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MovieMail's Review
Rains play the fake clairvoyant whose predictions start to come true in this pacy 1930s thriller. It's punchy and thoroughly worthwhile, says James Oliver.
Having established himself in The Invisible Man, Claude Rains returned to his native Britain for this thoroughly satisfying thriller.
Rains plays Maximus, a music hall performer who's devised a new mind reading act with his wife Rene (King Kong's Fay Wray). On its debut, their performance goes awry but something strange happens to Maximus; he slides into a trance and seems to predict the future. When he foresees a train accident, Maximus becomes a media sensation. But is Maximus really seeing what's to come? Or do his pronouncements precipitate events? The authorities mean to find out – by putting Maximus on trial.
Written by key Hitchcock collaborator Charles Bennett and directed by veteran Maurice Elvey, The Clairvoyant nails the lie that Hitchcock made the only British films worth bothering with in the thirties. It's a punchy, pacy flick with a surprisingly sophisticated approach to the material. Rains is fantastic (did he ever give a bum performance?) and Wray clearly relishes Bennett's witty script. Comparatively little known, it's one of the most worthwhile films of its era.
James Oliver
In The Clairvoyant, the Great Maximus (Claude Rains) has got a new act for the music halls where he makes his living. Working with his beautiful wife Rene (Fay Wray), he poses as a mind reader. It’s all a trick, of course: he certainly doesn’t have the gift for real. Or so he thinks...
When he correctly predicts a terrible train crash, Maximus becomes an instant celebrity. But his new-found fame, and his friendship with sultry Christine Shawn (Jane Baxter), threatens his marriage. Worse is to come: he is accused not of foreseeing accidents but actually causing them...
