Mirage (1965)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Howard Fast (novel)
Peter Stone (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 October 1965 (Sweden)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Is The Key In His Mind...Or In Her Arms?

Plot:

A New York man suffers amnesia. He soon learns that he's mixed up in a life-and-death situation, but what exactly is it?

Plot Keywords:

Amnesia | New York City | Murder | Pacifism | Shooting

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	David Stillwell
Diane Baker	...	Shela
Walter Matthau	...	Ted Caselle
Kevin McCarthy	...	Sylvester Josephson
Jack Weston	...	Lester
Leif Erickson	...	The Major - Crawford Gilcuttie
Walter Abel	...	Charles Stewart Calvin
George Kennedy	...	Willard
Robert H. Harris	...	Dr. Augustus J. Broden
Anne Seymour	...	Frances Calvin
House Jameson	...	Bo, Old Man in Stairway
Hari Rhodes	...	Det. Lt. Franken
Syl Lamont	...	Benny, Apartment Attendant
Eileen Baral	...	Irene
Neil Fitzgerald	...	Joe Turtle

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | Netherlands:6 | USA:Approved | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Quotes:

David Stillwell: [to Casselle] Wouldn't it be hilarious if it turned out you actually knew what you were doing?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Altered Steele (#2.4)" (1983)

Ahead-Of-Its-Time Thriller- One Of The Best

I've always had great affection for this film, ever since seeing it in a theatre as a teenager.

First, a major innovation in thrillers - flashbacks done as direct jump-cuts into the actual flow of the film (no wavy lines or warped visuals to announce to the audience that they're seeing a flashback) This movie demanded that you keep up with what was unfolding and trusted you to figure out what was past and present.

Peter Stone's script - sharp, thrilling and funny, very much like Ernest Lehman's work on "North By Northwest" and Stone's own work on "Charade" and "Arabesque".

The villains...priceless...the grumpy, elderly hit-man who accosts Peck in Central Park...brilliant idea. Jack Weston's wisecracking hit-man..(a seemingly jolly joker, who lets his mask drop briefly in a pivotal scene with Peck) And of course, George Kennedy as Willard, a rampaging psycho who nurses grudges against victims who dare to defend themselves. I almost forgot Kevin McCarthy as the quintessential sniveling corporate toady.

A true classic....and a total crime and injustice that it's not on DVD yet.