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Strange Illusion

Play trailer Poster for Strange Illusion 1945 1h 27m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 38% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A teenage boy suspects that the man who is wooing his widowed mother has ulterior motives.
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Strange Illusion

Critics Reviews

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Matthew Sorrento Film Threat 02/18/2011
4/5
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. Go to Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 04/02/2010
Hamlet on Poverty Row Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 06/27/2005
3/5
Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television 01/18/2005
Visually inventive crime thriller, with many strange sequences. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 09/18/2004
B-
An engrossing premise courtesy of Mr. Shakespeare. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 12/05/2003
2/4
Strange Illusion marks prolific filmmaker Edgar G. Ulmer's trip into Hitchcock territory, with often underwhelming results. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mar 20 I am gonna watch it again. I kept letting other things distract me, but I loved the acting, and the ending confused me. So I will watch it again to see what I missed. See more 05/04/2017 Snappy little thriller starring Jimmy Lydon (of "Henry Aldrich") fame. See more 09/18/2011 Not the best Ulmer film but it's amusing. It's a twist on Hamlet which is nicely stylized. See more 06/27/2011 Worth a watch. Watch it at night by yourself, not because it is scary (though it has a nice mood) but because no one will want to watch it with you. It gets Fruedy in a bit of a Sirky way. I have no idea why it's called Strange Illusion. See more 06/23/2011 Can't trust psychiatrists. See more 05/07/2010 When I saw that this was a cheapie noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer with no-name actors, I had high hopes for another Detour. Alas, no. A kind of Hardy Boys-ish mystery that's really no mystery at all, with lousy acting (especially by Jimmy Lydon in the lead), very few surprises and an overbearing score. Not to mention some instances of sexism (oh those gullible women!) and racism, thankfully somewhat mild. The one really unusual thing about it is that it all centers around a premonition, as Lydon's dreams come true. This really turned me off... I'm not interested in the paranormal when it comes to my noir. A couple of interesting touches (like the villain having a weakness for raping young ladies) but not enough to save the rest of it. See more Read all reviews
Strange Illusion

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Edgar G. Ulmer

Director

Jimmy Lydon

Paul Cartwright (as James Lydon)

Sally Eilers

Virginia Cartwright

Warren William

Brett Curtis

Regis Toomey

Dr. Martin Vincent

Charles Arnt

Prof. Muhlbach

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Strange Illusion

Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) Strange Illusion (1945) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A teenage boy suspects that the man who is wooing his widowed mother has ulterior motives.
Director
Edgar G. Ulmer
Producer
Leon Fromkess
Screenwriter
Adele Comandini, Fritz Rotter
Distributor
Producers Releasing Corporation
Production Co
Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 31, 1945, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 27, 2001
Runtime
1h 27m
Sound Mix
Mono
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