The Amazing Mr. X (Blu-Ray Review)
**The Film Detective’s Special Edition for “The Amazing Mr. X” came out on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. This is a review of not just the film, but the Blu-Ray Special Edition.**
Film noir and horror need not be mutually exclusive in terms of genre. Twenty years ago we got an intriguing mix in the Hughes Brothers’s “From Hell,” for example. Few combine the two as well as “The Amazing Mr. X,” which sounds like a movie you would have seen on “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” What we get is a film that looks at grief, an exploitation of that grief, and a thriller of sorts that turns into something more sinister, and terrifying, when all is revealed.
Christine Faber (Lynn Bari) has been out of sorts since her husband, Paul, died, but her sister, Janet (Cathy O’Donnell), is trying to get her to go out again. Things seem to be promising with Martin (Richard Carlson), but Christine can’t help but feel that Paul is out there, as she hears and sees things that make her wonder if Paul is still looking out for her. A chance encounter with Alexis (Turhan Bey), a local medium to the afterlife, on the beach outside her home has her intrigued about whether she can communicate with him. Things are not always as they seem, though.
“The Amazing Mr. X” is shot by the legendary John Alton, who is famous for his black-and-white cinematography, how he lit shots, and groundbreaking photographic effects. The film’s look feels at home with both film noir like “T-Men” (which Alton shot for Anthony Mann) or horror like the Universal monster movies. It also reminded me of Hitchcock’s “Spellbound,” also a psychological thriller about a person haunted by the past. Alton is an imaginative cameraman, and his work here is beautiful, whether it’s creating an ominous feel on a beach, staging a séance, or even a scene between Janet and Alexis, where she goes to check up on the man that is causing her sister to get obsessed with what feels like a charlatan’s manipulation.
Christine is a victim of a lot of gaslighting and manipulation in this film. It’s interesting to see how the film gives away its game in terms of the reality of whether she really is being haunted by Paul, or Alexis is a charlatan. It turns out that it’s a little bit of both, and in that way, I would say “The Amazing Mr. X” makes a nice discovery for modern audiences. The screenplay by Muriel Roy Bolton and Ian McLellan Hunter, from a story by Crane Wilbur, looks at Christine from a sympathetic perspective, especially from Janet’s perspective. Bari and O’Donnell give strong performances. But as Alexis, Bey doesn’t simply create a natural villain; he is someone who understands what to say, what to do, and how to act to gain people’s trust, but it also feels like he wants to help people, as well, which leads to the third act of the film, where more thriller aspects come in to play, and perhaps, Alexis’s true nature comes out. This is a film worth checking out, and not just for older film fans.
Blu-Ray Presentation
The Film Detective once again does a terrific job in restoring a low-budget production, this one from Hollywood’s “Poverty Row” in the ’40s and ’50s, and making it feel alive and exciting. Alton’s cinematography has been given a 4K restoration from 35mm materials, and it is luminous and wonderful to take in, along with the soundtrack, which- as with “Flight to Mars” and “A Life at Stake”- feels like it was recorded and mixed yesterday. They are on par with Criterion in taking care of classic cinema.
In terms of extras, “The Amazing Mr. X” follows a familiar blueprint for The Film Detective, but one that is terrific for film buffs. The first you’ll be confronted with is a color booklet, which includes an informative and enlightening essay, The Amazing Mr. Bey, about the actor who plays Alexis in this film, by Don Stradley. They won’t get quite the acclaim and notoriety as Criterion essays, but they are interesting. Film scholar Jason A. Ney is the commentator on this film’s audio commentary, and on a cursory listen, his desire to put this film in context with regards to its actors, its timeframe, and especially the work of John Alton, is infectious. Rounding out the extras is a short documentary, “Mysteries Exposed: Inside the Cinematic World of Spiritualism,” which explores the history of portraying mediums, seances, and the supernatural along those lines on the big screen. If the subject interests you, it’s a great way to round out your experience with “The Amazing Mr. X.”
Film Grade: A-
Audio & Video: A
Special Features: A-
The Film Detective might be one of my favorite discoveries in terms of presenting older movies, and giving them new life. “The Amazing Mr. X” is a film well worth the treatment.
