Shakespeare in Performance: Film
Strange Illusion (1945, Ben Kadish)
| Title | Strange Illusion |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945 |
| Release Locations | USA |
| Director | Ben Kadish |
| Medium | Black & white video |
| Length | 1 hrs, 20 mins |
| Languages | English |
| Audience | general public |
| Play Connections | Hamlet (derivative) |
Description
This "B" (low-budget) movie, actually an offshoot from Hamlet, like Chabrol's Ophélia retells the Hamlet legend in modern guise. The principal actors were all highly professional but shared a common fate of spending most of their careers in Hollywood playing in B movies. For a time, James Lydon made a career out of playing Henry Aldrich. The film, just made available on videocassette, was shown in 1986 at the Library of Congress as a part of a special program devoted to Shakespeare on film and television at the Mary Pickford Theater
Description from Shakespeare on Screen : an International Filmography and Videography by Kenneth S. Rothwell and Annabelle Henkin Melzer. ©1990 Kenneth S. Rothwell. Cited by permission. — Added 2008-11-14
Cast Overview
| Professor Muhlbach | Charles Arut |
|---|---|
| George--Horatio | Jimmy Clark |
| Virginia Cartwright--Gertrude | Sally Eilers |
| Mr. Allen | John Hamilton |
| Cartwright, Dorothy | Jayne Hazard |
| Paul Cartwright--Hamlet | James Lydon |
| Lydia--Ophelia | Mary McLeod |
| Game Warden | Vic Potel |
| Benjamin | George H. Reed |
| Langdon | George Sherwood |
| Miss Farber | Sonia Sorel |
| Cast | Gene Stutenroth |
| Cast | Regis Toomey |
| Armstrong | Pierre Watkin |
| Brett Curtis--Claudius | Warren William |
Production Team and Crew Overview
Production information courtesy of: Kenneth Rothwell