Although I wouldn't rate or recommend this movie hugely, for those like myself who are fans of suspense movies and don't mind a lower budget this one is quite enjoyable and interesting. The film stars DeForest Kelly, of Star Trek "Bones" fame. I've seen him before in supporting roles but never in the leading man role. I thought he pulled it off quite well, especially since so much of the action involved him doing stuff silent and then narrating it later, that can get thin fast if the actor isn't good at physical aspects of acting and if their voice isn't interesting as well. He reminded me a bit of Ray Milland in "Lost Weekend." There are other similarities to "Weekend" in the hallucinogenic imagery accompanying the main character's hypnotic experience as well. But the story here is much more of a straightforward psychological mystery.
Kelly plays Vince Grayson, a bank teller who dreams of a murder that turns out to be real -- and in the dream, he is the murderer! The dream is very strange, incorporating all kinds of camera tricks, and the murder itself takes place in an octagonal room of mirrors. He confesses about the dream to his cop brother-in-law (Paul Kelly), and then we're supposed to believe that randomly while out on a picnic with Kelly and the girls (Ann Doran and Kay Scott) he comes across the same house where the murder took place. From there on out, Kelly's character proves his integrity and loyalty by helping his friend and relative find the real villain.
It's an interesting film in that it uses this image of the room of mirrors, a kind of metaphor for the human mind. We see a body behind one door, and a safe behind another -- what do the other 6 doors contain? The film doesn't even ask. The performances are solid even though the production values could definitely be improved. The photography by Jack Greenhalgh (the man who photographed "Reefer Madness" and "Robot Monster") is good but not anything particularly exceptional.
Overall I liked it because Cornell Woolrich's original story (published under an assumed name) has enough psychological implications to make the film just two dimensional enough to stand up to the treatment. A pulpy movie from a pulpy story, I guess you could say. Not really made to last, but still with us and still providing a lot of fun that you couldn't get from a bigger budget safer movie. This movie leaves its hero with consequences -- he still has to face the court for the murder and must plead self defense and hope for the mercy of the court.
Kelly plays Vince Grayson, a bank teller who dreams of a murder that turns out to be real -- and in the dream, he is the murderer! The dream is very strange, incorporating all kinds of camera tricks, and the murder itself takes place in an octagonal room of mirrors. He confesses about the dream to his cop brother-in-law (Paul Kelly), and then we're supposed to believe that randomly while out on a picnic with Kelly and the girls (Ann Doran and Kay Scott) he comes across the same house where the murder took place. From there on out, Kelly's character proves his integrity and loyalty by helping his friend and relative find the real villain.
It's an interesting film in that it uses this image of the room of mirrors, a kind of metaphor for the human mind. We see a body behind one door, and a safe behind another -- what do the other 6 doors contain? The film doesn't even ask. The performances are solid even though the production values could definitely be improved. The photography by Jack Greenhalgh (the man who photographed "Reefer Madness" and "Robot Monster") is good but not anything particularly exceptional.
Overall I liked it because Cornell Woolrich's original story (published under an assumed name) has enough psychological implications to make the film just two dimensional enough to stand up to the treatment. A pulpy movie from a pulpy story, I guess you could say. Not really made to last, but still with us and still providing a lot of fun that you couldn't get from a bigger budget safer movie. This movie leaves its hero with consequences -- he still has to face the court for the murder and must plead self defense and hope for the mercy of the court.