The Mask of Diijon (1946)
Genre: Drama / Filmnoir
Duration: 73 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Lew Landers
Stars: Erich von Stroheim, Jeanne Bates and William Wright
IMDb score:
5,6 (305)
Releasedate: 11 March 1946
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
The Mask of Diijon plot
"He Had Magic at His Finger Tips...And Women At His Feet!"
The magician Diijon neglects his career and his wife because of a hypnosis study. Due to Dijon's lack of attention, his wife leaves him for a younger man. Dijon uses his acquired knowledge of hypnosis to hypnotize people and get revenge.
Actors and actresses
Diijon
Victoria
Tony Holiday
Denise
Sheffield
Mrs. McGaffey
Danton
Guzzo
Alex
Diner Counterman (Uncredited)
Reviews & comments
Bobbejaantje
-
- 2306 messages
- 2094 votes
Crime film that plays on the theme of the subconscious, which was so popular in the forties. No psychoanalysis this time, but a few hypnosis sessions that turn things upside down. The main attraction is Erich Von Stroheim, excellently cast as a misunderstood loner who wants to control the world as a self-taught hypnotist. He reels off a number of scenes on his own, with his inner monologue being cast in a voice-over. In that respect, this voice-over differs from many others from that time; it is not intended as a commentary to some listener.
As a premise, I do wonder whether it is really that easy to hypnotize people against their will, as the film makes it seem. The credibility of the film stands or falls with that, but for me that is a question mark. As for the scenario, I found it strange that the police in a city with empty streets at night still went to the place where Von Stroheim was at that moment with sirens blaring, so he was fully aware of their arrival and could barricade himself.
Good acting performances by Jeanne Bates and William Wright, in a love triangle with Von Stroheim.
Excellent direction by Lew Landers and ditto camerawork by Jack Greenhalgh. Dynamically shot – dolly shots, low angles – with the use of chiaroscuro lighting in noir style. To my surprise, the PRC logo appeared in the credits, in my opinion one of the better productions I have ever seen from this poverty row film house. It does not look as cheap as usual, and with Von Stroheim they have brought in a name, although it also says something about his declining status. By the way, the film has a very surprising opening and the circle is beautifully completed in the finale. That too is more than I am used to from PRC.
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