Sisters

Released by: Arrow Video
Released on: April 28th, 2014.
Director: Brian De Palma
Cast: Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning
Year: 1973

The Movie:

While Brian De Palma has amassed a cult following over the years as a director with an undeniably exuberant sense of style, he's also been criticized for lifting ideas (and in some cases even entire set-pieces) from other famous films. When it comes to the influence of Hitchcock on his work, all roads lead to his excellent 1973 effort Sisters, a film that at first glance appears to offer a heady mix of Psycho and Rear Window but is actually a far more original concoction than his detractors would like to think.

The film begins with an apparent act of voyeurism; a man in a dressing room watches as an attractive blind woman enters by mistake and begins to unbutton her blouse. At first, the man glances around in awkwardness but after a few moments we catch a subtle smirk begin to form on his face. The camera zooms in at this decisive moment; will he stay and “watch” or will he do the chivalrous thing and look away? This is not only the question on our minds, but it is on the minds of the studio audience as well; we are in fact watching a segment of a TV game show appropriately titled “Peeping Toms” where contestants watch these Candid Camera-esque scenarios and must guess what will happen next.

While this humorous opening scene shows De Palma foregrounding the theme voyeurism, it also predisposes the audience to question the validity of what is on screen. For all its gruesome surprises, Sisters is a film that delights in manipulating its audience and the tone of the film oscillates between grim shocks and dark humor. In beginning Sisters on a reflexive note, De Palma essentially positions himself as a postmodern filmmaker (it is no surprise that Quentin Tarantino has cited him as a great influence); what this means is that Sisters exists in a world where recourse to a single authorial “voice” is impossible. In this conception of filmmaking, one that challenges the authoritative notion of an auteur, a director cannot help but “cite” from other films. It is particularly contentious that De Palma should choose Hitchcock as one of his influences as pioneering New Wave filmmaker Francois Truffaut compiled a famous book-length interview with the “Master of Suspense” in order to illustrate the possibility of an authentic authorial “voice.”

Although De Palma wears his influences on his sleeve, the mix of filmic citations, stylistic flourishes (often coupled with an equally robust score) and overt Freudian symbolism is quite distinctive and readily identifiable as the director's own. In the future, De Palma would even play with the notion that he was a director who foregrounds style over substance (see the gleefully over-the-top Raising Cain), but one cannot fault Sisters for his later excesses; the storytelling here is excellent and the film is carefully constructed.

It is difficult to discuss the plot of Sisters without giving away its surprises; for the benefit of those who haven't seen this wonderful film, generalities will have to suffice. The film is technically a psychological thriller but it has a decidedly horror film vibe at times, due to both the sensationalistic treatment of physical deformity and to the film's low-budget origins. One of the reasons that Sisters is so impressive is how much it is able to accomplish on a modest budget and while De Palma would go on to deliver much slicker product in the years that follow, much more famous works like Dressed to Kill and Body Double undoubtedly have this film in their DNA.

Sisters is rightly celebrated for its innovative use of split-screen and De Palma employs it to great effect in helping to ratchet-up suspense throughout. The film also boasts a superbly creepy soundtrack from Bernard Hermann, who was hired due to his distinctive work on some of Hitchcock's best films. Hermann employs Moog synths, horns and synths to great effect and lends the film's memorable set-pieces an almost frenzied intensity. Sisters also has a superb cast that delivers great work; it features Margot Kidder (Superman) and prolific character actor Charles Durning in early performances. Genre fans will also delight in seeing De Palma regular William Finley (of Phantom of the Paradise fame) in a substantial role. Jennifer Salt is particularly excellent as a reporter who sees too much, and Lisle Wilson gives an appealingly naturalistic performance as the likable Philip.

Video/Audio/Extras:

The Sisters test-disc that was provided shows an excellent transfer presented in a 1:78:1 aspect ratio. This HD master was provided from Criterion but the presentation benefits from additional restoration work and represents the best that the film has looked. There's a great presence of film grain throughout and the picture is fantastic. As a testament to the superb detail evident in this transfer, there are moments when De Palma employs 16 mm (see the various black and white flashback sequences) and even these look great on a hi-def screen.

The LPCM mono track is excellent, with no issues with distortion or hissing to report. Bernard Hermann's fantastic soundtrack comes through strong and the mix is great. There are also optional English SDH subtitles.

Arrow provides fans of Sisters with variety of supplemental materials. “What the Devil Hath Joined Together” is a 47 minute visual essay with critic Justin Humphreys that does a fairly good job expounding on the film's various themes; it also offers some interesting production tidbits. There are on-screen interviews (ranging from 5 to 17 minutes) with actress Jennifer Salt, editor Paul Hirsch, unit manager Jeffrey Hates and co-writer Louisa Rose. An audio interview with William Finley appears to have been recorded over the telephone. "The De Palma Digest” is a film-by-film tour through the director's oeuvre and although comprehensive, there is nothing particularly revelatory about the piece. Rounding out the extras are a brief theatrical trailer and a superb gallery of promotional materials that can be browsed using your remote.

The Final Word:

The line between homage and plagiarism often depends on how predisposed you are to De Palma's extravagant sense of style and his lurid depictions of violence and sexuality; conservative critics and Hitchcock purists may cry foul but Sisters is a clever appropriation of familiar themes and ideas into an intoxicated horror-inflected psychological thriller. The film is an important formative step in De Palma's career and Arrow's presentation of the film looks great. This package is highly recommended.