Strange Illusion

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Strange Illusion

Released Mar 31, 1945

1h 27m

Drama

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86%

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7 Reviews

38%

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250+ Ratings

A teenage boy suspects that the man who is wooing his widowed mother has ulterior motives.

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Matthew Sorrento

Film Threat

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.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 18, 2011

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Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Hamlet on Poverty Row

Apr 2, 2010

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jun 27, 2005

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Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Visually inventive crime thriller, with many strange sequences.

Jan 18, 2005

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

An engrossing premise courtesy of Mr. Shakespeare.

Rated: B-

Sep 18, 2004

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Strange Illusion marks prolific filmmaker Edgar G. Ulmer's trip into Hitchcock territory, with often underwhelming results.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 5, 2003

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/20/25

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Audience Member

Snappy little thriller starring Jimmy Lydon (of "Henry Aldrich") fame.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Not the best Ulmer film but it's amusing. It's a twist on Hamlet which is nicely stylized.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/23

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

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Audience Member

Can't trust psychiatrists.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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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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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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