How the heck is an average player supposed to guess a movie like this? I was lucky enough to buy a laserdisc copy of this movie for $7 at a local fire sale. (It seems like laserdiscs are being dumped in droves to make room for dvds). Other than the wavy picture on side 2 of the disc, this was a very enjoyable movie to watch.

In the top photo, James Mason has just screwed in a high intensity bulb into a lamp, and is in the process of photographing top secret British documents. The theme is spying or espionage, and this is enough to generate over 200 pre-1970 hits, using Cinemania. After this, you just have to slog through the reviews, eliminating color movies and widescreen films.

For a clever spy, Mason should have avoided partners, namely Danielle Darrieux. There was no need to deal in currency (several hundred thousand pound sterling). Paper money is bulky, hard to hide, and always seems to entail a bag person. This can only lead to a double cross, and in this case, a triple cross. Historically, he should have demanded gem quality diamonds as payment. Why didn't he watch The Marathon Man?
 

This is one of the most confusing and enigmatic shots I have ever had to figure out. Luckily the aspect ratio is 1.85:1 and the film is in black & white. Even then, you have to knock out close possibilities like Ashes and Diamonds, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, The Last Hurrah, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Sweet Smell of Success (full frame only). It's enough to give any player a migraine headache. I have never seen the correct film (Mirage) and probably won't until the DVD is released (if ever).

Here is how I got the right answer in spite of this handicap. I could sense that the quizmaster was in an Arabesque frame of mind. You know, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't? Why not a strange movie that doesn't belong to any specific genre, but straddles that eerie world of cinema based on dreams and twisted reality. Gregory Peck starred in Arabesque and Mirage, as well as Hitchcock's psychological thriller, Spellbound. I was also reminded of Seijun Suziki's Branded to Kill, a movie that made no sense, and no money. I once asked Mr. Moviegame why he owns so many movies (like Dan). Because sometimes he feels like having pistachio ice cream with dill pickles at 3 A.M. in the morning, that's why! To make a long story short, I went to the library and researched Mirage in Screen World, vol. 17. Lo and behold, I found a photo of Peck holding what looks to be a metal disc, which is roughly the same size as the one in Dan's snap shot. Case closed.

Next

Back to the FAQ