The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

I do not know how I feel about psychics and mediums. I do not know how I feel about ghosts and spirits either. In a way, I want to believe in all that stuff but at the same time I feel it is all a bunch of shit. I do not know where my skepticism comes from. I have family members who go frequently or have gone to psychics/mediums before. They have told me their stories and I just nod and say “wow that’s interesting.” One possible reason for my skepticism could most definitely come from the movies. I have watched quite a handful of films that deal with psychics and the world of the spirits that I am extremely skeptical about ever going to one. I feel like I will get faked out and be taken advantage of. I am not very good at keeping my emotions at bay so I’m sure someone could get an easy read off of my somehow. A classic film that has added to my skepticism of the world of psychics and mediums and spirits is the 1948 Film Noir The Amazing Mr. X.

            A woman named Christine Faber (Lynn Bari) had the windows open in her room that look out to the ocean below. She believes she hears the voice of her dead husband Paul calling out and talking to her. Christine tells her younger sister Janet about this incident and how she never got over Paul’s death two years ago. He is still the love of her life even though Christine has been dating a man named Martin Abbott. Janet lets slip that Martin is going to propose to her that night.

            Instead of having Martin come pick her up Christine decides to walk to his house along the beach. Along the way two things happen: she hears Paul’s voice again and she meets a man named Alexis (Turhan Bey) who knows a few things about her. Christine is a little perturbed by this incident that she tells Martin that she just wants to stay at her house for the night.

            The following day Christine goes to see Alexis at his house. Soon she is entranced by Alexis and goes to see him almost every day. Janet becomes upset and seeks out a private detective. The detective reveals that he tried to go after Alexis a number of years previously and that Alexis swindled an old woman out of a lot of money. Janet wants to see Alexis for herself so she goes to the fake psychic. Unfortunately, Janet succumbs to Alexis’s charms and she is just as enthralled and enraptured by him as Christine is.

             Martin and the detective soon come around to Alexis’s place to see what he does. They are very close to revealing the phony psychics shtick and who has been working with to make Christine go out of her mind.  

            The twist in The Amazing Mr. X is actually really good that I do not want to spoil even the tiniest bit of it. The Amazing Mr. X was alright. Besides the twist the story was a little boring because the plot has been used before and since. I did like how in this Film Noir it was a woman who was going through a hard time and being driven made by a man instead of a man being driven mad by some femme fatale. That was nice to see in a classic film. I will only recommend The Amazing Mr. X to those who really enjoy classic films and really like Film Noir otherwise it is not a must see classic film.