On M List of Movie Reviews
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Mirage (1965)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
5/25
5/25:
Mirage accomplishes the impossible: start out poorly and recover to become thrilling.
The only other picture I can recall to do so is Vertigo. Instead of Alfred
Hitchcock, it's Edward Dmytryk who directed the film noir, causing me to say, "Finally," given his long
run of stinkers. I honestly had no hope for him from the get-go.
It's among Gregory Peck's best films, easily beating out Spellbound.
The genius is starting out abstractly but the mystery is more cleared up when the next scene connects
everything together in a Memento way except it keeps going forward.
Where Mirage falls short is the ending; it's a bit weak, making me want to see the film again later.
How the amnesia started is that David Stillwell suffered from a traumatic episode, leading to Charles Calvin's
27-story fall to his death. Therefore, he stopped remembering a lot of stuff beforehand and needed other
people's help to recall bits of memories here and there until they finally came together. Certainly, it's a
classic Freudian story. Kudos to Howard Fast, under the pseudonym of Walter Ericson, for coming up with it in his
novel called Fallen Angel.
Meanwhile, I like the cast involving three Oscar winners (Gregory Peck, Walter Matthau, and George Kennedy)
along with the supporting players: Diane Baker, Kevin McCarthy, and Jack Weston. As an added bonus unlike many
Hitchcock's films, the exteriors were 100% shot on location in New York City. The photography is consistently
excellent, and the editing goes a long way, too.
All in all, forget Charade and
Arabesque; Mirage is the one to see.