So I went to see The Amazing Mr. X (also titled "The Spiritualist" in some releases) with ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ellen_fremedon and The Vegan Knitter at the Noir City DC film festival
It is a B-movie, but it is a delight. The cinematography is by John Alton (An American in Pairs, The Searchers), and it stars Turhan Bey, Lynn Bari, and Cathy O'Donell.
It's about a rich widow who, while still mourning the death of her husband two year ago, meets a charming young man who claims to be a psychic; when she goes to him for help, her new fiance and her sister become suspicious.
They are right to be suspicious, because the movie shows us how the young man is actually a con-man, with a house set up to fool the desperate into believing him. It's really fun to see the techniques and equipment shown, though obviously the fiance and sister can't figure out how to expose him, even with the help of a private detective who specializes in exposing frauds (played by Harry Mendoza, a professional stage magician).
There is a third act twist that elevates the movie even above a pretty solid fraud exposure plot. ( Spoiler )
This movie is in public domain and you can watch it online via IMDB (and a lot other places -- you can probably get it on the service of your choice).
ellen_fremedon and The Vegan Knitter at the Noir City DC film festivalIt is a B-movie, but it is a delight. The cinematography is by John Alton (An American in Pairs, The Searchers), and it stars Turhan Bey, Lynn Bari, and Cathy O'Donell.
It's about a rich widow who, while still mourning the death of her husband two year ago, meets a charming young man who claims to be a psychic; when she goes to him for help, her new fiance and her sister become suspicious.
They are right to be suspicious, because the movie shows us how the young man is actually a con-man, with a house set up to fool the desperate into believing him. It's really fun to see the techniques and equipment shown, though obviously the fiance and sister can't figure out how to expose him, even with the help of a private detective who specializes in exposing frauds (played by Harry Mendoza, a professional stage magician).
There is a third act twist that elevates the movie even above a pretty solid fraud exposure plot. ( Spoiler )
This movie is in public domain and you can watch it online via IMDB (and a lot other places -- you can probably get it on the service of your choice).
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