SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

Film noir thriller B movie with loose connections to Hamlet. Paul (Lydon), has a recurring dream in which his father died in a car accident under mysterious circumstances and his mother (Eilers) falls in love with the dangerous Brett Curtis (William) whom Paul thinks may be his father’s murderer. Paul’s feigned and real madness in an attempt to stop his mother’s marriage to Curtis have led critics to cite parallels with Hamlet.

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Film

Technical information

Black-and-white / Sound

Year of release

1945

Duration

85 mins

Credits

Director

Edgar G Ulmer

Producer

Leon Fromkess

Cinematographer

Benjamin H Kline; Eugen Schufftan; Philip Tannura

Screenplay

Adele Comandini; Fritz Rotter

Cast

James Lydon	Paul Cartwright (Hamlet)
Warren William	Brett Curtis (Claudius)
Sally Eilers	Cartwight’s mother (Gertrude)
Charles Arnt	Professor Muhlbach (Polonius)
Mary McLeod	Lydia (Ophelia)

Additional Details

Production type

Fiction Films

Plays

Hamlet

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

General

From an original story by Fritz Rotter.

Reviews

`STRANGE ILLUSION wants to be taken seriously, but that is impossible with atrocious dialogue, lumbering direction and a third-rate cast’. Rosenthal, Daniel. 100 Shakespeare Films. London:BFI, 2007. p. 21

Production Company

Name

Producers Releasing Corporation

Archive

Name

Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting & Recorded Sound Division

Web

http://catalog.loc.gov/ External site opens in new window

Phone

(20) 707-8572

Fax

(20) 707-237’1

Address

Motion Picture & Television Reading Room
James Madison Building, LM 336
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C.
20540-4690
United States

Online Retailer

Name

amazon.com

Web

http://www.amazon.com External site opens in new window