Does there exist a male baby boomer who grew up watching reruns of "The Abbott and Costello Show" during the 1950s and early '60s who was able to resist falling in love with Hillary Brooke? With her sexy blond good looks and sweet demeanor, no wonder Lou and all the other guys had a major "thing" for her. Viewers may be surprised to learn, however, that before "The A&C Show," Hillary excelled at portraying so-called "bad girls," as the 1946 potboiler "Strange Impersonation" so amply demonstrates. Here, she plays the assistant to anesthesia researcher Brenda Marshall (herself so memorable in one of my Top 10 films of all time, the 1940 remake of "The Sea Hawk"), as well as the best friend from hell. Hillary sabotages one of Marshall's experiments, leading to an explosive fire and the disfigurement of her boss. She then goes about stealing Marshall's fiancé, leading to a twisty story involving betrayal, plastic surgery, murder, blackmail and identity theft. All this in a brief 68 minutes, and topped with a surprise ending that some may find cheap, but that surprisingly explains away the many plot loopholes, inconsistencies and implausibilities that have preceded it; an ending, in addition, that is wholly earned and was set up in the film's opening moments. Yes, this IS another B cheapie made on the quick by Republic Studios, but it certainly is fun. And need I even mention that it is a must for all fans of Hillary Brooke?
25 Reviews
Compact B-noir enlivened by Anthony Mann's direction
rfkeser13 August 2000
"You cannot escape the person you are," says plastic surgeon H.B.Warner, holding up a bony finger. Nevertheless, leading lady Brenda Marshall tries, which puts her in the postwar vanguard of stars doing identity switches [see Bogart in DARK PASSAGE and Stanwyck in NO MAN OF HER OWN]. The script also stirs in elements from A WOMAN'S FACE, plus a dash of mad-scientist hubris, then shakes it into a film noir cocktail.
Marshall plays a research chemist who tries an experimental anesthetic on herself ["nothing can go wrong"], but ends up disfigured, then takes on the identity of extortionist bad girl Ruth Ford. The switch involves several plastic surgery montages, but mostly results in a new coif, a dark rinse, and make-up adjustments.
The plot also plays out the popular postwar subtext of Send-Rosie-the-Riveter-Back-to-the-Kitchen: when scientific professional Marshall turns down a marriage proposal in favor of finishing her own work, she suffers for it at the hands of scheming Hillary Brooke, and then has to fight to get another chance at that marriage ring. This conventional message is somewhat at war with the subversive noir style, but this script includes: the unsuspected hostile motives of a friend, the nightmare chain of events, and the police station third-degree. The novelty here is the woman protagonist, who herself shifts into a femme fatale. In fact, the film centers on a trio of femmes fatales: Marshall and Brooke and Ford. The man involved is William Gargan, relaxed and charming, so hardly an homme fatal.
Republic's studio style-- aimed at simple feel-good entertainment, with invariably stodgy decor---was not exactly a natural home for noir. However, Anthony Mann delivers lean direction, with exceptionally fluid camerawork, some striking high and low angles, and smart playing from all [poor Marshall has to spend a good half-hour with her face wrapped up in bandages]. However, a few years later Mann worked out the situation-- two women tussling over a man--more pointedly, and with lots more shadows, in the superior RAW DEAL.
Marshall plays a research chemist who tries an experimental anesthetic on herself ["nothing can go wrong"], but ends up disfigured, then takes on the identity of extortionist bad girl Ruth Ford. The switch involves several plastic surgery montages, but mostly results in a new coif, a dark rinse, and make-up adjustments.
The plot also plays out the popular postwar subtext of Send-Rosie-the-Riveter-Back-to-the-Kitchen: when scientific professional Marshall turns down a marriage proposal in favor of finishing her own work, she suffers for it at the hands of scheming Hillary Brooke, and then has to fight to get another chance at that marriage ring. This conventional message is somewhat at war with the subversive noir style, but this script includes: the unsuspected hostile motives of a friend, the nightmare chain of events, and the police station third-degree. The novelty here is the woman protagonist, who herself shifts into a femme fatale. In fact, the film centers on a trio of femmes fatales: Marshall and Brooke and Ford. The man involved is William Gargan, relaxed and charming, so hardly an homme fatal.
Republic's studio style-- aimed at simple feel-good entertainment, with invariably stodgy decor---was not exactly a natural home for noir. However, Anthony Mann delivers lean direction, with exceptionally fluid camerawork, some striking high and low angles, and smart playing from all [poor Marshall has to spend a good half-hour with her face wrapped up in bandages]. However, a few years later Mann worked out the situation-- two women tussling over a man--more pointedly, and with lots more shadows, in the superior RAW DEAL.
Unique Little Story Line
iquine29 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
(Flash Review)
Imagine being accused of murdering.....yourself....!! Dun Dun Duuuu. This is a fun little B quality Noir with some twists and turns. A research chemist who tries an experimental anesthetic on herself has a horrible accident to her face. After an amazing plastic surgery, she ends up taking the identity of someone else; another woman who is accused of killing her original self. Sort of a neat little detective caper film with a novel plot even after all these years. On a tight budget it was an enjoyable viewing for those in the mood for some 40s sleuthing.
Imagine being accused of murdering.....yourself....!! Dun Dun Duuuu. This is a fun little B quality Noir with some twists and turns. A research chemist who tries an experimental anesthetic on herself has a horrible accident to her face. After an amazing plastic surgery, she ends up taking the identity of someone else; another woman who is accused of killing her original self. Sort of a neat little detective caper film with a novel plot even after all these years. On a tight budget it was an enjoyable viewing for those in the mood for some 40s sleuthing.
A film noir without the noir film
CatTales11 October 2000
This film literally illustrates that without expressionist shadows or dark, dreary streets, a film noir plot turns out more like a soap opera, no matter how dark the plot is. That doesn't take away from the nightmarish quality, however, as things go horribly wrong: betrayal, blackmail, disfigurement, murder. It is only because of this that the female lead becomes our heroine but her fairytale rebirth into beauty cannot erase her "guilt" of independence - as someone has already mentioned, the post-war message was encouraging women to return to the home. However, the film cannot indulge in grim fatalism either, preferring to be prescriptive rather than prohibitive, so it displays a 'whatif?' scenario, allowing for an upbeat ending. Philosophically it falls between the more contemporary sci-fi "Dark man," and the recent spanish fantasy "Open your eyes;" perhaps today these genres are the heirs of film noir.
a fun B
blanche-229 May 2011
They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. What if they are one and the same? Just ask scientist Nora Goodrich (Brenda Marshall, in real life Mrs. William Holden). She is conducting an experiment with her assistant/friend Arline (Hillary Brooke), but Arline is after Nora's fiancé (William Gargan), a successful doctor. While Nora is out from anesthetic, which is part of a grand experiment -oops, a fire starts in a beaker, thanks to Arline loading it up, and Nora's face is burned and scarred. While she's recovering in the hospital, Arline fixes it so that the fiancé thinks that Nora doesn't want to see him; meanwhile, Nora is wondering why he isn't coming by. Then an unfortunate accident in her apartment causes Nora to get plastic surgery - but with a brand-new face and a name to go with it.
This is kind of a fun B movie with an interesting cast that includes William Gargan as the object of Nora's and Arline's affections -- bad casting -- the role needed a good-looking B film lead like Jeffrey Lynn or Richard Carlson. H.B. Warner, Jesus in the original King of Kings, plays a plastic surgeon, and Ruth Ford, Mrs. Zachary Scott, plays one Jane Karaski, who is important to the plot.
Economically directed by Anthony Mann, this is a pretty good film with a gigantic twist at the end, one that was actually used in a couple of other films. Not the best but satisfying nonetheless.
Don't look for lovely cinematography, camera angles, unusual sets, great clothes, or anything like that - this movie comes to you from Republic Studios.
This is kind of a fun B movie with an interesting cast that includes William Gargan as the object of Nora's and Arline's affections -- bad casting -- the role needed a good-looking B film lead like Jeffrey Lynn or Richard Carlson. H.B. Warner, Jesus in the original King of Kings, plays a plastic surgeon, and Ruth Ford, Mrs. Zachary Scott, plays one Jane Karaski, who is important to the plot.
Economically directed by Anthony Mann, this is a pretty good film with a gigantic twist at the end, one that was actually used in a couple of other films. Not the best but satisfying nonetheless.
Don't look for lovely cinematography, camera angles, unusual sets, great clothes, or anything like that - this movie comes to you from Republic Studios.
Has so e good moments but loses track
JohnHowardReid13 December 2017
This early Anthony Mann film starts off most promisingly with tracking shots in the lecture theatre (of the Mindred Lord Institute yet!), mirror shots in the laboratory and a marvelous overhead shot of a flashing hotel neon sign and George Chandler sitting on a fire hydrant on the pavement below. After another wonderful mirror shot in Brenda Marshall's apartment, she and William Gargan walk on to the balcony and it is at this point that the film begins to fall apart. The script takes on the plotting and dialogue of some stupid dime-store novelette for mentally backward adolescents and the direction becomes astonishingly routine, with long, static takes and interminable close-ups and two-shots of the unattractive principals (even Hillary Brooke looks unattractive in the costumes, make-up and lighting of this film). The mirror motif is lost sight of altogether, until just before the plastic surgery sequence when the film comes to life for a few more moments (the table lamp lighting Marshall's face from below, the struggle, the escape, the surgery), wanes for a stretch, surges to life for a few more moments (the interrogation) and then is extinguished forever by a poor conclusion. Brenda Marshall brings little distinction to her dual role, Miss Brooke is not much better and Gargan is about as welcome as rain at a school picnic. The support cast, headed by George Chandler of all people, is more interesting.
STRANGE IMPERSONATION (Anthony Mann, 1946) ***
Bunuel197623 January 2009
The third noir from director Mann after THE GREAT FLAMARION (1945; which I haven't seen) and the minor but not unentertaining TWO O'CLOCK COURAGE (1945) also has some very welcome horror/sci-fi trappings that should endear it to fans of those kind of movies as well. Lovely blonde, bespectacled scientist Brenda Marshall (who, in real life, was Mrs. William Holden at the time) keeps postponing her marriage to colleague William Gargan because of her all-important experiments in anaesthesia, until one night her jealous assistant Hillary Brooke contrives to overdo the mixture causing an explosion in the vicinity of Marshall (who is out cold) that leaves her facially scarred. More treachery from the two-faced Brooke manages to bar Gargan from visiting the hospitalized Marshall which leads to their breaking off the engagement. A slight traffic accident on the night of the explosion has also put a blackmailing woman and a snooping lawyer in Marshall's path but, seeing the former fall to her death from the apartment window after a tussle, gives her a new lease on life which enables her to change identities with the dead woman and perform plastic surgery (courtesy of surgeon H.B. Warner). Adopting the facial features of the blackmailer (including shedding her glasses and dying her hair black), she introduces herself to Gargan and Brooke as her own school-friend from chemistry class and is soon employed by the former as his personal aide! In the meantime, Brooke starts looking into this intruder's past and, confronting Marshall with her contradictory findings, is shocked when her new rival reveals she is the old one in disguise, after all. On the other hand, the obnoxious lawyer is still on Marshall's trail and, in fact, almost gets her convicted for her own murder when Brooke refuses to corroborate her story about who she really is! The climatic interrogation sequence is where Mann lets all the expressionistic stops out
until the unexpected (and unwarranted) end revelation that it has all been the heroine's nightmare!! That the film succeeds as much as it does in spite of the meager cast, inexistent production values and cop-out finale is a tribute to the mastery of a film-maker who is just finding a firm footing in a genre he will be making his own in the following year or two.
Good Try-No Cigar for Anthony Mann film - Strange Impersonation
arthur_tafero27 May 2019
With a dash of The Wizard of Oz, and a bit of a tease from Hillary Brooke (the future tease of Abbott and Costello), Strange Impersonation asks us to believe that a nerdy scientist would prefer plain-looking Brenda Marshall over hot and juicy Hillary Brooke. Give me a break; I dont think so. The story is intriguing, but the pacing is a bit off, and the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired. I will not reveal the ending, but I did mention the Wizard of Oz for a reason. Recommended only to see Hilary as a bad girl.
A flawed noir film
robert-temple-122 October 2007
This film's chief recommendation is a superb performance by Hilary Brooke, who plays a mini-Iago, a woman so unremittingly wicked, scheming and grasping that Brooke's intense portrayal of her should really have been lifted from this B picture and inserted into an A picture. The film's main weakness is this: primarily, the entire plot depends on two women (Brenda Marshall and Hilary Brooke) being so infatuated with the leading man that they will stop at nothing to 'have him', but the casting for that part is William Gargan, who is wholly ludicrous. No one would 'have to have' Gargan, who is goofy-looking, weak, altogether lacking in any semblance of romantic charm, and frankly just a joke in the part. Two women fighting to the death over that blob of vaseline is ridiculous. The other fatal weakness to this film is an appalling plot development towards the end, which I shall refrain from revealing, but it is terminal to taking this film seriously. How could Anthony Mann have directed such an inferior work when only two years later he would produce the masterpiece 'Raw Deal' (1948)? It all goes to show that with a weak script and a hopeless leading man, everything can readily collapse into a heap of rubble. This film could have been something, but for reasons which we will never know, it was gutted from within. After all, the basic plot is strong and powerful if it had been allowed to happen without interference, and with the right leading man to make it believable. What a missed opportunity this was!
Woman's place is in the home...LOL
AlanSquier17 February 2007
Hey, gals, don't shoot me for that statement...that isn't my idea, but let's face it, this is the underlying statement of this rather soap operish film.
After all, the war was over and women did a great job working in all fields while the men were fighting a war, but look what happens to this gal when she decides to put her career ahead of getting married, popping out kids, and being a nice dutiful wife.
Instead, she continues her job as a chemical research scientist, gets tangled up with a blackmailing woman who's aided by an ambulance-chasing shyster lawyer, is disfigured thanks to her jealous assistant, and just generally is in a mess that takes her the length of the movie to get out of.
Ah, Anthony Mann sure won't get the woman's vote for this effort, but he redeemed himself later with films with strong and able female leads.
Seriously, this is strictly a B concoction made to be a space filler on a double feature bill, just what was to be expected by the old Republic Studios which churned out hundreds of those great B films and cliffhanger serials.
However, it is fun.
After all, the war was over and women did a great job working in all fields while the men were fighting a war, but look what happens to this gal when she decides to put her career ahead of getting married, popping out kids, and being a nice dutiful wife.
Instead, she continues her job as a chemical research scientist, gets tangled up with a blackmailing woman who's aided by an ambulance-chasing shyster lawyer, is disfigured thanks to her jealous assistant, and just generally is in a mess that takes her the length of the movie to get out of.
Ah, Anthony Mann sure won't get the woman's vote for this effort, but he redeemed himself later with films with strong and able female leads.
Seriously, this is strictly a B concoction made to be a space filler on a double feature bill, just what was to be expected by the old Republic Studios which churned out hundreds of those great B films and cliffhanger serials.
However, it is fun.
Fun little sleeper that kept my attention!
mark.waltz18 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
A female scientist in New York, working on an anesthetic, keeps trying to get it just right, and won't marry her fiancé until it works. She has a devoted friend and assistant who seems very loyal. One night, she accidentally hits a drunken woman, and gives her cash after driving her home. Later, the assistant gives the scientist a dose of the anesthetic to test it once again. This sets up a plot of disfigurement, blackmail, and accidental death. Then, a twist is revealed which sets the scientist out on the course for revenge.
TRUE SPOILERS BELOW: This is a difficult film to describe without revealing spoilers, even though it runs just over an hour. Brenda Marshall is the heroine, William Gargan her leading man, Hillary Brooke the assistant, and Ruth Ford the drunken woman. After being disfigured in a chemical explosion caused purposely by Brooke, Marshall breaks off with Gargan, whom she thinks has lost interest in her. It was all a trick of Brooke's to win Gargan for herself. Then, Ford shows up to blackmail Marshall, and is killed in a struggle over her gun. Marshall decides to take her place. After getting plastic surgery from H.B. Warner in L.A. (who has a strange idea about her), Marshall returns to New York, uses Ford's identity, and steps into her old job working with Gargan. Brooke is on to her and before you know it, Marshall is arrested for murdering herself! Yes, it is complicated, but not so confusing that you need to watch it more than once. It all comes together with the most delightful conclusion at the end. Some might groan (I did at first), but when you stop and think about it, it makes sense. After all, this is Film Noir, and nothing is supposed to make sense until the film is over. I could have done without nurse Mary Treen however; She is annoying enough to have been a deserving victim. Definitely a must for students of Film Noir and lovers of classic movies, particularly the "B's".
TRUE SPOILERS BELOW: This is a difficult film to describe without revealing spoilers, even though it runs just over an hour. Brenda Marshall is the heroine, William Gargan her leading man, Hillary Brooke the assistant, and Ruth Ford the drunken woman. After being disfigured in a chemical explosion caused purposely by Brooke, Marshall breaks off with Gargan, whom she thinks has lost interest in her. It was all a trick of Brooke's to win Gargan for herself. Then, Ford shows up to blackmail Marshall, and is killed in a struggle over her gun. Marshall decides to take her place. After getting plastic surgery from H.B. Warner in L.A. (who has a strange idea about her), Marshall returns to New York, uses Ford's identity, and steps into her old job working with Gargan. Brooke is on to her and before you know it, Marshall is arrested for murdering herself! Yes, it is complicated, but not so confusing that you need to watch it more than once. It all comes together with the most delightful conclusion at the end. Some might groan (I did at first), but when you stop and think about it, it makes sense. After all, this is Film Noir, and nothing is supposed to make sense until the film is over. I could have done without nurse Mary Treen however; She is annoying enough to have been a deserving victim. Definitely a must for students of Film Noir and lovers of classic movies, particularly the "B's".
Fascinating Anthony Mann Film from Republic
Handlinghandel1 November 2007
First off, I practically fainted at seeing a Republic Picture that didn't star John Wayne and wasn't one of their few big-budget movies. That studio turned out some excellent films and they are rarely seen. (This even though till about ten years ago our ABC affiliate showed one, sometimes two, every Saturday night.) The movie itself is not Mann at his best but it's very good. He's been given a fabulous cast. Brenda Marshall is a great favorite of mine. Ruth Ford did more on stage, maybe, than on screen. William Gargan was handsome before he moved into character roles. And Hillary Brooke! Wow, what a performance she turns in here! Lyle Talbot is also on board. He's somewhere between his days as a leading man and his time with Ed Wood. He looks a bit pudgy here.
When we first meet the three principals, they're all wearing glasses. You see, they are scientists.
In a parking garage on her way home from work, Marshall accidentally backs her car into the inebriated Ford. And that's all the plot I'm giving.
Brooke is given a very meaty role. It seems like the typical best-friend part. She seems like a low-budget Eve Arden at first. But oh no! That changes. And she is up to every twist and turn of the plot.
The movie is a little bit soap opera, a little bit noir. But it's both highly entertaining on its on and a must-see for fans of the great Anthony Mann.
When we first meet the three principals, they're all wearing glasses. You see, they are scientists.
In a parking garage on her way home from work, Marshall accidentally backs her car into the inebriated Ford. And that's all the plot I'm giving.
Brooke is given a very meaty role. It seems like the typical best-friend part. She seems like a low-budget Eve Arden at first. But oh no! That changes. And she is up to every twist and turn of the plot.
The movie is a little bit soap opera, a little bit noir. But it's both highly entertaining on its on and a must-see for fans of the great Anthony Mann.
Noirish tale of the unexpected - is half soap-opera/half-nightmare - with its fair share of femme fatale action.
declancooley31 January 2024
An uncanny plot and claustrophobic little sets make this odd but fast-paced story play out in very unexpected ways. Initially, the science lab setting gives it a sci-fi air - later it feels more like a thriller or a mystery - other times a Brazilian soap opera; but somehow the tonal shifts work in a sort of Freudian whirly-gig fashion and we drift from one to the other seamlessly. I can see why this movie enjoys cult status - it has its camp aspects - but there is also some artistic merit in a couple of memorable shots and in its unsettling eerie atmosphere. Notable for its femme fatale vs femme fatale conflicts, this will certainly make you sit up and watch for 68 mins. Although Hillary Brooke and Ruth Ford played their roles perfectly well, I was especially taken by Brenda Marshall, who sadly did make many more movies. A potent little brew of intrigue, twisted passions, and...strangeness. I heartily recommend for lovers of noir or 'otherwise'.
Wow, this film seldom makes sense but it is entertaining.
planktonrules7 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Anthony Mann directs this movie with the most convoluted and unbelievable plot...but it's still quite entertaining. The secret to watching it is to just ignore the impossibility of everything you see...just enjoy! The film starts with Brenda Marshall as an obsessed research scientist. Her character is very one-dimensional and all she thinks about is her work. Oddly, despite this, her boyfriend adores her (William Gargan) and constantly is pressing her to marry him. Out of the blue, Marshall's female assistant tries to kill her while Marshall is unconscious. She tries to burn Marshall alive but at least succeeds in sending her to the hospital with a disfigured face from the fire. Then, the assistant does everything she can to destroy the relationship between her boss and her fiancé--and she is truly a snake! After getting out of the hospital, Marshall has (thanks to the manipulative 'friend') lost her boyfriend and is alone. Out of the blue, a nasty lady from early in the film returns and tries to rob the Doctor at gunpoint. In an ensuing struggle, the robber is knocked off the apartment balcony to her death MANY stories below. Considering she's wearing the Doctor's ring she just stole and her face was crushed in the fall, people assume it was Marshall. Marshall takes this opportunity to assume the dead woman's life. Then, after getting plastic surgery to look EXACTLY like the dead woman (????), she returns to exact revenge against the assist and the ex-boyfriend she assumed was faithless towards her.
The film is so full of impossible and ridiculous story elements. Attempted murders and a convenient robbery are just the tip of the iceberg of impossibilities. Having Marshall become this other woman due to plastic surgery is silly--especially with 1940s technology. And, in fact, she did NOT look like this other woman--just Marshall with a new hair color and style--yet the people from her past did NOT recognize her!!! None of it makes any sense at all....yet the film is still pretty entertaining and juicy throughout. Unfortunately, the ending is terrible....and pretty much undoes most of the film!! Too bad....this could have been a lot better! By the way, isn't Marshall's nurse the most detestable lady?! I wanted to throttle her as she CONSTANTLY spoke in the third person!
The film is so full of impossible and ridiculous story elements. Attempted murders and a convenient robbery are just the tip of the iceberg of impossibilities. Having Marshall become this other woman due to plastic surgery is silly--especially with 1940s technology. And, in fact, she did NOT look like this other woman--just Marshall with a new hair color and style--yet the people from her past did NOT recognize her!!! None of it makes any sense at all....yet the film is still pretty entertaining and juicy throughout. Unfortunately, the ending is terrible....and pretty much undoes most of the film!! Too bad....this could have been a lot better! By the way, isn't Marshall's nurse the most detestable lady?! I wanted to throttle her as she CONSTANTLY spoke in the third person!
Too Gimmicky
dougdoepke29 August 2015
Plot-- After restorative surgery, a disfigured research scientist tries to regain her former status under an assumed identity. And that's despite a scheming rival, an unethical lawyer, and a blackmailing vixen.
About two-thirds of the way through and I was boggling at the implausibles. Okay, I'm usually pretty indulgent about these things; after all, Hollywood itself is pretty implausible. But then came the ending and all the stretches suddenly made weird sense. Not that this is a good film. It's just a programmer from cowboy-oriented Republic that RKO's noir unit might have made memorable. Then too, I agree with reviewer robert temple: why would two attractive women connive over a lump like William Gargan's Dr. Lindstrom. If there was a subtle point being made, I guess I missed it. Instead, it looks like a glaring piece of miscasting.
What the 60-minutes does have is a fine central performance from Brenda Marshall as the afflicted Nora. But most of all, it's a chance for the Hillary Brooke fan club to watch a favorite spider women do her thing. Catch the way her eyes suddenly reveal a hidden inner demeanor. That subtle inner dimension is crucial here, but as the expert actress knows, not to be overdone. Yet, why is she missing from that final scene. Her presence there would seem required in order to complete the circuit with the pivotal earlier scene. But since when did Golden Age Hollywood compromise their blissful fade-outs, regardless of logic.
Anyway, I expect a few years later with a more seasoned Anthony Mann and a more appropriate studio, the idea could have achieved genuine noir status.
About two-thirds of the way through and I was boggling at the implausibles. Okay, I'm usually pretty indulgent about these things; after all, Hollywood itself is pretty implausible. But then came the ending and all the stretches suddenly made weird sense. Not that this is a good film. It's just a programmer from cowboy-oriented Republic that RKO's noir unit might have made memorable. Then too, I agree with reviewer robert temple: why would two attractive women connive over a lump like William Gargan's Dr. Lindstrom. If there was a subtle point being made, I guess I missed it. Instead, it looks like a glaring piece of miscasting.
What the 60-minutes does have is a fine central performance from Brenda Marshall as the afflicted Nora. But most of all, it's a chance for the Hillary Brooke fan club to watch a favorite spider women do her thing. Catch the way her eyes suddenly reveal a hidden inner demeanor. That subtle inner dimension is crucial here, but as the expert actress knows, not to be overdone. Yet, why is she missing from that final scene. Her presence there would seem required in order to complete the circuit with the pivotal earlier scene. But since when did Golden Age Hollywood compromise their blissful fade-outs, regardless of logic.
Anyway, I expect a few years later with a more seasoned Anthony Mann and a more appropriate studio, the idea could have achieved genuine noir status.
Anthony "Not The" Mann
andrewsarchus5 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a huge fan of Anthony Mann films in general and this one was one of the few offered on Netflix that I had not seen. Probably for good reason as it turned out. I agree with the reviewer who said this a noir plot (tragic consequences of kind acts, loss of identity, etc) with no noir visuals. Just two-shots of people talking. A "B" picture with no particularly outstanding merit in any category, including direction. The "scientist" talk and taking lab equipment back to one's home is pretty funny. The main guy scientist is such a schlub it is difficult to imagine these two females fighting over him. Also the main plot line, that of becoming another person, is a bit undermined by the fact that the same actress plays this "transformed" character all the way through. So if it obvious to us that this is the same person, why is it not obvious to the other characters in the film? Unless Mann was pulling some Bunuelian trick on us. But I doubt it. I guess it proves that everyone has to earn a living, even back then!
Strange is the word
bkoganbing29 November 2019
Strange indeed is the word for this picture released from Republic. Our protagonist star is Brenda Marshall who was better known back in the day as
Mrs. William Holden.
Marshall plays a doctor who is experimenting with a new anesthesia she's invented. Using herself as a test guinea pig she has friend Hillary Brooke monitor her as she goes under.
Can't say any more but it's quite a wild ride where among other things Ruth Ford tries to kill her, Hillary Brooke turns out to be a false friend and her husband and fellow physician William Gargan is perplexed by it all.
Anthony Mann hit a bit of a speed bump with Strange Impersonation. It's good, but far from great.
Only at the very end will the strangeness and choices Marshall makes all become clear.
Marshall plays a doctor who is experimenting with a new anesthesia she's invented. Using herself as a test guinea pig she has friend Hillary Brooke monitor her as she goes under.
Can't say any more but it's quite a wild ride where among other things Ruth Ford tries to kill her, Hillary Brooke turns out to be a false friend and her husband and fellow physician William Gargan is perplexed by it all.
Anthony Mann hit a bit of a speed bump with Strange Impersonation. It's good, but far from great.
Only at the very end will the strangeness and choices Marshall makes all become clear.
Anthony Mann plays fast, loose with early noir conventions
bmacv2 March 2002
Heralded noir director Anthony Mann made his name in legendary collaborations with cinematographer John Alton (T-Men, Raw Deal, Border Incident). But his work in the cycle started earlier when it was still coalescing -- before its essentials had become codified.
A 1945 Republic release (under an old, pre-eagle logo), Strange Impersonation comes in a compact package holding a lot of plot -- perhaps too much. Pharmaceutical chemist Brenda Marshall, anxious to test a new anesthetic she devised, goes home to do so. [On the way, however, she gets into an unpleasant traffic scrape involving a tipsy woman and an ambulance-chaser.] Finally ensconced in her luxurious penthouse, she injects herself and goes under, only to wake in hospital, suffering disfiguring burns from an explosion and fire among her bottles and beakers.
The next year proves to be no picnic. During her convalescence, her rich fiance (who owns the drug company) drops her like a hot brick. She accidentally murders the accident victim -- see above -- who has resurfaces with a gun and a blackmail scheme. On the lam, Marshall assumes a new identity and buys a swell new face through reconstructive surgery. Then she returns to her old firm with a notion of settling scores.
Cheeky, and with the courage of its conventions, Strange Impersonation draws us in by rapid and unexpected changes in its course. Marshall holds an especially strong hand as the brainy victim of outrageous fortune, and plays her cards well. But she's almost matched by Hillary Brooke as her duplicitous assistant/rival. William Gargan (later to become TV's first Martin Kane, Private Eye) remains no more than a plot point as the duped fiance.
Mann plays fast and loose with themes and gimmicks that were to become staple ingredients later in the noir cycle, as if trying them on for size. There are elements here that recall or prefigure movies such as The Woman in the Window, Dark Passage, A Stolen Face and No Man of Her Own, to name just a few. And if they're not worked out with the ruthlessness of vision that was to shape the finest film noir, no matter. Strange Impersonation is a swift, dark funhouse ride.
A 1945 Republic release (under an old, pre-eagle logo), Strange Impersonation comes in a compact package holding a lot of plot -- perhaps too much. Pharmaceutical chemist Brenda Marshall, anxious to test a new anesthetic she devised, goes home to do so. [On the way, however, she gets into an unpleasant traffic scrape involving a tipsy woman and an ambulance-chaser.] Finally ensconced in her luxurious penthouse, she injects herself and goes under, only to wake in hospital, suffering disfiguring burns from an explosion and fire among her bottles and beakers.
The next year proves to be no picnic. During her convalescence, her rich fiance (who owns the drug company) drops her like a hot brick. She accidentally murders the accident victim -- see above -- who has resurfaces with a gun and a blackmail scheme. On the lam, Marshall assumes a new identity and buys a swell new face through reconstructive surgery. Then she returns to her old firm with a notion of settling scores.
Cheeky, and with the courage of its conventions, Strange Impersonation draws us in by rapid and unexpected changes in its course. Marshall holds an especially strong hand as the brainy victim of outrageous fortune, and plays her cards well. But she's almost matched by Hillary Brooke as her duplicitous assistant/rival. William Gargan (later to become TV's first Martin Kane, Private Eye) remains no more than a plot point as the duped fiance.
Mann plays fast and loose with themes and gimmicks that were to become staple ingredients later in the noir cycle, as if trying them on for size. There are elements here that recall or prefigure movies such as The Woman in the Window, Dark Passage, A Stolen Face and No Man of Her Own, to name just a few. And if they're not worked out with the ruthlessness of vision that was to shape the finest film noir, no matter. Strange Impersonation is a swift, dark funhouse ride.
Unsatisfying, gender-bending twist on the film noir genre
Leofwine_draca18 July 2016
STRANGE IMPERSONATION is an odd and unsatisfying little slice of film noir that plays havoc with established genre elements. The main characters in this film are all women who take the moniker 'femme fatale' to the extreme: they're far more violent than the men, and willing to take part in schemes often dangerous and deadly.
The story bears more than a passing resemblance to the British crime film RETURN OF A STRANGER in the tale of a leading scientist who ends up being horrifically scarred in a laboratory accident. A hefty dollop of plastic surgery follows, at which point the woman decides to wreak revenge on the various characters who have ruined her life - with deadly results.
While this film can be quite watchable at times, overall it's a disappointment. The acting is a bit too shrill for my tastes, and Brenda Marshall is hardly the type of heroine who it's easy to identify with. But the worst thing about it by far is the twist ending, which is a real kick in the teeth to anybody who's bothered to waste their time watching this.
The story bears more than a passing resemblance to the British crime film RETURN OF A STRANGER in the tale of a leading scientist who ends up being horrifically scarred in a laboratory accident. A hefty dollop of plastic surgery follows, at which point the woman decides to wreak revenge on the various characters who have ruined her life - with deadly results.
While this film can be quite watchable at times, overall it's a disappointment. The acting is a bit too shrill for my tastes, and Brenda Marshall is hardly the type of heroine who it's easy to identify with. But the worst thing about it by far is the twist ending, which is a real kick in the teeth to anybody who's bothered to waste their time watching this.
Imposter
jldmp14 September 2006
Two things (and only two things) are worthy of notice here. The first is the simple noir construction - that of a manipulator who toys with the protagonist - here, to take over her role. Nora has no way out of the 'machinery', so the only escape is through a deus ex machina sort of release. Similar to the more harrowing (but ultimately, just as goopy)"The Big Clock".
The second is the 'skeleton' of this movie, similar to the deconstructed anatomical model - it serves as a rough blank upon which much improved storytelling conventions have been added. This has been 'reconstructed' in the guise of "Angel Heart", "Johnny Handsome", "Abre Los Ojos/Vanilla Sky" and countless others.
Otherwise, this is pretentious - poor acting, dull camera work, generic musical score, and shallow science...a B movie, pretending to be something well beyond its reach.
The second is the 'skeleton' of this movie, similar to the deconstructed anatomical model - it serves as a rough blank upon which much improved storytelling conventions have been added. This has been 'reconstructed' in the guise of "Angel Heart", "Johnny Handsome", "Abre Los Ojos/Vanilla Sky" and countless others.
Otherwise, this is pretentious - poor acting, dull camera work, generic musical score, and shallow science...a B movie, pretending to be something well beyond its reach.
"You Cannot Escape The Person You Are!"...
azathothpwiggins12 August 2021
Scientist, Nora Goodrich (Brenda Marshall) has developed a revolutionary anesthetic. Rather than bother with years of trials, she simply uses it on herself, in her apartment.
The new drug works very well. In fact, too well, since Nora's conniving assistant, Arline Cole (Hillary Brooke) has plans of her own, and takes full advantage of Nora's comatose condition.
Tragedy ensues, altering Nora's entire life!
STRANGE IMPERSONATION has elements of noir, revenge, and even a bit of sci-fi thrown in. While the ending is somewhat of an eye-roller, the rest is good enough to recommend it...
The new drug works very well. In fact, too well, since Nora's conniving assistant, Arline Cole (Hillary Brooke) has plans of her own, and takes full advantage of Nora's comatose condition.
Tragedy ensues, altering Nora's entire life!
STRANGE IMPERSONATION has elements of noir, revenge, and even a bit of sci-fi thrown in. While the ending is somewhat of an eye-roller, the rest is good enough to recommend it...
Blubbery, Pasty-faced...Love Idol?
jeannebodine30 October 2019
I normally love B pictures but this film was so cringe-inducing, it made my teeth ache. I know we're supposed to suspend disbelief but I'd need a whopping dose of the "Girl Chemist's" anesthesia to become brain-dead enough to accept this plot. There were so many agonizing aspects so I'll just mention the 2 that gave me a headache: the over-the-top scene when Jane Kanaski comes to call (so subtle) and the casting of William Gargan as a Hunky Catch. Gargan is so off-putting he made me uncomfortable watching as I could almost feel his soft, puffy, sweaty hands.
Drugged
tedg13 October 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Spoilers herein.
This film was from a period in which the definitions of and borderlines between genres was changing, perhaps the most in the history of film. This experiment is a 'safe' noir, where the viewer is returned to the fuzzy familiar world of the happy ending.
In other words, this movie is one thing that disguises itself as something else, something darker, more mysterious and less 'scientific' (meaning in this case, logical).
And the story is the same thing. Would be pretty interesting if their were at least one other element that was done well.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
This film was from a period in which the definitions of and borderlines between genres was changing, perhaps the most in the history of film. This experiment is a 'safe' noir, where the viewer is returned to the fuzzy familiar world of the happy ending.
In other words, this movie is one thing that disguises itself as something else, something darker, more mysterious and less 'scientific' (meaning in this case, logical).
And the story is the same thing. Would be pretty interesting if their were at least one other element that was done well.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
Nightmares and reality
jarrodmcdonald-110 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
During the early days of his career as a Hollywood director, Anthony Mann turned out a series of B crime flicks at RKO and Republic. This was Mann's fifth and final assignment at Republic, made just before he moved over to Eagle-Lion and MGM. What we have is a well-orchestrated piece of suspenseful hokum, with plot holes big enough to drive a truck through them. But it is nonetheless an engaging way to spend about an hour of one's time if you don't object to mindless entertainment.
The most interesting performer in the cast is Hillary Brooke. She plays an attractive but scheming lab employee who assists Brenda Marshall's chemist with a series of experiments. Some of this lab testing leads to a minor explosion. Brooke, who covets another doctor at the research institute where they work- a man (William Gargan) who keeps proposing to Marshall, not to Brooke- would rather there be a bigger explosion that will send Marshall up in a could of smoke, permanently.
Brooke seemingly gets her wish when through a series of plot contrivances that can only occur in a Hollywood movie, Marshall appears to get injured during an experiment with her face severely disfigured.
Marshall convalesces at a hospital and Brooke manipulates the situation to tell Gargan that Marshall, bothered by her horrible disfigurement, no longer wishes to see him. Gargan being the sap he is seems to take Brooke's word for it. Even more ludicrously, he accepts a date with Brooke not realizing she is angling to get closer and marry him in Marshall's place.
There is a subplot involving another gal (Ruth Ford) who was involved in a small fender bender with Marshall. Ford is egged on by a shyster ambulance chaser- is there any other kind- to put the screws to Marshall and extort a considerable sum of money from her. When Marshall refuses to go along with the ruse, a confrontation takes place in Marshall's apartment after she's just gotten home from the hospital.
A gun that Ford brought to the scene goes off and Ford then falls over the balcony, dying as she hits the concrete sidewalk below. It is very convenient from a plot standpoint that Ford lands on her face and wrecks her face so much that she can be mistaken for the disfigured Marshall.
This frees Marshall up to take Ford's identity and travel across the country to get a proper amount of plastic surgery- with no real explanation how she got the money for all these costly procedures.
As soon as she's healed, Marshall intends to return to win Gargan back; though I am sure there were plenty of more handsome, less dopey men she could have chosen at the facility where she underwent the surgery.
By the time Marshall does return to reclaim Gargan, he is already married to Brooke. They both don't recognize her, despite the fact Marshall's voice, height and various mannerisms did not change. Eventually Brooke realizes what is going on, that Marshall is her former nemesis and this sets the stage for the final act.
Speaking of the film's final act, it is rather clever that Marshall, assumed to be Ford, will be apprehended and blamed for her own "death." Yet, we are short-changed to an extent, because instead of seeing Marshall's actions backfire spectacularly, with her placed into the electric chair, the narrative abruptly shifts gears...
We learn Marshall dreamt the whole thing. She'd fallen into a deep sleep after injecting herself with a chemical during an experiment she had been conducting at the beginning of the movie. It cheats the audience, though obviously it's done to facilitate a happy ending between Marshall and Gargan.
The moral seems to be that a woman cannot find happiness unless she agrees to marry a man and give him children, regardless of how unintelligent or unworthy he may be. That if she doesn't sacrifice a career outside the home, then her nightmares may become reality.
The most interesting performer in the cast is Hillary Brooke. She plays an attractive but scheming lab employee who assists Brenda Marshall's chemist with a series of experiments. Some of this lab testing leads to a minor explosion. Brooke, who covets another doctor at the research institute where they work- a man (William Gargan) who keeps proposing to Marshall, not to Brooke- would rather there be a bigger explosion that will send Marshall up in a could of smoke, permanently.
Brooke seemingly gets her wish when through a series of plot contrivances that can only occur in a Hollywood movie, Marshall appears to get injured during an experiment with her face severely disfigured.
Marshall convalesces at a hospital and Brooke manipulates the situation to tell Gargan that Marshall, bothered by her horrible disfigurement, no longer wishes to see him. Gargan being the sap he is seems to take Brooke's word for it. Even more ludicrously, he accepts a date with Brooke not realizing she is angling to get closer and marry him in Marshall's place.
There is a subplot involving another gal (Ruth Ford) who was involved in a small fender bender with Marshall. Ford is egged on by a shyster ambulance chaser- is there any other kind- to put the screws to Marshall and extort a considerable sum of money from her. When Marshall refuses to go along with the ruse, a confrontation takes place in Marshall's apartment after she's just gotten home from the hospital.
A gun that Ford brought to the scene goes off and Ford then falls over the balcony, dying as she hits the concrete sidewalk below. It is very convenient from a plot standpoint that Ford lands on her face and wrecks her face so much that she can be mistaken for the disfigured Marshall.
This frees Marshall up to take Ford's identity and travel across the country to get a proper amount of plastic surgery- with no real explanation how she got the money for all these costly procedures.
As soon as she's healed, Marshall intends to return to win Gargan back; though I am sure there were plenty of more handsome, less dopey men she could have chosen at the facility where she underwent the surgery.
By the time Marshall does return to reclaim Gargan, he is already married to Brooke. They both don't recognize her, despite the fact Marshall's voice, height and various mannerisms did not change. Eventually Brooke realizes what is going on, that Marshall is her former nemesis and this sets the stage for the final act.
Speaking of the film's final act, it is rather clever that Marshall, assumed to be Ford, will be apprehended and blamed for her own "death." Yet, we are short-changed to an extent, because instead of seeing Marshall's actions backfire spectacularly, with her placed into the electric chair, the narrative abruptly shifts gears...
We learn Marshall dreamt the whole thing. She'd fallen into a deep sleep after injecting herself with a chemical during an experiment she had been conducting at the beginning of the movie. It cheats the audience, though obviously it's done to facilitate a happy ending between Marshall and Gargan.
The moral seems to be that a woman cannot find happiness unless she agrees to marry a man and give him children, regardless of how unintelligent or unworthy he may be. That if she doesn't sacrifice a career outside the home, then her nightmares may become reality.
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