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Based on the 1952 novel Fallen Angel by Walter Ericson, Mirage was composed by Peter Stone, who had actually authored the book and screenplay of. That movie had been a significant hit for Universal, and for a number of years afterward, the studio looked for to duplicate its formula. Stone was employed to adapt similar product and apply a similar touch of humor, love, and thrills into scenarios worthwhile of Hitchcock.


Shooting in black-and-white long after color movie stock had been the requirement, Dmytryk and cinematographer Joseph Mac, Donald find vibrant usages for shadows, beginning with the opening power failure at the imaginary Unidyne skyscraper. Inside I Found This Interesting , some employees get ready for a "braille party" ("Get it, the touch system," one lady describes), while Peck's David Stillwell discovers himself disoriented.

His structure seems to have 4 sub-basements, however then it does not. His refrigerator is empty; then it's stocked full. Two empty years appear to be all that remains of his memory, and everything prior to that is a blur. He knows this: A friend and businessman called Charles Calvin (Walter Abel) has died after jumping to his death from the Unidyne structure.
The opening musical styles establish the movie's three thematic fascinations: the studio's desire to reproduce the success of; the story's vaguely Hitchcockian impact; and its interest in practically dreamlike images that represents the fractured, amnesiac mind. The first sound evokes Henry Mancini's jazzy rating from, with its upbeat, percussive bongo tempo.
To be sure, one could be forgiven for misinterpreting ball game for Herrmann till Jones' credit appears onscreen. A moment later on, a keyboard plays a series of winding notes, similar to Claude Debussy's Voiles from 1909, that frequently evoke the dissent into a dream sequence. In a couple of seconds, Jones encapsulates Mirage's numerous antecedents through acoustic hints, and the audience understands just what to expect.
Baffled about his identity and Swiss cheese memory, Stillwell seeks assistance from a private investigator, Ted Caselle (Matthau), who takes the case, his very first. A more experienced detective might approach Stillwell's story of amnesia and possible conspiracy with incredulity, but Caselle believes him. The two stars make an unlikely however lovely set.