Strange Illusion
| Strange Illusion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Edgar G. Ulmer |
| Produced by | Leon Fromkess |
| Screenplay by | Adele Comandini |
| Story by | Fritz Rotter |
| Starring |
Jimmy Lydon Warren William |
| Music by | Leo Erdody |
| Cinematography |
Philip Tannura Benjamin H. Kline Eugen Schüfftan |
| Edited by | Carl Pierson |
| Distributed by | Producers Releasing Corporation |
Release dates |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Strange Illusion is a 1945 American film noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. According to noir historian Spencer Selby the film is, "A stylish cheapie by the recognized master of stylish cheapies."[1]
Plot summary
An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.
Cast
- Jimmy Lydon as Paul Cartwright
- Warren William as Brett Curtis
- Sally Eilers as Virginia Cartwright
- Regis Toomey as Dr. Martin Vincent
- Charles Arnt as Prof. Muhlbach
- George Reed as Benjamin
- Jayne Hazard as Dorothy Cartwright
- Jimmy Clark as George Hanover
- Mary McLeod as Lydia
- Pierre Watkin as Dist. Atty. Wallace Armstrong
- John Hamilton as Bill Allen, Bank President
- Sonia Sorel as Charlotte Farber
- Victor Potel as Mac - Game Warden
- George Sherwood as Langdon
- Gene Roth as Detective Sparks aka Sparky
Reception
Critical response
Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a mixed review, yet liked the atmospherics of the film, and wrote, "The dark psychological thriller had an engrossing premise courtesy of Mr. Shakespeare and was influenced further by Freudian dream analysis, but it was unconvincing as a melodrama, the script was weak, the plot was full of holes and the acting was as lame as it gets...What's interesting is that the film is shot as an intense dream sequence in shadowy black-and-white hues and its sense of delirium powerfully filters through the story almost wiping away the unconvincing heavy-handed performances of the villains and the mummified acting by the leads. It's a film where Ulmer's unique style and his film noir moody interjections work better than the deviative mystery story."[2]
Critic Matthew Sorrento of Film Threat also lauded the film: "Though saddled with the script’s fetish for Freud, Ulmer stylizes his thriller without sending it adrift. Like his other great films, Strange Illusion is a shaggy quickie that takes fine shape throughout."[3]
See also
References
- ↑ Selby, Spencer. Dark City: The Film Noir, film listed as film noir #391 on page 182, 1984. Jefferson, N.C. & London: McFarland Publishing. ISBN 0-89950-103-6.
- ↑ Schwartz, Dennis. "Ozus' World Movie Reviews," film review, September 20, 2004. Accessed: August 1, 2013.
- ↑ Sorrento, Matthew. Film Threat, film review, February 18, 2011. Accessed: August 1, 2013.
External links
- Strange Illusion at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Strange Illusion at the Internet Movie Database
- Strange Illusion at AllMovie
- Strange Illusion at the TCM Movie Database
- Strange Illusion is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Strange Illusion complete film on YouTube
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