A Haunting Film Noir Thriller of Dreams and Deception - Strange Illusion (1945)

"Strange Illusion" is a film noir psychological thriller released in 1945, directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. The movie follows a young man named Paul, who becomes convinced that his father's accidental death was actually a murder. As he investigates, Paul begins to have vivid dreams and strange hallucinations that blur the line between reality and illusion. Along the way, he encounters a cast of shady characters, including a seductive femme fatale and a sinister psychiatrist, who may or may not be trying to help him. With its moody lighting, dreamlike atmosphere, and twisty plot, "Strange Illusion" is a gripping and haunting exploration of the nature of perception and the darkness of the human psyche.

Cast:

James Lydon as Paul Cartwright
Warren William as Dr. John L. Sherman
Sally Eilers as Mary Cartwright
Regis Toomey as Lt. Cochrane
Charles Arnt as Charles Cartwright
Ann Doran as Gertrude Hemley
George Chandler as Stanley, the butler
Mary McLeod as Mrs. Winifred M. Cartwright
Jimmy Clark as Joey Hammond

Strange Illusion

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Strange Illusion
Strange illusion Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Screenplay by Adele Comandini
Story by Fritz Rotter
Produced by Leon Fromkess
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 version of Hamlet, envisioned as a modern crime film. It was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starred 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]
See also

List of films in the public domain in the United States

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
Wikiquote has quotations related to Strange Illusion.

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

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Films directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Categories:

1945 films1945 crime filmsAmerican mystery filmsAmerican black-and-white filmsFilm noirProducers Releasing Corporation filmsFilms directed by Edgar G. Ulmer1945 mystery filmsAmerican crime films1940s English-language films1940s American films

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Illusion