The Amazing Mr. X

The problem with the deceased, you see, is sometimes they don't know, don't believe, or don't care that they're dead, which can cause complications for those of us still shuffling about on this mortal as they tend to hang about making nuisances of themselves, as seen in the film The Amazing Mr. X (1948). Directed by Bernard Vorhaus (The Last Journey, The Courageous Dr. Christian), the film stars Turhan Bey (The Mad Ghoul, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves), Richard Carlson (It Came from Outer Space, Creature from the Black Lagoon), and Lynn Bari (Charlie Chan in City in Darkness, Kit Carson), appearing in a role originally intended for actress Carole Landis, that is before she took her own life just prior to filming. Also appearing is Cathy O'Donnell (Detective Story) and Donald Curtis (Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo).The film begins with a shot of a lonely mansion perched atop a precarious coast, one occupied by widower Christine Faber (Bari) and her younger sister Janet Burke (Cathy O'Donnell), whom, I might add, are a real pair of classy dames. As Christine is preparing for a date with her boyfriend Martin Abbott (Carlson), she hears a man's voice furtively wafting in from the ocean, calling her name...'Chistiiine...Christiine...', sounding a lot like that of her dead husband Paul, whose been gone for two years. She relates this to Janet, but the pair eventually dismisses it as the wind, and Janet prods Christine to get ready for her date, as it seems this is the night Martin's going to pop the question. As Christine makes her way along the darkened beach to Martin's house, again she hears the voice, just before a `chance' meeting with odd individual named Alexis (Bey), who turns out to be a psychic consultant and relates things to Christine he couldn't possibly know, unless he truly had supernatural abilities (or a really good investigative source). Anyway, after a harrowing experience of the supernatural kind later that night, Christine enlists Alexis to perform series of séances (much to the dismay of Martin and Janet) as she feels Paul is lingering about (I guess he missed the whole bit about `until death do us part' bit during the vows). Martin and Janet, fearing Alexis is a fake and only after money, hire a private detective to look into Alexis' past, the hope being to show Christine once and for all the man is nothing but a scam artist (turns out he is, but a really good one). After a series of events Martin and the detective confront Alexis during one of his séances and put him on the spot, to which Alexis delivers, much to the surprise of everyone (including Alexis himself) as Paul's spirit makes an appearance...holy guacamole! Martin aka Mr. Practical still thinks it's all a sham, but Christine's more convinced than ever, resulting in a falling out between the two (I guess the wedding's off, but I missed the part where she returned the engagement ring with the ginormous diamond)...eventually some surprising, nay, shocking revelations are made, all leading up to a very climatic and engaging finale.I came into this film not expecting much other than perhaps a modest mystery type thriller, but it turned out to be a whole lot more. Everything here worked out very well including the strong performances, the excellent directing, the exceptional cinematography by John Alton (T-Men, Father of the Bride, An American in Paris), the sometimes humorous dialog, the tightly woven and complicated plot, loads of atmosphere, decent special effects, thoughtful settings, and so much more. I really can't tell you how much I enjoy coming into a film expecting little, and walking away with the complete satisfaction of finding a real gem. There were so many little, enjoyable touches throughout, a few of the more memorable ones including the following...as Martin and Janet contact a private investigator who's somewhat of an expert in uncovering psychic sham artists we see the investigator performing a number of slight of hands tricks while the three are talking. Turns out the guy is as good as he is because at one time he was a magician, and is familiar with many of tricks of the trade. Watch as Janet is completely mesmerized by the man's abilities...that disappearing cigar gag is a hoot. Another bit involves Alexis, after it's confirmed to the audience, at least, that he is a scam artist, and we see how his home is set up as one, giant tool to facilitate his profession, complete with two way mirrors, remote control doors, and so on...at one point an obviously wealthy, older woman shows up, goes through his little `entrance' routine, and then during their proper meeting, Alexis suavely takes her hand as to kiss it...watch his eyes grow wide as he gets a good look at the jewels on her hand. My favorite bit is near the beginning when Martin proposes, doing so right in front of the huge, sinister-looking portrait painting of Christine's deceased husband...perhaps it's time for that baby to come down....yeesh...in the hands of others this film probably would have come off more as a run of the mill mystery, but given the obviously professional efforts of those involved I thought at times I was watching a something along the lines of a Hitchcock film. It may not have had the nail biting tension so often featured in Hitchcock's films, but it came very close. The strongest character for me was Alexis, played by Turhan Bey. Man what a smooth operator...here's someone who has honed his craft to the point where it seems flawless. It's one thing to be able to perform parlor tricks for the rubes, but it's the true artist who studies his marks with a psychological eye, picking up on their body language, and telling them exactly what they want to hear while making it come across completely natural. All in all I thought this a lot of fun, and a great choice for those who appreciate well made, entertaining mystery thrillers infused with `noir' qualities.Released by Wade Williams, the picture quality on this Image Entertainment DVD, presented in fullscreen, does suffer some age related damage as there are white specks and vertical lines present through nearly the entire feature. While noticeable at the outset, I eventually got used to it and just enjoyed the story. The audio, presented in Dolby Digital mono, comes through very well. There are no extra features on the DVD, but it is divided into twelve chapter stops. Included within the case is an insert with informative liner notes by freelance writer Jim Arena, providing some background on the performers and the production.Cookieman108

The wind howls and waves crash on a dark, sandy shore. The background music swells, underscoring the furiously subdued passion of the beautiful woman, clad in a foaming white gown, who hears her deceased husband call her name from beyond the sea. She is startled when she meets a suave and well-dressed stranger, and his pet raven, on the turbulent beach. Thanks to the taut direction of Bernard Vorhaus (who would emigrate to England and retire in 1953 after being blacklisted by Hollywood); across the board fine acting (including Cathy O'Donnell, who earlier was blacklisted by Samuel Goldwyn after marrying the brother of William Wyler, with whom he was feuding); and especially the moody cinematography of John Alton (who would win an Academy Award for Color Cinematography for AN AMERICAN IN PARIS,) this low-budget thriller, THE AMAZING MR X, is rather amazing, indeed. I scribbled "should have been Peter Lorre" during Turhan Bey's first scene. Bey plays the Spiritualist - a vaguely sinister, vaguely continental rogue who, most of the time, shares the frame with his big, black, pet raven. Your typical Lorre role. So it was with some trepidation that I left the very entertaining early scene that chronicled Bey and widow Lynn Bari's initial encounter. These movies almost always stumble somewhere - a `humorous' character who isn't funny, and/or a threatening character who, unfortunately, is. Bey, who I've never seen before, is perfectly cast. He may not be as skilled an actor, but even someone as prodigiously talented as Lorre would have had a hard time playing a romantic character. With the movie forcing little sister O'Connell to gush some tough puppy love at the Spiritualist, with the handsome Bey in the lead role credibility is maintained. Talented or not, Lorre was severely appearance challenged.Alton lit and framed it wonderfully - in fact, the whole movie looks great - but there was still that threat posed by the cover art. A turbaned, apple-cheeked Bey grinning mischievously over an illuminated crystal ball. THE AMAZING MR X had `schlock' written all over it. Loud schlock, at that. But this movie is much subtler than its promotional material, or unfortunate title, would lead you to think. It's a fine mystery/thriller, supremely entertaining and even a little thought provoking. This IS that hidden gem fans of old movies are constantly on the lookout for. THE AMAZING MR X is a virtually flawless movie. Whether flooding blinding light through the Spiritualist's front door or pulling the ceiling into the frame to create a sense of maddening claustrophobia in the young widow's home, the cinematography is brilliant (NB - the transfer print is a little washed out but watchable.) The story is engagingly told and even provides a genuine thrill or two. Overall the acting is competent, Bari is quite good as the haunted widower, and Bey is a real find as the smooth charlatan.

Christine (Lynn Bari) is still getting over the death of her husband (Donald Curtis) 2 years earlier. She hears his voice, sees apparitions and experiences episodes that suggest he is very much still around ethereally. She meets a psychic, Alexis (Turhan Bey), on the beach, and she strikes up a friendship. Her younger sister (Cathy O'Donnell) sets out to discredit Alexis but ends up falling for his charms. Christine's boyfriend (Richard Carlson) along with a private detective (Harry Mendoza) also try to de-bunk the psychic but they also fail. It is during their attempted hi-jack of one of Alexis' séances, that the plot takes an unexpected twist.The quality of the film has deteriorated - vertical lines appear down the film for prolonged periods which can be annoying and there is also some sound interference.Whilst Turhan Bey portrays Alexis with mysterious charm, I found he reminded me of Benny Hill and each time he appeared, I had to make a quick re-adjustment in my mind as my instinct was to imagine a chase scene with speeded-up Benny Hill music. However, he is very good in his role and I found him the most likable character. There is also a memorable scene where the detective performs magic tricks during a discussion. It's a good film.

Great old film. Good story .Great for anyone who likes a good supernatural story.

I love finding " B " movie gems , and this is one of them from 1948 , and in Glorious Black & White. It is a spooky , dark psycho drama with a goodtwisting plot. A widowed wealthy and rather pretty women is just coming out of her period of grief. She has a new boyfriend , but is haunted by her past and yearns for her dead husband. Inserted into her life comes a mystic , who comes complete with his own pet raven! Is he a fake or the real thing. He certainly knows a lot of what is going on in her life , and impresses her. Her sister is suspicious and ties to entrap him , but rather comes away from her visit with him with a reversed opinion of him and in a state of awe. The boyfriend , and the cops he consult are the logical types , and pursue his downfall and arrest. Are people coming back from the dead ? Is the mystic a good guy or bad guy , or perhaps both?Excellent , moody time waster.

Really a lot of fun and has an interesting storyline. It's a good enough movie that I'll watch it again. The DVD cover is great too.