A convoluted story, exquisitely photographed, telling the tale of a widow who can't get the memory of her dead husband out of her mind. She and her kid sister become enchanted with a phony spiritualist who is only interested in picking up some easy money. A detective and the widow's fiancé investigate the situation and then unexplainable things start to happen. The widow is now drawn into a dream world where her own imaginings become her worst enemy.
What a film! This is my favorite "B" film noir. Helped enormously by John Alton's lush and subtle cinematography, this low budget film seems far more expensive than it is, keeping you enthralled with the question "how did he get that effect?" This film shows Alton's lighting techniques like no other. THE SPIRITUALIST a.k.a. THE AMAZING MR. X is prominently featured in PAINTING WITH LIGHT, Alton's most famous book on cinematography.
However, the curse of films in the public domain is that the original copyright holder------who no longer owns the rights------had no reason to preserve decent pre-print. The result is that the only existing 35mm print is in atrocious unprojectable condition and the few 16mm prints-----when they surface------are usually scratched and battered beyond enjoyment. What a shame that this masterpiece is not available in a quality presentation-------and probably never will be.
What a film! This is my favorite "B" film noir. Helped enormously by John Alton's lush and subtle cinematography, this low budget film seems far more expensive than it is, keeping you enthralled with the question "how did he get that effect?" This film shows Alton's lighting techniques like no other. THE SPIRITUALIST a.k.a. THE AMAZING MR. X is prominently featured in PAINTING WITH LIGHT, Alton's most famous book on cinematography.
However, the curse of films in the public domain is that the original copyright holder------who no longer owns the rights------had no reason to preserve decent pre-print. The result is that the only existing 35mm print is in atrocious unprojectable condition and the few 16mm prints-----when they surface------are usually scratched and battered beyond enjoyment. What a shame that this masterpiece is not available in a quality presentation-------and probably never will be.