Mirage (1965)

An accountant suddenly suffers from amnesia. This appears related to the suicide of his boss. Now some violent thugs are out to get him. They work for a shadowy figure known simply as The Major.

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Peter Stone (screenplay), Howard Fast (novel) (as Walter Ericson)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Diane Baker, Walter Matthau

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	David Stillwell
Diane Baker	...	Shela
Walter Matthau	...	Ted Caselle
Kevin McCarthy	...	Sylvester Josephson
Jack Weston	...	Lester
Leif Erickson	...	Major Crawford Gilcuddy
Walter Abel	...	Charles Stewart Calvin
George Kennedy	...	Willard
Robert H. Harris	...	Dr. Augustus J. Broden
Anne Seymour	...	Mrs. Frances Calvin
House Jameson	...	Bo (as House B. Jameson)
Hari Rhodes	...	Lt. Franken
Syl Lamont	...	Benny
Eileen Baral	...	Irene
Neil Fitzgerald	...	Joe Turtle

Storyline

Walking down twenty-seven flights of stairs after the power goes out in the New York City office building he is in, David Stillwell emerges outside on the ground level to find that a man he didn't know either jumped or was pushed out a window to his death. That man was Charles Calvin, the head of Unidyne, a humanitarian organization that works toward world peace. David notices other unusual goings-on. What he considers his normal routine that others he knows should recognize, don't. People that he doesn't know seem to know him, such as the beautiful young woman with who he walked down the stairs but who ran off when they got to the bottom. And things that he thought he saw or thought he knew end up not being the case, such as the multiple sub-basement levels he thought were in that office building which don't seem to exist in the clear light of day. When he finally thinks about it, he believes he has some form of amnesia. As an example, he knows that he works as a cost accountant, but...

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Plot Keywords:

amnesia | paranoia | hitchcockian | scientist | conspiracy | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1965 (UK)

Also Known As:

Espejismo

Filming Locations:

Battery Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The television set at David's (Gregory Peck's) apartment was the Zenith with mechanical wireless remote control. The spring-loaded remote produces commands via the ultrasonic clicks which are picked up and processed by the television. You can clearly hear the specific loud click when David turns it off with the remote.

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Quotes

Crawford Gilcuttie: I'm tired of you, David. Just give me the formula and get the hell out of here!
David Stillwell: What's the matter, Major? You seem nervous!
Crawford Gilcuttie: ...Why should I be?
David Stillwell: That's what I want to know.
[David looks around at the others]
David Stillwell: Josephson?
Josephson: Hm?
David Stillwell: Is that who you're worried about?
Josephson: Why should he be worried about me?
David Stillwell: Because I'm not on the hook anymore. You are.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Sometimes a Great Notion (1971)

User Reviews

For a black and white suspense cerebral who-dun-it

I was so amazed at the perplexity of the plot. I recorded the movie so that I could stop and rewind to catch up. It was difficult to follow with all the commercial interruptions, but TVo is well worth the investment, especially when it comes to movies of this caliber.

I enjoyed watching the up and coming Walter Mathow in this thriller. Suspenseful and motivating. A movie that stops and makes you think. No special effects, no interrupting awe-inspiring scenery or set decorating. Just the black and white to get to to pay attention to the plight of the characters and the draw of the plot! A very rare find!

The acting of a very talented artist, Gregory Peck, leads a not-so familiar cast in this mind-blowing thriller. Not a horror thriller, not a "cover-your-eyes" thriller, not a gory thriller, but a cerebral thriller, one that keeps you thinking. Can you predict the next scene, can you predict the characters next line, what's he going to do with that thing?