Strange Illusion (1945)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

A different way of telling a story

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

It's a run-of-the-mill suspense story with a couple of curious quirks. While on a fishing trip, young Jimmy Lydon has a terrible dream that's all confused but apparently has something to do with a strange man taking the place of his recently deceased father, a bracelet as a gift, a train, and a Schumann piano concerto.By the way, I must remark that this kid's dreams are not nearly as nebulous as mine, where one character can easily become another, the lighting is too dark to see much, nobody pays any attention to me, and people and things go about their business as if I weren't there. The sex dreams are kind of fun, doctor, except when the censor brings in those furry little lemurs or whatever they are, but at least I'm spared the horror of being chased in slow motion through a vat of molasses by some unseen ghoul, which once bothered me a lot. Whew.Disturbed, Lydon rushes home to find that Warren William has been courting his mother. William is a real charmer too -- polite, generous -- and everybody likes him, even Lydon's sister.So far, it's no more than a decently directed suspenser. But it does have its oddities. In "Detour", Edgar J. Ulmer allowed an allusion to a pair of sabers from the Franco-Prussian War. (The Franco-Prussian War?) Here, between letting Hamlet peep through the arras once in a while, he's got Schumann's concerto playing a role in the mounting Angst. Schumann? Not even Schubert, but Schumann? The composition gets a little nightmarish, true, but lots of composers composed nightmares.There are two villains. Dr. Mulbach is a psychiatrist who helps Warren William in his attempt to marry, then dispose of, Lydon's wealthy mother. Dr. Mulbach isn't very interesting -- bald, mousy, full of self confidence, and an obvious phony. As the other heavy, William is more interesting as a character. He has a personal reason for wanting to destroy Lydon's family, which I won't get into. But William the actor is a sort of mannequin with a Hollywood face and a pencil-thin mustache. He "acts" the way a traffic light sends out signals. He could have made a fine career out of supporting parts in the 30s. How he snared so many leads is beyond imagining. Or maybe, as Woody Allan is supposed to have said, ninety percent of success is just showing up.The ending devolves into a confused chase involving police cars and dark sedans. The narrative thread gets lost and a minor weakness of William emerges from the shadows -- a penchant for younger girls -- that becomes the motive for a fate worse than death and -- oh, well, forget it. The acting is execrable and so is the editing.

I've recently seen "Strange Illusion". It's a film that I had been wanting to see for a while. Considering it came from the low-budget studio PRC, I didn't know if it would be one of their better, mediocre or worst films. It's not one of their worst, but it just about reaches the PRC level of mediocrity. It seemed like it had an interesting plot. Jimmy Lydon plays a young man who is convinced that his mother's new beau is a killer. He's enlists the aid of a doctor friend to help him solve the mystery which surrounds the household. Jimmy Lydon has had a memorable career as "Henry Aldrich" in the popular 1940's series. He was seen in many other films and in the classic "Life With Father". However, he is served with a somewhat juvenile script here and, at one point in the film, is given a few lines of 1940's teenage vernacular to speak! It is very strange to see him suddenly break away from his normal way of speaking and start using this vernacular on his girlfriend. He says things like "Hello, vixen. What's mixin'?" and "Are ya missin' my kissin'?"! Strange, indeed! I wonder what PRC was thinking! Warren William is good, as usual, portraying the mother's sinister new beau. It's unfortunate that a little more thought about plot, suspense and dialog didn't go into this film. It could have been a much better film. For it's brief length, it seems overlong and much too uneventful. I would suggest seeing this film only if you must, but you can certainly find much better low-budget thrillers out there!

Although I would hesitate to call it "film noir," Strange Illusion is a tightly woven, intriguing mystery. For a Poverty Row production, the writers and Ulmer paced the film well and kept it interesting. The acting, although amateurish at times, doesn't distract from a believable story. My only real complaint about the film is the music-- too much and too loud.Brett's penchant for teenage girls is a refreshingly realistic perversion for a film of the '40s. It also stands in stark contrast to the "gee whiz" scenes which seem lifted straight out of "Leave It to Beaver."I rate it 7/10.

****SPOILERS**** Having recurring dreams of his fathers Judge Cartwright tragic and deadly train accident every night Paul Cartwright,James Lydon, is convinced that his fathers death was no accident but a murder and the person who murdered his father is in his dream and in the shadows not being able to be recognized.Being very protective of his mother Virginia,Sally Eilers,Paul gets very agitated and concerned when she gets engaged to marry a Mr. Brett Curtis, Warren Williams. Curtis comes across as a suave and sophisticated as well as well traveled gentleman who swept Virginia right off her feet. But Paul who feels that he's just not what he is and his background it's just too perfect to be real.In his awakening state of mind Paul sees the events in his dream accruing over and over in real life which convinces him that there's something very strange and sinister about the very debonair and smooth talking Brett Curtis. Paul also has a grudging feeling that Brett is the man in the shadows in his dream who was responsible for his fathers death and also wants to keep his mother from marrying him. Early cinematic psychological study about the mind and it's deepest secrets and how they come to the surface when we least expect them to Which makes the movie "Strange illusions" a unique movie for it's time, 1945, and as far as I know has never been duplicated since. Things in the film like Brett's strange behavior in regards to Paul whom he senses is somehow on to him and his intentions has him lose his cool from time to time and almost expose himself as the psychotic that he really is. Paul has tapped into something real and deadly through his subconscious, his dreams, but unknowing to Paul Brett is working with Professor Muhlbach,Charles Arnt, who runs the Restview Sanitarium where Paul will soon be staying at. Looking into his late fathers files, that he kept locked in his study, Paul finds out about a mysterious Mr. Claude Barrington who Paul's father was very interested in. Judge Cartwright felt that Barrington committed a string of crimes from murder and rape to embezzlement dating back to 1932 when he was married to the former miss. Cecilia Gordon who was found drowned some six months after their marriage. Barrington seemed to have vanished and then popped up and commit crimes almost at will all across the American Southwest. Barrington has a talent to disappear and resurface after each crime with a new and bogus identity and successfully avoided being fingerprinted or photographed. It was Judge Cartwright's closing in on him and being about to expose him and have him arrested, and made to pay for his crimes, that led to his unfortunate "accident". Paul also feels that Barrington faked his own death and is now back to eliminate those who may be able to expose him as still being alive by being in the position of finding Judge Cartwright secret files; the Judge's family. Paul is sure that the late Claude Barrington is the very alive Brett Curtis. Having to get rid of Paul but not until Brett is legally married to Virginia Brett and Professor Muhlbach plan to have Paul committed in his sanitarium and then have an "Accident" that will put his searching for the truth, about his dead father, to an end once in for all. With Brett married to Virginia he can offer her sympathy comfort and understanding for the loss of her son and his step-son until the time is right for her to have an "Accident" too. With that Brett can get his hands on the Cartwright estate, and all the evidence that the judge gathered on him, and have it destroyed with no one who can be in the position to know about it, the Judge's files, or get their hands on them. Mind twisting movie with a surprise ending that will more then just surprise.