Dolores del Rio is LA OTRA

 In a film full of quotable lines, one of the strongest is "Merry Christmas, Roberto." It's a line from the 1946 Mexican drama called LA OTRA also known as THE OTHER ONE. Did you ever see Bette Davis play twin sisters -- one good, one bad -- in the 1964 movie DEAD RINGER, directed by actor Paul Henreid? Karl Malden co-starred as the detective in love with the good sister who assumes the identity of her late bad sister. Well, that Warner Bros. movie was a remake of LA OTRA starring the beautiful Dolores del Rio. 

Reportedly, Warner Bros purchased the property as a possible project for Bette Davis in the late 40s. However, Davis had just played twin sisters in 1946's A STOLEN LIFE with Glenn Ford. The studio wanted to let some time pass before giving the remake a green light. A whole bunch of time passed. It was the early 1960s when Bette got around to shooting her version of the 1946 foreign film. The LA OTRA story by Rian James had two essentials for a standard Bette Davis film -- a good plot and a staircase. 

I've seen and enjoyed DEAD RINGER quite a few times. I'm a serious Bette Davis fan. Yet, I must say that I love LA OTRA more. In the story, the bad sister is beautiful, glamorous and sexy. Bette Davis did the best she could. The role fits Dolores del Rio like a velvet glove with a diamond bracelet on it.

 The story opens on a well-attended funeral scene. We see condolence floral arrangements from companies. The person being buried must have been an important businessman or industrialist. We cannot see the widow's face for it is covered by a black veil. A female mourner turns to the woman next to her and comments, "A rich widow in the prime of her life. She won't suffer long." Then we see a woman wearing eyeglasses and a simple, plain coat rush into the service. A man mentions that she works, unlike her widow sister. She's a manicurist. This is Maria, played by Dolores del Rio. Maria takes her place next to her widow sister, Magdalena. Magdalena criticizes Maria on her working-class attire. Right there, we know there is tension between the sisters.

Maria accompanies Magdalena back to her palatial home. Her living room looks like the lobby of a deluxe hotel. Magdalena quickly gets out of "these awful black rags." She's not exactly grief-stricken. About her late husband, humble Maria says, "I've felt his death much more than you." Magdalena is wrapped in luxury, gazing at her extensive wardrobe and furs in her posh bedroom. She will inherit $5 million in her late husband's will. Maria will take a bus home to her one-room apartment. She says that Magdalena has always stolen things from Maria -- starting with their parents' love.

Magdalena leaves the bedroom. When she's gone, Maria removes her librarian-like spectacles and tries on one of her sister's fur coats. A butler enters the room and mistakes Maria for Magdalena. A dark idea takes bloom in her mind.

It's Christmas week and the low-paid manicurist wants to buy a present for her sweet detective boyfriend. All she can afford is a cigarette lighter. She can't even afford a ticket to play the National Lottery. Ironically, the prize is $5 million.

Roberto, the detective, believes in "hopes and joys" and "the joy of living." Maria is a pessimist. She's late with the rent. He urges her to see things his way. Maria says, "I''ll face things coldly. I'll even act coldly."

 She does. Full of jealousy and bitterness, she kills her sister and assumes her identity, switching their clothes so that it will seem as though Maria committed suicide. This scene is played with more simplicity and depth than in DEAD RINGER.

 Maria makes her debut to society with her newborn identity on Christmas Day. She will realize that jealousy and bitterness really get you nowhere. While living an assumed life of luxury, she learns that there was a surprise in the late husband's will. She also learns how decadent her rich, gorgeous sister was.

Maria and Roberto will be reunited on another Christmas Eve. As one character said, "Fate is always loaded with a great dose of irony."

Dolores del Rio is fabulous in the dual role. Augustin Irusta will touch your heart with his tenderness as Roberto, the detective boyfriend. LA OTRA was directed by Roberto Gavaldon. This Mexican film, which is subtitled, runs about 95 minutes. LA OTRA is juicier than its 1964 Hollywood remake, DEAD RINGER. This black and white foreign film classic is worth watching.