MIRAGE / STRAIT-JACKET

ABOUT THE FILMS: MIRAGE, 1965, Dir. Edward Dmytryk, 109 Mins, Universal, USA During a blackout in a Manhattan skyscraper, accountant David Stillwell (Gregory Peck) descends a darkened staircase and encounters a mysterious woman (Diane Baker) who seems to know him. Then he learns a prominent philanthropist has fallen to his death… strangers begin hunting him… and Stillwell realizes he can’t remember the last two years of his life. Desperate for answers, he hires a wisecracking private detective (Walter Matthau) to help untangle the mystery—but the deeper they dig, the more danger they find. Stylish and atmospheric with a paranoid edge, Mirage blends noir-like suspense and comedy into a disorienting thriller that keeps us questioning what is real. With memorable supporting turns from Kevin McCarthy, George Kennedy, and Leif Erickson, a taut screenplay by Peter Stone (Charade), striking B&W location photography by Joseph MacDonald (Call Northside 777), a vibrant Quincy Jones score, and assured direction from Edward Dmytryk (Murder My Sweet), Mirage is expert entertainment. FORMAT: 35mm STRAIT-JACKET, 1964, Dir. William Castle, 93 Mins, Sony Pictures, USA After spending 20 years in a psychiatric institution for the brutal axe murders of her husband and his mistress, Lucy Harbin (Joan Crawford) is finally released into the care of her daughter, Carol (Diane Baker). Returning to a life she barely recognizes proves unsettling enough, but when a series of grisly murders begins, old suspicions and new fears quickly surface. Produced and directed by William Castle from a screenplay by Psycho novelist Robert Bloch, Strait-Jacket is a deliciously lurid blend of psychological suspense, gothic horror, and dark humor, with Crawford commanding the screen as a woman whose grip on reality may be slipping once again. Castle surrounds Crawford and Baker with a colorful supporting cast, including George Kennedy, Leif Erickson, and Rochelle Hudson, while milking the story for shocks and sinister surprises. Strait-Jacket is vintage Castle: stylish, campy, and macabre. FORMAT: DCP Program notes by author Jeremy Arnold