The Amazing Mr. X DVD

(aka 'The Spiritualist')

Directed by Bernard Vorhaus
USA 1948

THE AMAZING MR. X is a very misleading title for one of the most haunting and original film noirs ever released. It gives the impression of a diabolical criminal genius on the rampage or perhaps a comedy about a milquetoast with fantastic powers. The movie is neither of these. It's a stunningly beautiful and unpredictable look at the phoney spiritualism racket as well as ghosts both real and imagined. An immediate favorable comparison can be made to the works of Val Lewton. THE AMAZING MR. X straddles the line between Lewton's gothic but plausible horrors and great film noir works like MURDER MY SWEET and OUT OF THE PAST.
Is it a ghost story? A romance? A crime tale? The answer is, it is all of these things and more.

Excerpt of Dr. Mality's review at SciFi Cinema located HERE

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Theatrical Release: July 29th, 1948

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DVD Comparison:

Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC vs. VCI Classic Film Noir - Vol. 3 - Region 0 - NTSC

Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. VCI Classic Film Noir - Vol. 3 - Region 0 - NTSC RIGHT

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC	VCI Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:17:54	1:18:00
Video	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.56 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.72 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Image Entertainment
Bitrate: VCI
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 1.0)	English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles	None	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • 2-page insert with comments by Jim Arena DVD Release Date: July 18th, 2006 Keep Case Chapters: 12	Release Information: Studio: VCI Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by Jay Fenton • Arlene Dahl phone interview • Photo Gallery • Reign of Terror DVD Release Date: March 31, 2009 Keep Case Chapters 12

Comments:

This film is in the Public Domain so there are plenty of other DVD editions as weak as the VCI (from companies like Alpha or in homemade compilation DVDs etc.) , so this Image Entertainment edition appears to be the best of the lot. The VCI is very hazy and borders on unwatchable but does offer a commentary from Jay Fenton. The VCI comes in a Double Feature package with a very weak transfer of The Black Book - compared HERE.

The Image Entertainment disc has some damage, mostly in the form of speckles and light to heavy scratches but overall image quality is acceptable. It's progressive with minor artifacts. Audio is expectantly weak but borderline acceptable. There are no subtitle options.

Although this is a new release for Image in July 2006, it still has no extras (aside from the liner notes) and only 2 chapter menus.

We'd suggest passing on the VCI to see The Amazing Mr. X and by the Image Entertainment's usual gouging standards this is marked for an enticing purchase. The film is right out of left field but has some exceptional camera work by John Alton giving it a very strong atmospheric feel - I am a sucker for Cathy O'Donnell - that's what sold me and I wasn't disappointed in my viewing at all.

Gary Tooze and Gregory Meshman

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Image Entertainment - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. VCI Classic Film Noir - Vol. 3 - Region 0 - NTSC RIGHT