Chained for Life

Siamese twins are accused of murder in this campy exploitation film.
618 ratings
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List Price: $8.98
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Format:  DVD-R
item number:  QDVF
Made-on-Demand
Also released as:
Chained for Life for $10.80
Chained for Life for $11.50

DVD-R Details

  • Rated: Not Rated
  • Run Time: 1 hours, 21 minutes
  • Video: Black & White
  • Encoding: Region 0 (Worldwide)
  • Released: May 25, 2004
  • Originally Released: 1952
  • Label: Alpha Video

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring &
Featured:
Directed by
Screenplay by &

Entertainment Reviews:

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AUDIENCE SCORE
User Ratings: 91
Stake[s] out supposedly serious territory to justify our own morbid fascination in the subject
rec.arts.movies.reviews
May 24, 2006
Rating: 3/5 -- Fascinating, forgotten exploitation curio.
Film Threat
Dec 8, 2002
Rating: 57/100 -- [It] becomes something of a freak show. There's little here beyond the twins' unique condition to warrant viewing the film, which somewhat undercuts the overall message of assimilation. Full Review
MovieMartyr.com
Aug 4, 2011
Rating: 2/5 -- Lame, cheap exploitation picture. Curio value only.
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Feb 12, 2004

Description by OLDIES.com:

Siamese twins Vivian and Dorothy Hamilton (played by real-life conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton of Tod Browning's Freaks) expose the dark secrets and intimate moments of their lives in this unflinching expose. Employable only as circus performers, the sisters live and love in a world not made for them. One is a desperate romantic, the other a cold-blooded killer. When Dorothy commits an unthinkable crime of passion, the courts must decide if they can execute both sisters for the sins of one.

Low-budget auteur Harry L. Fraser (White Gorilla, I Accuse My Parents) hit exploitation pay-dirt when he convinced the Hilton twins to return to film after their debut in Freaks. Advertised as "The only female Siamese Twins ever!," the sisters allowed Fraser to exploit every aspect of their deformity.

Product Description:

Starring the Hilton sisters, who are joined at the hip, this story is based on a Mark Twain story called "Those Amazing Twins" in which one of the twins is convicted of a crime and both must face conviction though one is innocent. This film is so appalling it has become a novelty of sorts.

Keywords:

This product is made-on-demand by the manufacturer using DVD-R recordable media. Almost all DVD players can play DVD-Rs (except for some older models made before 2000) - please consult your owner's manual for formats compatible with your player. These DVD-Rs may not play on all computers or DVD player/recorders. To address this, the manufacturer recommends viewing this product on a DVD player that does not have recording capability.

Movie Lovers' Ratings & Reviews:

Customer Rating:
Based on 618 ratings.
Write an online review to share your thoughts with other customers.
chained for life Movie Lover: from edgein -- May, 12, 2005

This is one of the true classics. The Hilton Sisters' acting ability is matched only by their wonderful singing. A must have for fans of TRUE entertainment.


The Hilton Sister's First Movie Movie Lover: from Twinsburg, Ohio -- August, 23, 2004

Not those Hilton Sisters! The original Hiltons were simease twins who toured in Vaudville trying to stay alive.

This movie is not as dramatic as the cover makes it seem. It is in fact 75% of nothing except the vaudvillians working with the Hilton's at the time doing their acts.

Some long stertches of film are spent watching a juggler, an accordionist (does two tunes!) and then the Hilton's will do a song or two (the same song three times).

There is a really thin murder plot line which you kind of see coming up the block but there is no mystery .

Historicly it might be worth the watch. There are acts which will never be seen again. There is one dream sequence when Helen (Daisy) visualizes not being attached to Dorothy (Violet) any longer. The camera work is masterful in using another actress to portray Helen dancing alone in the garden, and cleverly avoiding Dorothy in the close-ups. It may seem over-simplified now but there was no computer to generate the images back then...


Alpha Video DVDs
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Product Info

  • Sales Rank: 10,450
  • UPC: 089218441898
  • Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
  • International Shipping: 1 item

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