Edwald Andre Dupont began his career as part of the German expressionismus and it shows ,notably in the first sequences in an almots cold desert where the cactus trees cast ominous shadows; another remarkable sequence takes place in the psychologist's office when he raises the blind !
This is a very original story of amnesia ;clues are given to the viewer very slowly and they are few and far between;it takes McCambridge 's appearance (too often relegated to supporting acts where she was always memorable:"Johnny Guitar" " suddenly last summer" "giant") ,she's a strong principal),after 30 min , before one gets the first clue, the vital key to the hero's predicament (check the title) ; both she and the poultry farmer have no direct connection to the plot ,and the characters who have (the foster father,the psychologist) work behind the scenes in the first part.
Although the ending is predictable enough ,there's a good use of the deja vu experiment (and without flashbacks ,at that!) and John Ireland' s tormented face is very convincing.
This is a very original story of amnesia ;clues are given to the viewer very slowly and they are few and far between;it takes McCambridge 's appearance (too often relegated to supporting acts where she was always memorable:"Johnny Guitar" " suddenly last summer" "giant") ,she's a strong principal),after 30 min , before one gets the first clue, the vital key to the hero's predicament (check the title) ; both she and the poultry farmer have no direct connection to the plot ,and the characters who have (the foster father,the psychologist) work behind the scenes in the first part.
Although the ending is predictable enough ,there's a good use of the deja vu experiment (and without flashbacks ,at that!) and John Ireland' s tormented face is very convincing.