Strange Illusion
| Strange Illusion | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Edgar G. Ulmer |
| Produced by | Leon Fromkess |
| Screenplay by | Adele Comandini |
| Story by | Fritz Rotter |
| Starring |
Jimmy Lydon Warren William Sally Eilers |
| Music by | Leo Erdody |
| Cinematography | Philip Tannura |
| Edited by | Carl Pierson |
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Production
company |
PRC Pictures
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| Distributed by | Producers Releasing Corporation |
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Release date
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Running time
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87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Strange Illusion is a 1945 film noir crime film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer starring 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."
An adolescent believes that his widowed mother's suitor may have murdered his father.
Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a mixed review, yet liked the atmospherics of the film, and wrote, "The dark psychological thriller had an engrossing premise courtesy of Mr. Shakespeare and was influenced further by Freudian 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 deviative 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."
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Wikipedia