DEAD AGAIN

A compelling mystery/romance which has the viewer intrigued from the very opening sequence of scissors and newspaper clippings, accompanied by an electric Patrick Doyle score, 'Dead Again' is a wonderful story of love returned to love and historical repetition.

Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh play the star crossed lovers who are reunited a lifetime after their first affair which ended by tragic circumstances.

As this movie is not as well known as some of the others I have outlined, the following is an extract from a fair review which may be found here

Branagh plays two roles in the film, the first a 1948 opera composer and conductor named Roman Strauss, who weds a musician named Margaret (Emma Thompson). The second role is that of a modern-day, slightly sleazy private detective, Mike Church, who specializes in finding missing heirs for a fee. Church finds himself inheriting responsibility for a woman (again Emma Thompson) who has lost her memory and her voice, and who screams at night over dreams that seem to dredge up scenes of Roman murdering Margaret.

Through the intervention of a mysterious hypnotist (Derek Jacobi) who "regresses" his clients to their past lives, Church and the amnesiac woman become bedeviled by the possibility that they are the reincarnated Roman and Margaret, destined to re-experience the late couple's bloody fate.

Simply by being better-than-competent -- not a Hall of Fame candidate, but at least an electrifying spectacle -- Dead Again towers over most of its competition in the contemporary thriller category.

Branagh and Thompson's chemistry in this movie is terrific. As the mystery unfolds and the bonds between Mike and 'Grace' begin to strengthen again, one can only *hope* that it was NOT Mike/Roman who murdered this beautiful and intriguing woman. 'Dead Again' is a story of souls coming together again in true love, and history repeating itself, giving the two lovers a chance to meet again and reconcile the lost flame. Watch for the wonderful parallels between what occurred in Margaret and Roman's love, and the events which bring Mike and 'Grace' together. Although the parallels may be slightly stereotypical of the ideals of reincarnation and its role in bringing together soul mates, you just *have* to love the slow dancing scenes and the rain that intervenes!

This is an absolutely electrifying movie in more than one sense of the word. Romantically however, it is brilliant as it explores the ideals of meeting your true love again ~ souls finding their lost half no matter what the circumstances may be.

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Written material (except where stated) copyrighted by Sarah 1997