FAQ

Identical twin sisters Katherine 'Kate' and Patricia 'Pat' Bosworth (Bette Davis) both fall in love with Dragon's Head lighthouse inspector Bill Emerson (Glenn Ford), but Pat is the one Bill chooses to marry. While Bill is in Chile, the sisters go sailing, but they are caught in a storm which overturns the boat and Pat is drowned. While Kate is recovering, she is mistaken for Pat, so Kate goes along with the deception, hoping to take Pat's place in Bill's life. However, she soon discovers that all was not well between Bill and Pat and realizes that she cannot undo the damage that Pat has done to the relationship.

A Stolen Life is a remake of Stolen Life (1939), a 1939 British film based on Uloupeny Zivot, a novel by Czech writer Karel J. Benes. The screenplay was written by Catherine Turney and Margaret Buell Wilder.

In the opening scene, Kate is shown taking a boat out of New Bedford, Massachusetts to 'the island', but the name of the island is never mentioned. There are numerous islands, mostly uninhabited, within boating distance of New Bedford. The only ones to have public ferry service between island and mainland are Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cuttyhunk. Bill (Glen Ford) tells Kate (Betty Davis) that it is a 2 hour boat trip.

Kate leaves Bill in Boston and returns to the house on the island. Freddie (Charles Ruggles) reveals that he knows she is Kate and convinces her that she must tell Bill the truth. Kate wanders out to the overlook, remembering how Bill once brought her there, and is surprised to see him approaching. He calls her name, 'Katie,' letting her know that he knows her real identity. They rush into each others' arms. 'Yes, I fell in love with Pat,' Bill admits, 'but it was never right...not the way we were right.' He swears his love for her, and they vow to start over as though they never left the island.