Richard Chatten A typically offbeat British National production produced by the ill-fated Louis H. Jackson (the company went bankrupt the following year) and directed by the mysterious Alfred Travers with a plot that feels like a silent continental melodrama. James Wilson's low keyed photography suits the drab, sordid nature of the story as well as enhancing the believable interaction throughout the film of twin brothers both played by Herbert Lom; achieved with the aid of nimble use of a stand-in, skillful editing and the occasional unostentatious use of trick photography.Lom's compelling portrayal of two identical but distinct twin brothers made him a star. Terence de Marney is such a skunk as he gets away with shameless daylight robbery (which the law predictably proves complacently powerless to redress) that I felt even the drastic reprisal taken against him let him off lightly. Holes can doubtless be picked in the plot, but it delivers powerful drama right up to the (very) bitter end.

GUENOT PHILIPPE I watched this one and was dead sure I had seen it before. Pretty sure at one hundred percent. Same atmosphere among a circus little world, starring Herbert Lom in both films, and also a crime drama topic, with our lead as the bad guy.The other film was actually DARK TOWER, shot in 1943, where Lom played a sort of evil hypnotist who wanted a young trapezist woman to be under his bad influence. A very good noir from UK too. And no user seem to have seen both. Or maybe they did not notice that further.So, I do. There are here two very similar features. And, I repeat, with the same actor playing very similar characters. Worth watching for both of them.

GManfred "Dual Alibi" is a good crime story with a twist; the protagonist(s) are identical twins. It appears to be a British attempt at the noir genre and the mood is dark and humorless, reminiscent of the 'Twilight Zone' TV show.As I said, the story is good and is somewhat predictable throughout. Herbert Lom stars in the dual role, a high-wire circus act from the continent. One of the twins gets snookered by a con-man agent and his girlfriend and there is a falling-out, with predictable results. I was not as enthralled with the picture as most other reviewers but I appreciated the irony of the plot and the acting of Lom, who carries the picture.Nice work turned in by the two chiselers, Terence De Marney and Phyllis Dixey, who has only 2 films to her credit. This movie is so old I was unable to readily spot Sebastian Cabot, who in hindsight looked very young and slimmer than I remembered. He had a speaking part which lasted a few minutes, plenty of time to recognize him. If you are interested in "Dual Alibi" you should know that it is hard to come by nowadays - and it's good, but not great, in my estimation.

wilvram Like one or two others here, I recall seeing this on TV years ago. It certainly made an impression and watching it again recently reminded me why it did.The story never falters from the start and there's neither an extraneous scene nor wasted word of dialogue. The word 'noir' is often used inaccurately on IMDb and elsewhere these days to describe a run of the mill crime movie that happened to be shot in black and white, but this film is the real thing. Not a single scene takes place in daylight, and the often oppressive ambiance is caught in the opening shot as a bedraggled group of unemployed men are made up as clowns to go out in the pouring rain with sandwich boards to promote Vincent Barney's circus. The kindly Barney recognises one of the de Lisles, identical twins and trapeze artists who used to be his star attraction and who now recounts his fall from grace.Director Alfred Travers did not enjoy a high profile, making few films, mostly obscure second features, but he clearly knew what he was doing here. By comparison, for example, the renowned Terence Fisher's 'noirs' for Hammer in the early 1950s are heavy-handed and soporific. Apart from Travers' skill in keeping the story moving, the circus atmosphere is conjured brilliantly through the judicious choice of background music, particularly Stanley Black's haunting trapeze theme, since the budget apparently didn't stretch to featuring any actual circus acts apart from the twins' high-flying act and brief glimpses of a horse and an elephant. Not least he gets some excellent performances too. Herbert Lom is superb as the twins, bringing out their subtle differences, and with the aid of James Wilson's masterly trick photography, all the more remarkable on such a poverty row production, it's easy to suspend disbelief. The talented and popular comedian of radio and concert parties Ronald Frankau, making a rare screen appearance, brings charm, authority, and a sense of fun to his portrayal of the avuncular and sympathetic Barney. Terence de Marney is convincing as the repellent and ruthless Mike Bergin, whilst playing his accomplice, Penny, is 'Britain's First Lady of Striptease' Phyllis Dixey. She doesn't do a bad job; but this was only her second and last film appearance. Her striptease act must have been of a very genteel variety, in fact according to one aficionado 'her girls did the stripping while she gave the audience the occasional "flash"! She was portrayed by Lesley-Anne Down in an excellent TV biopic THE ONE AND ONLY PHYLLIS DIXIE, broadcast in November 1978.DUAL ALIBI concludes with a twist ending as unforced and logical as it is uncompromising, and should definitely be a candidate for DVD release by one of those companies specialising in forgotten classic British films!