Strange Illusion

Strange Illusion
Strange Illusion
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Edgar G. Ulmer
Screenplay by	Adele Comandini
Story by	Fritz Rotter
Produced by
Starring	Jimmy Lydon; Warren William; Sally Eilers
Cinematography	Philip Tannura,; Eugen Schüfftan (uncredited)
Edited by	Carl Pierson
Music by	Leo Erdody
Production; company	PRC Pictures
Distributed by	Producers Releasing Corporation
Release date	March 31, 1945 (United States);
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Strange Illusion is a 1945 film noir crime film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starring Jimmy Lydon, Warren William and Sally Eilers. According to noir historian Spencer Selby the film is "a stylish cheapie by the recognized master of stylish cheapies."^[1]

Premise[]

A college student has a recurrent dream that leads him to suspect there is something sinister about his widowed mother's suitor.

Cast[]

Jimmy Lydon as Paul Cartwright (as James Lydon)
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, the butler
Jayne Hazard as Dorothy Cartwright
Jimmy Clark as George Hanover
Mary McLeod as Lydia
Pierre Watkin as Dist. Atty. Wallace Armstrong
Sonia Sorel as Charlotte Farber
Victor Potel as Mac Game Warden (as Vic Potel)
George Sherwood as Langdon
Gene Roth as Sparky (as Gene Stutenroth)
John Hamilton as Bill Allen

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 derivative 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]

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 IMDb
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

[1] 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.

[2] Schwartz, Dennis. "Ozus' World Movie Reviews," film review, September 20, 2004. Accessed: August 1, 2013.

[3] Sorrento, Matthew. Film Threat, film review, February 18, 2011. Accessed: August 1, 2013.

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