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Amazing Mr X | 
 enlarge | Director: Bernard Vorhaus
Actors: Turhan Bey, Lynn Bari, Cathy O'donnell, Richard Carlson, Donald Curtis
Studio: Image Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.99
Buy New: $6.92
You Save: $8.07 (54%)
New (12) Used (2) from $6.92
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 92503
Format: Black & White, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 78 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: ID1817CODVD
UPC: 014381181722
EAN: 0014381181722
ASIN: B000FILUMO
Theatrical Release Date: July 29, 1948
Release Date: July 18, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED
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Product Description
A rich young widow longs to establish contact with her deceased husband who perished in a car crash several years earlier. However a cunning medium (The Mad Ghoul's Turhan Bey) has other plans in mind in this gothic suspense noir awash with mystery breathtaking suspense and classic thrill sequences as the half-drugged widow is led across the top of the cliff. Beautifully produced photographed and scored this is a film not to be missed!System Requirements:Running Time 78 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 014381181722 Manufacturer No: ID1817CODVD
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 If Mr. X were that good, wouldn't he have won the lottery? November 19, 2007
A. Gyurisin (Wet, Wild, Wonderful Virginia)
Looking back through the corridors of cinema through the passages of time, one could almost say that films released in the early days were more creative, more intuitive, and more aggressive than those raiding our multiplexes today. Films made in the 1940 especially stand out as those that seem to delve into the human psyche more than the capers of "Transformers" or "Bee Movie" in today's standard. There are elements that continue to excite and bewilder this critic for films made in the 1940s compared to those today. "His Girl Friday", "Blithe Spirit", and even "Brief Encounter" can easily be placed into my DVD player well before anything made during the current year ... why is that? For me it is creativity and example, modern day Hollywood seems to be in a recycling slump with only a handful of "must-see" films being released every year. It feels as if the creative has died and been replaced with the commercial. If product placement isn't in every contract, a film will die before it is born. Recently, I had the opportunity to see another innovative chapter in the 1948 film release vault entitled "The Amazing Mr. X", while released pathetically by a under budget DVD company, the film itself carries with it a strong blend of creativity, suspense, and intrigue followed up by an ending that will shock the very cockles of your heart. While it wasn't a glowing example of perfection, it did demonstrate an early, more innovative side of Hollywood that wasn't afraid of exploring the unknown.
With a strong cast and a devilish plot, "The Amazing Mr. X" begins strong, looses steam near the middle, but oddly regains its footing by the final act. There are honest moments of suspense and giddiness as you see how Turhan Bey uses his "magic" to educate those who are - let' say - weak of mind, but full of possibilities. Mr. Bey is fantastic in the lead role, giving up nothing of his character, going outside of his pre-designated box to portray this mesmerizing con-artist. Coupled with his raven, he is menacing, sinister, and provocative all at once. He is the core of this film, and director Bernard Vorhaus did a great job of casting him and giving him the space to create the character. Bey's eyes let us see into his world, and they never let us go. Lynn Beri works well against Bey's performance, but at times it seems shallow and shuttered. This deepens whenever her pseudo-boyfriend, Richard Carlson, happens to be around. He is another character that seemed to be created simply as a plot devise, and added nothing to the overall scheme of the film. As you watch these characters work together, it is obvious that Bey is the only one enjoying what he is doing, going beyond the script and giving us a strong performance. The rest seemed like cardboard, reading their lines with little to no development as the film progresses. I couldn't shake Bey's performance, or his home for that matter. Did anyone else see the technology that he used - well beyond the 1940s, but added a whole new level of evil to his character. "The Amazing Mr. X" was not a character driven film, but instead a plot driven caper with many levels. It worked because of Mr. Bey, but alas, the other characters could have been revamped. Even if you ignore the characters, the style of this film really sets it apart from current cinema.
John Alton took this film over the top. His use of the camera was striking in this early film. There are scenes that just stand out as staples of other horror/mystery films of today. The scene that grabs me is when Bey conjures the spirits in his house. The special effects used (of the music, the piano, the face, and so forth) were genuinely spooky. There were two distinct elements to this film; one was the darkened room of Bey in which he was able to show people what they wanted to see, and the lighted truth of Beri's huge mansion. It was when the two began to blend together that the tension spiked in the film. Decent characters, amazing cinematography, good script - so where did this film go wrong? Like others of this era, there was so much excitement going into the film that elements seemed to be left out. Director Vorhaus (of who should be praised for this film) seemed to enjoy the long motionless, emotionless, and corny long shots of our characters doing absolutely nothing. This occurred more through the center of the film where interest was fading due to a lack of mobility. "The Amazing Mr. X" had such a strong opening, the beach scene was startling, that when we moved to the center, dialogue driven part, there was nothing for the audience to grab onto. We had the early character development; this middle part just seemed forced. Then, we were dished a huge surprise (honestly, one that I didn't see coming) that revitalized the film and gave us a twisting ending. It kept me on the edge of my seat, but the journey to that part was too costly.
Bey's sidekick was forgotten. Beri's sister became annoying. These are just a few small steps that could have been tightened to ensure that this film wouldn't fall through the cracks and perhaps catapult itself into "cult" status. This was an early independent feature, and while budgeting is always needed, this film could have strengthened a couple of scenes so that the audience wouldn't loose its grip midstream. Overall, I liked this film, but it isn't one that I could watch on a repetitive basis. I thought the creativity was outstanding, this is one of those films that shocked me once, twice, even three times and I wasn't even ready for it. The direction could have been tighter, but at times I forgot about it due to the strong camera work by Alton. "The Amazing Mr. X" is a film made well before its time, and if released again today, I think there are some that would attach themselves to it because of what it has to offer. This is not a film for everyone, but for those willing to explore possibilities and undiscovered avenues. This film had a strong main character coupled with some innovative special effects for the time. On a side note, I could watch a whole movie about the magician cop - it was a breathe of fresh air during this dark caper. Watch it once for the experience, I think it was worth the rental.
Grade: *** out of *****
For admirers of John Alton February 7, 2007
Michael Moers (Maastricht, Limburg Netherlands)
I bought this film based on a documentary I saw about cinematographer John Alton. He was described as the godfather of the the film noir cinematography and that made me buy all the John Alton DVD's on Amazon available. His way of filming was so revolutionary that even today his way of filming is the handbook for all students in cinematography. The storyline of this film is simple but the new angles in filming and his superb use of light and dark contrast makes this film very interesting even when it is a film which isn't digitally restored yet !
Forgotten Thriller That Deserves To Be Better Remembered. August 6, 2006
Simon Davis
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Once again the good people at Image DVD have brought back to life another forgotten gem in the thriller genre that while being not well known is indeed well worth the time. Starring one of my absolute favourite "B" movie villians in talented actor Turhan Bey, who was wonderful as the evil High Priest in 1942's "The Mummy's Tomb"; "The Amazing Mr. X", weaves an intriguing tale of supernatural deception heightened by Bey's assured playing that is really hard to resist. Apart from the strong central performances this admittedly second string production also boasts amazingly high standard cinematography and special effects which give this film a polished "noir", look to it that greatly increases its appeal.
"He did a lot of crazy things...some of the bad..." July 24, 2006
cookieman108 (Inside the jar...)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The problem with the deceased, you see, is sometimes they don't know, don't believe, or don't care that they're dead, which can cause complications for those of us still shuffling about on this mortal as they tend to hang about making nuisances of themselves, as seen in the film The Amazing Mr. X (1948). Directed by Bernard Vorhaus (The Last Journey, The Courageous Dr. Christian), the film stars Turhan Bey (The Mad Ghoul, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves), Richard Carlson (It Came from Outer Space, Creature from the Black Lagoon), and Lynn Bari (Charlie Chan in City in Darkness, Kit Carson), appearing in a role originally intended for actress Carole Landis, that is before she took her own life just prior to filming. Also appearing is Cathy O'Donnell (Detective Story) and Donald Curtis (Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo).
The film begins with a shot of a lonely mansion perched atop a precarious coast, one occupied by widower Christine Faber (Bari) and her younger sister Janet Burke (Cathy O'Donnell), whom, I might add, are a real pair of classy dames. As Christine is preparing for a date with her boyfriend Martin Abbott (Carlson), she hears a man's voice furtively wafting in from the ocean, calling her name...'Chistiiine...Christiine...', sounding a lot like that of her dead husband Paul, whose been gone for two years. She relates this to Janet, but the pair eventually dismisses it as the wind, and Janet prods Christine to get ready for her date, as it seems this is the night Martin's going to pop the question. As Christine makes her way along the darkened beach to Martin's house, again she hears the voice, just before a `chance' meeting with odd individual named Alexis (Bey), who turns out to be a psychic consultant and relates things to Christine he couldn't possibly know, unless he truly had supernatural abilities (or a really good investigative source). Anyway, after a harrowing experience of the supernatural kind later that night, Christine enlists Alexis to perform series of seances (much to the dismay of Martin and Janet) as she feels Paul is lingering about (I guess he missed the whole bit about `until death do us part' bit during the vows). Martin and Janet, fearing Alexis is a fake and only after money, hire a private detective to look into Alexis' past, the hope being to show Christine once and for all the man is nothing but a scam artist (turns out he is, but a really good one). After a series of events Martin and the detective confront Alexis during one of his seances and put him on the spot, to which Alexis delivers, much to the surprise of everyone (including Alexis himself) as Paul's spirit makes an appearance...holy guacamole! Martin aka Mr. Practical still thinks it's all a sham, but Christine's more convinced than ever, resulting in a falling out between the two (I guess the wedding's off, but I missed the part where she returned the engagement ring with the ginormous diamond)...eventually some surprising, nay, shocking revelations are made, all leading up to a very climatic and engaging finale.
I came into this film not expecting much other than perhaps a modest mystery type thriller, but it turned out to be a whole lot more. Everything here worked out very well including the strong performances, the excellent directing, the exceptional cinematography by John Alton (T-Men, Father of the Bride, An American in Paris), the sometimes humorous dialog, the tightly woven and complicated plot, loads of atmosphere, decent special effects, thoughtful settings, and so much more. I really can't tell you how much I enjoy coming into a film expecting little, and walking away with the complete satisfaction of finding a real gem. There were so many little, enjoyable touches throughout, a few of the more memorable ones including the following...as Martin and Janet contact a private investigator who's somewhat of an expert in uncovering psychic sham artists we see the investigator performing a number of slight of hands tricks while the three are talking. Turns out the guy is as good as he is because at one time he was a magician, and is familiar with many of tricks of the trade. Watch as Janet is completely mesmerized by the man's abilities...that disappearing cigar gag is a hoot. Another bit involves Alexis, after it's confirmed to the audience, at least, that he is a scam artist, and we see how his home is set up as one, giant tool to facilitate his profession, complete with two way mirrors, remote control doors, and so on...at one point an obviously wealthy, older woman shows up, goes through his little `entrance' routine, and then during their proper meeting, Alexis suavely takes her hand as to kiss it...watch his eyes grow wide as he gets a good look at the jewels on her hand. My favorite bit is near the beginning when Martin proposes, doing so right in front of the huge, sinister-looking portrait painting of Christine's deceased husband...perhaps it's time for that baby to come down....yeesh...in the hands of others this film probably would have come off more as a run of the mill mystery, but given the obviously professional efforts of those involved I thought at times I was watching a something along the lines of a Hitchcock film. It may not have had the nail biting tension so often featured in Hitchcock's films, but it came very close. The strongest character for me was Alexis, played by Turhan Bey. Man what a smooth operator...here's someone who has honed his craft to the point where it seems flawless. It's one thing to be able to perform parlor tricks for the rubes, but it's the true artist who studies his marks with a psychological eye, picking up on their body language, and telling them exactly what they want to hear while making it come across completely natural. All in all I thought this a lot of fun, and a great choice for those who appreciate well made, entertaining mystery thrillers infused with `noir' qualities.
Released by Wade Williams, the picture quality on this Image Entertainment DVD, presented in fullscreen, does suffer some age related damage as there are white specks and vertical lines present through nearly the entire feature. While noticeable at the outset, I eventually got used to it and just enjoyed the story. The audio, presented in Dolby Digital mono, comes through very well. There are no extra features on the DVD, but it is divided into twelve chapter stops. Included within the case is an insert with informative liner notes by freelance writer Jim Arena, providing some background on the performers and the production.
Cookieman108
Great little film January 11, 2006
Lady Prudence (New York)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The cinematography is wonderful, really unrecognized. This is classic film noir thriller. I loved it!
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