User reviews

I saw "Mirage" on television shortly after its theatrical release (1965) and I never quite forgot it, especially the part about the stairs that lead to nowhere, and the dream scene where the two men are standing under the tree on the lawn. My earliest recollection of seeing "Spellbound" was a decade or two later. Both movies feature Gregory Peck in the role of an amnesiac that may have committed a murder, and even though I was greatly intrigued by the similarity, I was keenly aware of the fact that it was not the same movie that I remembered from the '60s. These two movies are each intriguing in their own right, and the unlikely similarity between them only adds to that intrigue. Eventually I saw "Mirage" again just a couple of years after seeing "Spellbound", and I was glad at having finally untangled these two movies in my mind.

Another similarity shared by these two movies is that in both movies, the character played by Gregory Peck is befriended by a charming young woman, played by Ingrid Bergman in "Spellbound" and by Diane Baker in "Mirage". Both movies also incorporate the use of surreal dream sequences. "Spellbound" is of course noted for its use of dream sequences that were created by Salvidor Dali.

"Spellbound" has the feel of a Hitchcock movie from an earlier era, whereas "Mirage" has the feel of a movie made in the middle '60s, and one that could have been made by Hitchcock at that later date. They are both good movies, but personally I prefer "Mirage", and I think that "Spellbound" would be largely forgotten were it not for the inclusion of the Dali dream sequences and for the fact that Hitchcock directed it. The dream sequences in "Spellbound" are far more surreal than the dream sequences in "Mirage", and they are brought to consciousness through psychoanalysis. In "Mirage" the plot is more intricate (which is to be expected of a movie that was made in the '60s as compared to one made in the '40s) and the dream sequences, which occur as spontaneous flashbacks, are more involved with the unfolding of that more intricate plot. In "Mirage", the character makes a couple of hasty visits to a psychiatrist while trying to understand what is going on with his mind, and it is during the first such visit that he comes to grips with the fact that he is suffering from amnesia. The psychiatrist helps him to understand what is going on with his mind, but there is no psychoanalysis. Interestingly, whereas psychiatry is treated with due respect in the movie made in the '40s, the psychiatrist is practically made fun of in the movie made in the '60s.

Both movies are certainly entertaining to watch, and anyone who has found either of these two movies enjoyable will almost certainly enjoy the other one as well. You may also derive some satisfaction from the untangling of your memories of these two uncannily similar movies.

Edward Dmytryk may have been poaching in Alfred Hitchcock territory in directing Mirage, but I can hardly see how Hitchcock could have done the film any better. In fact I'm convinced that Gregory Peck was cast in the lead on the strength of his performance in the Hitchcock classic Spellbound, the parts are so similar.

Gregory Peck when we first meet him is making his way down the stairs of a skyscraper that has sustained a blackout. As people talk to him who seem to know him he answers with the appropriate small talk, but he doesn't remember anything other than his name. At the same time, a prominent foundation leader, Walter Abel, plunged to his death from that skyscraper and of course the Peck's amnesia and Abel's death are connected. But in this case the whole point of Mirage is remembering how. And Peck better remember soon because people like Jack Weston, George Kennedy and House Jameson keep trying to kill him.

As in Spellbound, the amnesiac Peck has a woman friend trying to help him. But there was no doubt about Ingrid Bergman's loyalty to Peck in trying to unravel his situation there. Diane Baker has the same function in this film, but there is some doubt as to whose team she's actually playing on. Similarly there is Kevin McCarthy who seems a friend at first, but later on we're not so sure. McCarthy has a key role in bringing the whole affair to a climax.

The ruthless villain of the piece is Leif Erickson who started in films playing the fathead rival to whomever the hero was in a film. As he got older, directors saw greater potential in him and used him in a lot of more serious parts, mostly villainous and this one is one of his best.

Although I think the film is great, Gregory Peck kind of fluffed it off, my guess is also that his role is too much like the part he did in amnesia. But he did according to the Michael Freedland biography of Peck, recommend to Eddie Dmytryk that he cast Walter Matthau in the role of the private detective who Peck goes to. Peck also consults Robert H. Harris a psychiatrist and both the shrink and the gumshoe come to the same conclusion that Peck really doesn't want to remember his recent past, possibly because of some trauma. Matthau's role in Mirage was one of his best character roles prior to getting stardom with his Oscar winning performance in The Fortune Cookie. Harris is also quite good, in fact he's my favorite in the cast.

Although the similarities between Spellbound and Mirage are too obvious to overlook, one should not belabor the obvious. Mirage is a fine enough suspense thriller to stand on its own. And Alfred Hitchcock would not have minded being mistakenly credited with directing it.

This wonderfully ingenious mystery is one of the better faux Hitchock films out there. The setup is excellent, the mystery comes quick and keeps deepening, and the cast is solid, especially Matthau.

The mystery is clever and the solution is also pretty clever and holds together nicely. So the whole movie *should* be great.

But as ingenious as it is, the creators couldn't find a neat way to explain it all, resulting in a bit too much exposition in the last quarter.

And once the central mystery is solved, there is still a story to deal with, and the movie really struggles with that, in part because it seems afraid to really deal with the political issues it raises, like some movie from the 40s that tries to follow the plight of an unwed mother without mentioning sex. It's not that I didn't understand the whole story by the end, but that the resolution had a strange, muted feeling to it.

Still, overall this is well worth watching.

Sharing not a passing resemblance to The Manchurian Candidate from three years before, this is a sadly neglected thriller that would have been a classic if the director's credit read Hitchcock instead of someone HUAC blacklisted at the time. It couldn't have been any better too, with Hitch involved. There's really nothing the movie sets out to do that it doesn't do pretty damn well. The fights are clumsy and 15 years too old-fashioned, like something taken from a film-noir and edited in the same awkward fashion, but other than that the movie is a rousing success. Dmytryk's career took a massive blow after the fifties and his decision to finally cooperate in order to be released from prison earned him the contempt of subsequent Hollywood people, but a good ten years later, the director of still had it in him to deliver a stonecold classic with Murder My Sweet.

Gregory Peck is David Stillwell, an accountant working for a NYC firm who realizes he can't remember anything from his life the past two years. The movie opens in a blacked-out skyscraper where he meets with a mysterious young woman who seems to know him. She then disappears in the subbasements of the building. When he searches for these basements the next morning, they're not there. That's just a taste of the hallucinatory mindgames the film has in order for the viewer.

Wisely photographed in clear black and white, with an intriguing premise and plot that will have fans of conspiracy thrillers salivating at the prospect of paranoid twists and turns, this is a minor gem that deserves to be rediscovered from the cracks it slipped through. There is a plot hole regarding these basements and where they really are after all but if we accept the psychological explanation of Peck's condition (it's only a movie after all), it's a smooth ride. The multiple flashbacks of the ending and the way Dmytryk handles them is something to see.

I rented this in honor of Walter Matthau - and he was the liveliest part of this film - the screen really came alive when he was on screen. I love Greg Peck - but he was pretty low key in the part, maybe a little too much so. Diane Baker was quite good - her career was really on an upswing when she made this film - wonder why she didn't become a bigger star.

Definitely an entertaining movie - with some nice twists and turns to keep you interested all the way to the end.

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.

Suspenseful story of a suave gentleman who seems to be coming out of amnesia after 2 years. He needs answers, but nobody seems able, or willing, to provide him with any. Some very tense moments, lightened with lots of clever and entertaining dialog, held my interest from start to finish.

I loved this movie. It's tight and dynamic with a cool jazz-influenced soundtrack by Quincy Jones. Peter Stone's writing turns the novel into a well-paced thriller/mystery that surprises you with a subtle sense of humor in unexpected places. Gregory Peck and Walter Matthau work beautifully together and both turn in memorable performances. Robert Harris as Dr. Broden is a standout. Filmed in black and white, you'll appreciate this fact after seeing "Mirage"--New York City is looking sharp as ever. Have your remote control handy because you'll probably want to rewind throughout. Find this movie and watch it! And how is this not on DVD????!!! It is such a crime!

Everything about Mirage, from the story to the cast to the camera angles, feels like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Edward Dmytryk directed this intense thriller, but part of me thinks that Hitchcock did it in secret and hoped no one would remember his presence on the set. After you've seen the movie, you'll get that joke.

In the film, Gregory Peck is caught in a building's blackout, and rather than wait for the power to return and use the elevator, he makes his way down the stairs. He bumps into Diane Baker, who seems to recognize him, even though he has no recollection of who she is. That's only the start of Greg's very difficult day! The bartender at his favorite hangout claims not to have seen him in ages, but the doorman at his office that he doesn't know seems to know him very well. A stranger approaches him and threatens to kill him if he doesn't deliver his suitcase to The Major—but Greg has no idea what's going on!

This is a very tense mystery and psychological thriller, with an intriguing script and very memorable lines. If you like Hitchcock movies, add this one to your list; you won't be disappointed. Gregory Peck does a great job in his fright and desperation, and George Kennedy makes a fantastic, tough, and pretty hunky bad-guy. Diane Baker, seen in Hitchcock's Marnie, and a pre-The Odd Couple Walter Matthau join the cast in this film full of twists and turns that will keep you on the very edge of your seat.

Directed by Edward Dmytryk, this film shows Gregory Peck suffering from amnesia and he soon learns it's a life and death situation. He tries to recover his memory before those who are trying to kill him succeed. He tries to make sense of it all. I found it exceedingly difficult to stay with it because there seemed to be no ending, but wait!! What a way to go to recover what happened and why! The film takes place in New York, and the acting and music are sure winners! Walter Mathau, Diane Baker, Kevin McCarthy, Walter Abel all show great intensity in feeling and emotion. 7/10

"Mirage" was screenwriter Peter Stone's thriller follow-up to the brilliant "Charade" (in between, he won an Oscar for the Cary Grant comedy "Father Goose", probably as belated recognition for his work on "Charade"). "Mirage" is not quite in the same league (perhaps because Gregory Peck and Diane Baker are not quite Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn), but it is still an inteligent, ingeniously structured amnesia thriller, laced with shocks, black humor ("Did you see him fall off the 27th floor?" - "No, I always miss these things"), and eccentric touches (a fight between two characters "shown" via a wrestling match on a TV set). Impressive on-location shooting in New York is another asset. *** out of 4.

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?

Mirage is a mid-sixties attempt to recapture the affect of forties film noir, and it's a decent film, if not particularly brilliant. Nearly everyone connected with it had done better, similar work elsewhere. Star Gregory Peck had done the amnesia victim thing twenty years earlier, for Hitchcock. Leading lady Diane Baker had herself worked for Hitchcock. Supporting player Kevin McCarthy had amnesia problems of his own in Nightmare, ten years earlier. Director Edward Dmytryk had shown himself a master of noir back in the forties with Murder, My Sweet and Crossfire. But the button-down sixties didn't lend themselves easily to noir, and while my heart goes out to cinematographer Joe MacDonald, and the entire technical staff, in trying to make black and white 1965 New York feel like the RKO backlot of fifteen to twenty years earlier, it was a losing battle. Still, the movie's worth watching as an attempt to recreate what may well be unrecreateable, the mean dark streets of the war and postwar years, in their garish neon and streetlamp splendor.

Directed by Edward Dmytrck, and starring Gregory Peck, Diane Baker, and Walter Matthau, including great photo work in 1965 New York City, you might well ask how can this film be so bad?

Well, here's how.

The screen-writing.

The story defies belief. In fact even at the film's end, when it's all been explained (contrived though it is) we still don't believe. Or fully understand. Gregory Peck suddenly, and without explanation, realizes he's been suffering from partial amnesia for two years. Or two days. He's not sure. And if he can't tell the difference how can we be expected to have an opinion? There's a femme-fatale (Baker) who may or may not be on his side (I still don't know for sure), a private eye (Matthau) who is on his first case. There is Jack Weston as hired killer (can you imagine?) and the most inappropriate Quincy Jones soundtrack you can imagine.

I first saw this film when I was 22 years old. I'm 76 now and saw it again this week. I disliked it then. But more-so now.

Contrary to what the previous person wrote, the first 10 minutes do not give away the story! Why would they, this is a thriller, not an instructional film.

But more importantly, you will miss this film's "signature" shot of a man falling from the top floor of a Manhattan skyscraper! The previous reviewer couldn't know this because... he missed the first 10 minutes!

Since IMDb requires me to write "10 lines," I'll go on to say, that after seeing this movie you will never think of cost accountants the same way again... as if you think about them now...

--Gary

This is a terrific film well done from all aspects. The use of flashbacks are a great touch as an amnesiac, played by Gregory Peck, desperately tries to figure out his predicament and piece together the last 2 years of his life. Matthau is great, as always, as the PI trying to help him out. The scenes in the Psychiatrist's office alone are worth the effort to see this film.

At T/P/O--Manhattan Island, 1965. One of the last black and white films shot at a big studio during the Sixties, this Hitchcockian thriller begs to be remade again. It was tried a second time as Jigsaw. Puzzling. I would have simply called it "The Cost Accountant." Watch the movie--you'll understand. The script propels the picture forward at a fascinating pace. It builds tension slowly. Fragments are revealed by quirky, off-beat characters. I greatly enjoyed the scenes between Gregory Peck and the abrasive psychiatrist. Peck finds him through a salesgirl's recommendation: a textbook written by a deceased author. Hit man House James Jr. has a great line of dialogue while poking a gun in Peck's ribs: "There ain't no Social Security in this line of work." In fact, every word that passes his lips is gold. Another great scene involves Peck, Diane Baker, and a cute little girl with a tea set. Prescious. George Kennedy is on hand to deliver some pain. Walter Mathau desires Dr. Pepper soft drinks and peanut butter sandwiches. He steals every scene he enters. Quincy Jones' score shows an abstract feel for what was to come later in the decade. Movie geek alert: I came up with 10 points of common ground between this film and Sydney Pollack's Three Days of the Condor. For example: both films have characters called "The Major." And, yes, that is "Mr. Willis" from the "Jeffersons", touting the virtues of a bird called the Ginko to a class of children. George would be proud.

This isn't the first time that Gregory Peck has suffered from amnesia caused by an accidental death in front of his character's eyes if you recall the plot of Hitchcock's "Spellbound" 20 years earlier so perhaps it's apt that this Edward Dmytryk directed feature so resembles the Master in other ways too. Here we again have an innocent man at the centre of nefarious goings-on, pursued by gun-toting heavies, there's a beautiful woman on his side, a suitably grand McGoffin in the form of a top-secret anti-nuclear formula, a big reveal at the end when he recovers his memory (recalling "Marnie" as much as "Spellbound"), indeed there's even a depiction of a man falling out of a high-storey building in classic Hitchcock style.

But let me quickly move on from these comparisons and credit the director for executing a feature with which I'm confident Hitchcock himself would have been happy. Crisply shot in and around New York, it gets you into the sometimes confusing but intriguing action straight away and helped by a clever script, slick direction and good playing, especially by Peck, it keeps you there throughout.

Diane Baker, late of "Marnie" of course, is the mystery woman with conflicted loyalties, although at least she doesn't don a blond wig for the part. George Kennedy and Walter Matthau, of late chasing Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn around Paris in Stanley Donen's similarly-styled "Charade" turn up again here both to good supporting effect, indeed I'd say that Matthau's hangdog P.I. should maybe have been allowed to hang around more than he does given his pleasing interplay with Peck in their scenes together. There's also a fine sub-Bernard Hermann score by Quincy Jones which adds to the fun.

"Mirage" may not be quite in the same bracket as either "North By Northwest" or even "Charade" but if my eyes don't deceive me, there was much to enjoy in this entertaining caper.

I have seen this movie several times and always enjoyed it. Not only are the actors outstanding, the whole movie is just perfect. Dmytryk did a great job and the atmosphere is fascinating, no wonder since it is filmed in black and white. I couldn't imagine it in color! The story is very puzzling at first and you are trying to find out what really happened just like the protagonist. But with every minute you are coming closer to the solution in a very enchaining way. The big showdown at the end is worth watching several times. Peck, Matthau, McCarthy and the rest did a very good job and made this picture a very enjoyable and interesting experience. It is one of my all-time favorites.

Gripping thriller from start to finish, deserving top marks all around. A man has lost his memory and the story progressively unravels the truth as to who he is and what happened. Well done to Cinemax for providing this wonderful drama as quite simply most of the movies on many of the cable channels are barely worthy of a few minutes before switching off.But not this one; there is a star-studded cast of excellent professional actors and as I missed the opening credits I assumed (until I learnt from here) that this was not a Hitchcock picture, though very much in his style.The ambience, script, camera work and direction are all first rate and why cannot current film makers learn from Mirage how to make a decent drama!? What I especially like is that there are no unnecessary sub-plots, simply a full throttle dramatic play, concentrating on one compelling story line. 10 out of 10.

Hitchcock's masterful 'North by Northwest' starring the inimitable Cary Grant, with a superlative screenplay by Ernest Lehmann, has cast a long shadow. The plot of an innocent man being caught up in a web of intrigue proved irresistible to film makers, especially throughout the 1960's, with decidedly mixed results! This film of Edward Dymytryk is certainly a cut above most of the others and despite its slow pace holds our attention courtesy of a fine cast, excellent editing by veteran Ted J. Kent and yet another splendid screenplay by Peter Stone based upon the novel of Howard Fast. Stone had already written or co-written two successful films featuring Cary Grant and went on to write 'Arabesque' for Gregory Peck. The latter film proves that in light comedy Peck is no Grant(who is?!) but in 'Mirage' his solid presence, upright persona and air of integrity make him perfect casting as David Stillwell who is living a nightmare as a man whose amnesia, caused by a massive emotional shock, causes him to lose both his identity and two years of his life. To make matters worse he gets no joy from the police and is dismissed as a fraud by a psychiatrist! If that weren't enough he is pursued by a bunch of psychopaths working for someone called 'The Major', hires a private detective whose first case it is and encounters a fascinating female from his past who appears to have known him intimately. The fog finally lifts and there is an excellent final scene involving a game of Russian Roulette. A film such as this only works if one cares what happens to the main character and we are with Mr. Peck all the way. Appearing in the film are Walter Matthau as the detective and George Kennedy as a thug. Both these actors had appeared in 'Charade' and were awaiting that crucial 'breakthrough' role. For Matthau this came in 'The Fortune Cookie' and for Kennedy in 'Cool Hand Luke'. Everything comes to he who waits it is said but in the acting profession, not necessarily! The female interest is supplied by classy Diane Baker whose line;"I'm a girl. I'm supposed to be a sissy" is bound to cause apoplexy among the feminists. Mention must be made of the cinematography of Joseph MacDonald which makes one lament the passing of black-and-white and there is an early score from Quincy Jones who would soon become arranger/conductor for Sinatra. Apparently Rock Hudson was considered for the leading role but instead made 'Blindfold' which must surely come in the category 'sub-standard Hitchcock'. Let's face it, not only was Hudson no Cary Grant, he was no Gregory Peck!