''Strange Illusion'' is a 1945

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

. Loosely inspired by

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

, it was envisioned as a modern

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

. 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."

Plot

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

Cast

* James Lydon as Paul Cartwright * Warren William as Brett Curtis * Sally Eilers as Virginia Cartwright * Regis Toomey as Dr. Vincent * Charles Arnt as Professor Muhlbach * George H. Reed as Benjamin * Jayne Hazard as Dorothy Cartwright * Jimmy Clark as George * Mary McLeod as Lydia * Pierre Watkin as Armstrong * Sonia Sorel as Miss Farber * Vic Potel as Mac-Game Warden * George Sherwood as Langdon * Gene Stutenroth as Sparky * John Hamilton as Mr. Allen

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Dennis Schwartz liked the film's atmospherics but gave a mixed review to the production as a whole, writing, "The dark psychological thriller had an engrossing premise courtesy of Mr. Shakespeare and was influenced further by

Freudian Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies seen as originating from conflicts in t ...

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." 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."Sorrento, Matthew
''Film Threat'', film review, February 18, 2011. Accessed: August 1, 2013.

References

External links