The Amazing Mr. X
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Mr. X, also known as The Spiritualist (1948
) is a film noir
directed by Bernard Vorhaus
with cinematography
by John Alton
. Like Nightmare Alley (1947), this film tells the story of a phony spiritualist racket. The film is prominently featured in Alton's book on cinematography Painting with Light
(1949).
The film stars Turhan Bey
, Lynn Bari
, Cathy O'Donnell
, and Richard Carlson. Eagle-Lion Films signed a contract with Carole Landis
for the part played by Bari, but Landis committed suicide a few days before shooting began.
Two years after her husband's death, Christine Faber (Lynn Bari
) thinks she hears her late husband (Donald Curtis) calling out of the surf on the beach one night.
She meets a tall dark man named Alexis (Turhan Bey
) who seems to know all about her.
After more ghostly manifestations, Christine and her younger sister (Cathy O'Donnell
) become enmeshed in the strange life of Alexis; but he in turn finds himself manipulated into deeper cruelness than he had in mind.
1948 in film
The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
) is a film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
directed by Bernard Vorhaus
Bernard Vorhaus
Bernard Vorhaus was an American film director born in New York City.The Harvard University graduate, in addition to directing thirty-two films, was also the mentor to future film director David Lean, some of whose work as a film editor early in his career was on Vorhaus pictures...
with cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
by John Alton
John Alton
John Alton A.S.C. , born Johann Altmann, in Sopron/Ödenburg, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary, was an American cinematographer...
. Like Nightmare Alley (1947), this film tells the story of a phony spiritualist racket. The film is prominently featured in Alton's book on cinematography Painting with Light
Painting with Light
Painting with Light by John Alton is the first book written on cinematography by a major cinematographer.The book was first published in 1949. The book's primary focus is on light and the many complex ways a camera crew can manipulate it for effect...
(1949).
The film stars Turhan Bey
Turhan Bey
Turhan Bey is an American actor of Turkish and Czech descent. Bey was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. He was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans for his exotic handsome looks...
, Lynn Bari
Lynn Bari
Lynn Bari , born Margaret Schuyler Fisher, was a movie actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in over one hundred 20th Century Fox films from the early 1930s through the 1940s.-Career:Bari was born in Roanoke, Virginia...
, Cathy O'Donnell
Cathy O'Donnell
Cathy O'Donnell was an American actress, best known for her many roles in film-noir movies.-Early life:She was born Ann Steely in Siluria, Alabama...
, and Richard Carlson. Eagle-Lion Films signed a contract with Carole Landis
Carole Landis
Carole Landis was an American film and stage actress whose break-through role was as the female lead in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. Landis has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1765 Vine Street....
for the part played by Bari, but Landis committed suicide a few days before shooting began.
Plot
Lynn Bari
Lynn Bari , born Margaret Schuyler Fisher, was a movie actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in over one hundred 20th Century Fox films from the early 1930s through the 1940s.-Career:Bari was born in Roanoke, Virginia...
) thinks she hears her late husband (Donald Curtis) calling out of the surf on the beach one night.
She meets a tall dark man named Alexis (Turhan Bey
Turhan Bey
Turhan Bey is an American actor of Turkish and Czech descent. Bey was active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953. He was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans for his exotic handsome looks...
) who seems to know all about her.
After more ghostly manifestations, Christine and her younger sister (Cathy O'Donnell
Cathy O'Donnell
Cathy O'Donnell was an American actress, best known for her many roles in film-noir movies.-Early life:She was born Ann Steely in Siluria, Alabama...
) become enmeshed in the strange life of Alexis; but he in turn finds himself manipulated into deeper cruelness than he had in mind.