). They sang better than I do and I was a single birth. Today's vaudeville is a webcam on the internet. And the music organ being played with a gun then stopping on one note was pure Hitchcock ( a master, yes, but at times, he stretched it too). The dream essentially summed up the movie: seeing how these conjoined twins lived and loved and contemplated being separated. They had a similar offering in Freaks, where one is engaged, yet the other one is always present. Both the dream and the doctor pretty well cover any curiosity about how they may have lived with their situation in real life.
If not for the completely and utterly disappointing ending which took place in less than five minutes and did not involve the sisters, the film might have held up better. Don't go looking for tense courtroom drama. It's not here. Want to see how someone copes with a physical challenge? This would be one to think about.
If not for the completely and utterly disappointing ending which took place in less than five minutes and did not involve the sisters, the film might have held up better. Don't go looking for tense courtroom drama. It's not here. Want to see how someone copes with a physical challenge? This would be one to think about.
- richard.fuller1
- Dec 1, 2000
- Permalink
- lepoisson-1
- Mar 1, 2012
- Permalink
1st watched 1/28/2007 - 3 out of 10(Dir-Harry L. Fraser): Unique Siamese-twin story asking the question as to how the law can separate them when pronouncing judgment when their physically attached to one another -- for life. An actual Siamese-twin couple called the Hilton sisters star in this offbeat, interesting, but badly acted story. The sisters can sing but we'll not talk about the "A" word. The rest of the cast isn't much better and this is what really makes this movie not work. The storyline is a basic boy meets girl(attached to another girl), marries this girl, leaves the girl and then angers the other sister to the point of taking action. We know there was a murder from the very beginning as it's revealed by the judge as he introduces the movie and then closes it out in the end as well addressing the audience with a question as to how law can make such a decision. It's obvious this was a B-level gimmick piece of film-making and therefore the production never rises above this level. Too bad, because it's definitely an interesting moral and legal question that could have been handled much better.
If you're curious about the Hilton twins see them at their peak in Freaks or read about them in books like We Who Are Not Like Others. If that's not enough then boldly tread into the turgid land of rock bottom exploitation for another taste of the bizarre.
Like the carny shows of it's day Chained For Life promises much in the way of tabloid romance and melodrama but delivers only a little amidst a parade of 2nd rate vaudeville acts. It's just like shelling out two bits to see the Turkey Woman. On The Outside banner she's covered in feathers and has a beak growing out of her forehead. On the inside she's a scrawny old lad with short skinny arms and a fleshy wattle around her neck. If you buy one of her tiny bible or a photo of her then she'll dance and gobble around for you.
As far an an actual movie goes this is pretty bleak and half baked but as a record of the Hilton's musical talents it scores big.
Maybe one day we'll get the real story along with the Lobster Boy that molested his family and the inept bank robber that ended up in the Long Beach funhouse.
Like the carny shows of it's day Chained For Life promises much in the way of tabloid romance and melodrama but delivers only a little amidst a parade of 2nd rate vaudeville acts. It's just like shelling out two bits to see the Turkey Woman. On The Outside banner she's covered in feathers and has a beak growing out of her forehead. On the inside she's a scrawny old lad with short skinny arms and a fleshy wattle around her neck. If you buy one of her tiny bible or a photo of her then she'll dance and gobble around for you.
As far an an actual movie goes this is pretty bleak and half baked but as a record of the Hilton's musical talents it scores big.
Maybe one day we'll get the real story along with the Lobster Boy that molested his family and the inept bank robber that ended up in the Long Beach funhouse.
- michaeldukey2000
- Jul 11, 2007
- Permalink
- mark.waltz
- Jan 10, 2016
- Permalink
The plot has been repeated elsewhere and so on to the film itself.
The cast is rather good, the only exception being the Hilton sisters' own wooden delivery. Still, if you can ignore that, you get a very interesting "moral issue" over which to ponder and, lest your humanity threaten to plunge you into the depths of despair over the poor darlings' conundrum, the film is sprinkled with numerous vaudeville acts which do not fail to entertain.
The movie presents a special treat to those fans of the Hilton twins who fell in love with them in "Freaks". The scenes on stage are part of the girls' real act, giving us what is perhaps the only glimpse we'll ever get into their real lives. Why has there only been a Broadway play based on them and no real biography yet? Someone out there must have the love and resources to make sure they are forever remembered fondly.
I felt a slight pinch of sadness thinking of Daisy and Violet Hilton, now in their early forties, playing roles that are essentially cruel jokes on their real lives. At one point Daisy's character ponders what they could possibly be missing that they do not have already (in allusion to Daisy taking the sham marriage seriously). As she puts it, "We have reached the top in show business." Quite stinging, considering their deformity ensured they'd never get past the vaudeville circuit. And, although Daisy's answer to that original question is part of a contrived script and delivered with all the emotion of a doorknob, I couldn't help but whisper a silent "god damn" to myself when she responds: "Happiness."
Ah, well. In the end, these were two brave, wonderful little ladies who deserve to be properly remembered and admired, not pitied. Hopefully one day they will receive their own tiny place in Americana as more than early 20th century cinematic oddities. In the meantime, even an exploitation piece such as this was not enough to obscure their charm, and it shows through every line of stilted dialog they deliver.
It's been said the ending is disappointing. I believe it to be a typical device (or gimmick, for the cynics among us) of movies of this period, but the question is: how else *could* they have ended it?
Enjoy the film. It has been given a bare bones release by Alpha Video and can be found on Amazon as well as oldies.com for a very low price.
The cast is rather good, the only exception being the Hilton sisters' own wooden delivery. Still, if you can ignore that, you get a very interesting "moral issue" over which to ponder and, lest your humanity threaten to plunge you into the depths of despair over the poor darlings' conundrum, the film is sprinkled with numerous vaudeville acts which do not fail to entertain.
The movie presents a special treat to those fans of the Hilton twins who fell in love with them in "Freaks". The scenes on stage are part of the girls' real act, giving us what is perhaps the only glimpse we'll ever get into their real lives. Why has there only been a Broadway play based on them and no real biography yet? Someone out there must have the love and resources to make sure they are forever remembered fondly.
I felt a slight pinch of sadness thinking of Daisy and Violet Hilton, now in their early forties, playing roles that are essentially cruel jokes on their real lives. At one point Daisy's character ponders what they could possibly be missing that they do not have already (in allusion to Daisy taking the sham marriage seriously). As she puts it, "We have reached the top in show business." Quite stinging, considering their deformity ensured they'd never get past the vaudeville circuit. And, although Daisy's answer to that original question is part of a contrived script and delivered with all the emotion of a doorknob, I couldn't help but whisper a silent "god damn" to myself when she responds: "Happiness."
Ah, well. In the end, these were two brave, wonderful little ladies who deserve to be properly remembered and admired, not pitied. Hopefully one day they will receive their own tiny place in Americana as more than early 20th century cinematic oddities. In the meantime, even an exploitation piece such as this was not enough to obscure their charm, and it shows through every line of stilted dialog they deliver.
It's been said the ending is disappointing. I believe it to be a typical device (or gimmick, for the cynics among us) of movies of this period, but the question is: how else *could* they have ended it?
Enjoy the film. It has been given a bare bones release by Alpha Video and can be found on Amazon as well as oldies.com for a very low price.
- Der_Schnibbler
- Sep 3, 2006
- Permalink
- BandSAboutMovies
- Oct 16, 2023
- Permalink
The Plot. Siamese twins are a singing act, apparently in vaudeville.
Their manager, to drum up business bribes a man who has a shooting act to become romantically involved with her.
The bribe works and business increases dramatically.
The man proposes marriage and the proposal is accepted. He walks out on her on their wedding night to remain with his assistant with whom he has a relationship.
The sister of the rejected bride shoots him during his act. The movie starts with the judge, who is hearing the case without a jury, advises us, the audience, that this is a difficult case.
The movie poses the question of whether he can punish the one who is the shooter without punishing the other sister.
This movie rocks. Yes, it's a super low budget vehicle made by a studio I never heard of, but it's well done given the budgetary limitations. Two real conjoined twins are the stars!
But it's all done straight. And it's got some good theatre scenes of old vaudeville/burlesque. Not really sure why this movie gets some bad ratings here.
It's really way better than these other reviews say.
No, it's not a masterpiece, but it's really quite an unusual find that is very engaging even though it gets a bit bogged down in the middle.
Their manager, to drum up business bribes a man who has a shooting act to become romantically involved with her.
The bribe works and business increases dramatically.
The man proposes marriage and the proposal is accepted. He walks out on her on their wedding night to remain with his assistant with whom he has a relationship.
The sister of the rejected bride shoots him during his act. The movie starts with the judge, who is hearing the case without a jury, advises us, the audience, that this is a difficult case.
The movie poses the question of whether he can punish the one who is the shooter without punishing the other sister.
This movie rocks. Yes, it's a super low budget vehicle made by a studio I never heard of, but it's well done given the budgetary limitations. Two real conjoined twins are the stars!
But it's all done straight. And it's got some good theatre scenes of old vaudeville/burlesque. Not really sure why this movie gets some bad ratings here.
It's really way better than these other reviews say.
No, it's not a masterpiece, but it's really quite an unusual find that is very engaging even though it gets a bit bogged down in the middle.
This exploitation feature isn't quite as lurid as one would think. The
Hilton sisters,who also must have been little people (comparing
their stature to the rest of the cast) do an admirable job conveying
the truths and difficulties they endured as Siamese twins.There is
a wonderful dream sequence where Dottie awakens to find that
she is a separate entity and she dances and runs freely. (This
being done with an obvious stand-in but is still an effective
sequence.) Being part of a vaudeville showcase I was delighted to
see highlights of some of the other acts, the juggler and the
accordian player to name two. The Hilton sisters are in very good
voice to boot. Sure the budget was low and the acting on par with a
community troop but there are worse ways you could spend 80
minutes. Be forewarned that the sound quality, at least on the
Arrow DVD, is a little below par but the print is much crisper than
the previous VHS release. Seeing that they were barely connected
at the lower back, I wonder had the Hiltons had been born today, if
medical techniques could have safely separated them. For $4.99
you will find this an enjoyable "B" film that stands up to repeated
viewing.
Hilton sisters,who also must have been little people (comparing
their stature to the rest of the cast) do an admirable job conveying
the truths and difficulties they endured as Siamese twins.There is
a wonderful dream sequence where Dottie awakens to find that
she is a separate entity and she dances and runs freely. (This
being done with an obvious stand-in but is still an effective
sequence.) Being part of a vaudeville showcase I was delighted to
see highlights of some of the other acts, the juggler and the
accordian player to name two. The Hilton sisters are in very good
voice to boot. Sure the budget was low and the acting on par with a
community troop but there are worse ways you could spend 80
minutes. Be forewarned that the sound quality, at least on the
Arrow DVD, is a little below par but the print is much crisper than
the previous VHS release. Seeing that they were barely connected
at the lower back, I wonder had the Hiltons had been born today, if
medical techniques could have safely separated them. For $4.99
you will find this an enjoyable "B" film that stands up to repeated
viewing.
This is an unusual film, to say the least. Chained For Life (1951) is the story of Siamese Twins Dorothy and Vivian Hamilton (interestingly, Daisy and Violet Hilton get to keep their initials in the film), one of whom -- Vivian -- is accused of shooting her sister's lover. We see their story in flashback form: Dorothy falling in love with a nasty, two-timing sharpshooter Andre (Mario Laval); Dorothy and Vivian singing (they sound like the Andrews Sisters) in a vaudeville act; Andre falling for Dorothy as part of a publicity stunt cooked up by their manager; oh, and did I mention the endless vaudeville scenes in the movie? One of the reasons the film falls short of its potential is because there are too many vaudeville scenes -- too much sharpshooting, too many stale jokes, too many music routines -- and they severely undermine the film's pace because they drag on so long. There are some terrific moments in the film, though, especially the dream sequence where Dorothy -- well, actually, a double playing Dorothy -- is separated from Vivian and dances outside under the starry sky, meeting her dream lover (in this scene, we only see a close-up of Dorothy behind some tree branches, which conceal Dorothy/Daisy's twin, Vivian/Violet). Another memorable scene is a profoundly humane speech delivered by a blind minister condemning bigotry. It is interesting that a blind character can see the world more clearly than the characters with 20/20 vision. Overall, this is a compelling film that keeps you watching. I agree with one poster who expressed regret that the movie is not a more faithful account of Daisy and Violet's actual story. The twins lived a deeply troubled life and it is amazing to see how much they have aged in the 19 years since Freaks (1932) was made. They look old and tired in this film -- even older than their 43 years. They have wrinkles under their eyes and they seem like they've seen it all. They've lost their youthful vitality and innocence they had in Freaks. And some of the acting in the film is pretty iffy. But this film deserves a higher rating than what it gets on IMDb. This reviewer gives it a 6/10. It is well worth your time. And it is now included in an excellent four-DVD set of exploitation films called "Cult Classics," released by Mill Creek Entertainment. See it if you get a chance.
- ANDREWEHUNT
- Oct 17, 2008
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