The Clairvoyant (1935)

That was an excellent one.

Best movie of this year hands down!

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

I saw this few days back on a dvd. The print n sound wasnt that great. The film is about a fake clairvoyant (Claude Rains - The invisible man) who is able to tell about things blindfolded as he is assisted by his devoted wife (Fay Wray - first scream queen) who gives him hidden clues. The fake psychic suddenly turns into a genuine one whenever he is close to Christine... There is romantic angle, drama, off-screen disasters like train n mining accidents n courtroom trial. Rains' eye expressions during psychic visions were laughable. Warning, it is not a horror film.

This is a VERY unusual movie - because, in contrast to the many other movies with supernatural subjects, that clearly uncover them at some point as charlatanry, with fake séances and other known tricks of the trade, "The Clairvoyant" actually suggests to us that there ARE such supernatural powers! (The only other classic movie of that kind that I can remember is "Night Has a Thousand Eyes".) The funny thing is that, in the beginning, we're being pretty clearly informed that 'the Great Maximus' IS a charlatan, and how he does his tricks at a modest little vaudeville show. BUT as soon as a certain woman turns up in the audience one evening, he clearly changes and suddenly is able to REALLY foresee future events - and his mother from behind the scenes realizes, shivering: "I know what that is; my father had it: it's the gift to SEE..." And actually, he foresees a horrible train accident while they're on their way home - and this strange woman passes him by again... They get off the train; and soon afterward, there's the crash he foretold...Now things change radically in Maximus' life - and in his character, too: he becomes pretty much conceited, and bargains for a big engagement at a famous theater, although his wife and assistant Rene begs him to give the whole thing up... Well, but his gift seems to have disappeared together with the strange woman; and so he gets fired soon. But then the woman comes to visit him, and turns out to be Christine Shawn, the daughter of a very influential businessman - and immediately, his 'gift' returns: spontaneously, he predicts the (VERY unlikely) derby winner; and is once again right, and celebrated by the public.He's introduced to the 'high society' by Christine's father - which makes Rene jealous, and she decides on the spur of the moment to leave him while he's speaking at a banquet. But at the same moment Christine turns up - and now Maximus starts foreseeing REALLY tragic events; with horrible consequences for himself...This movie, whether you find its insisting on supernatural powers crazy or not, is in ANY case worth watching for every fan of classic cinema: first of all, it gives Claude Rains the possibility to show as 'the Great Maximus' ALL nuances of his huge acting talent, from the cocksure swindler to the genuinely frightened man - frightened by himself and his 'powers'. Then there's of course lovely Fay Wray as his wife Rene, who, besides her usual sweetness, is also allowed to show a display of jealousy here - which gradually changes to some strange kind of sympathy with Christine, who 'gives' her husband his inspirations. There are moments of genuine drama, of supreme suspense, of emotions of all kinds, and even of humor to lighten up the atmosphere; anyway, there's not a MOMENT of boredom throughout the whole movie!

1935's "The Clairvoyant" was a Gaumont-British production retitled "The Evil Mind" for US release, starring native son Claude Rains and actress Fay Wray, imported from Hollywood like Boris Karloff in 1933's "The Ghoul." Following on from "The Invisible Man," "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head," and "Mystery of Edwin Drood," Rains plays the title role of The Great Maximus, who has been developing a phony mind reading act with devoted wife Rene (Wray), but whenever in the presence of young Christine Shaw (Jane Baxter) is mysteriously able to foretell actual future events in a trance-like state. Simple predictions such as who will win the Darby earn Maximus top dollar doing his phony routine, but his enjoyment of his newfound fame is soon compromised by the public's demand for prophecies. His loving marriage is strained by his close involvement with Christine, who admits to Rene that she loves him, but the climax comes when the predicted mining disaster is blamed on Maximus himself, his attempt to warn the workers ahead of time labeled a publicity stunt. Among the unbilled faces are Donald Calthrop (soon to appear with Karloff in "The Man Who Changed His Mind"), who convinces Maximus to be true to his wife, and especially Felix Aylmer, memorable presence in such later Hammers as "The Mummy" and "Never Take Sweets from a Stranger," who truly excels as the scene stealing prosecutor tormenting Maximus on the stand. While Rains is excellent, it's really Fay Wray who stands out, turning what could have been a rather thankless role as the neglected wife into a living breathing human being, and a happy ending was had by all.

Maximus (Claude Rains), a small-time music hall mind reader, has frightening flashes of precognition; but he cannot predict or control them ...until he realizes he has them in the presence of Christine (Jane Baxter), the daughter of a publisher, who makes Rene (Fay Wray), his wife, wretchedly jealous.How can you go wrong with pairing Claude Rains ("The Invisible Man") with Fay Wray ("King Kong")? You simply cannot. Jane Baxter adds a little class to the mix (while perhaps not as well known, she was an actress for an impressive fifty years).Worth noting is that Maurice Elvey (1887-1967) was the most prolific film director in British history. He directed 195 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. Wow. This was probably the one he is most known for today, though "Transatlantic Tunnel" takes a close second.