Strange Illusion *** (1945, Jimmy Lydon, Warren William, Sally Eilers) – Classic Movie Review 12,134

Brush up your Shakespeare with Edgar G Ulmer’s stylish and suspenseful 1945 film noir crime film Strange Illusion, starring Jimmy Lydon, Warren William and Sally Eilers.

Director Edgar G Ulmer’s stylish and suspenseful low-budget PRC Pictures’ 1945 black and white film noir crime film Strange Illusion stars Jimmy Lydon, Warren William and Sally Eilers.

In a Hamlet-style story, college student Paul Cartwright (Jimmy Lydon) has a recurrent dream that leads him to believe that his widowed mother’s suitor Brett Curtis (Warren William) may have murdered his father.

The acting, photography (Philip Tannura), score (Leo Erdody) and dialogue in the screenplay by Adele Comandini (based on a story by Fritz Rotter) are decent for a low-level B-movie, but it is Ulmer’s handling that makes it compelling and enjoyable.

It is in the public domain and available for free download at the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/Strange_Illusion

The cast are Jimmy Lydon [James Lydon] as Paul Cartwright, Warren William as Brett Curtis, Sally Eilers as Virginia Cartwright, Regis Toomey as Dr. Martin Vincent, Charles Arnt as Prof. Muhlbach, George Reed as butler Benjamin, 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 [Vic Potel] as Mac Game Warden, George Sherwood as Langdon, Gene Roth [Gene Stutenroth] as Sparky and John Hamilton as Bill Allen.

See also: Ruthless (1948), Trapped (1949), Whistle Stop (1946) and Ellen (1950).

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,134

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