Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Mirage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 15, 2021

You may say that I'm crazy (and be prepared to get in a very long line for that opportunity), but I'm evidently not the only one (to paraphrase a certain John Lennon lyric, for which I apologize profusely to Lennon fans): there are actual lists online of "best falling scenes" from films, something I discovered because Mirage has always had one of my personal favorites in this weird category and I wanted to see if anyone had aggregated other scenes (they have, just use your favorite search engine and be prepared to fall down a rabbit hole or two yourself). Now many of these Buzzfeed like accounts tend to concentrate on newer films that employ CGI to give viewers the desperate feeling of watching a character fall away from what is often an "overhead" perspective offering a clear view of that person most likely meeting their demise courtesy of some pesky gravity. One of the lists I found online at least mentioned "Slim" Pickens' memorable ride aboard a bomb at the close of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, which some may argue is less of a "fall" and more of a deliberate "dive", but there are several older films that feature vintage special effects to depict the situation, including such well remembered outings as Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur, and there's even a brief and admittedly pretty hokey looking moment in another Hitchcock classic, Rear Window, that does something somewhat similar, albeit less mortally. (Somewhat hilariously, some ardent "falling scene" fan has put together a YouTube video of the seconds long moment in Rear Window which includes several slow motion repeats just to fully appreciate it.)

It takes a while to actually get to the falling scene in Mirage, but the good news for impatient special effects fans is that the journey to that moment is exciting, in a somewhat paranoiac way, since the premise of Mirage is that an executive named David Stillwell (Gregory Peck) emerges from an office during a blackout without his memory fully intact. The rest of the film follows a perplexed Stillwell as he attempts to reassemble his life, something that is increasingly difficult since he seems to be a target for several nefarious types. The apparent suicide of a peace activist named Charles Calvin (Walter Abel), who apparently jumped from a window in the same high rise that housed Stillwell, seems to play into the mystery as well.

As David attempts to exit the darkened, powerless building, he meets a woman named Shela (Diane Baker) on the stairway who claims to know him, though David has no memory of her. Part of the tension in Mirage is that the viewer is left in more or less the same predicament as David himself, never knowing if people are speaking the truth or working toward some ulterior motive. Shela's "appearance" may not exactly be by chance, it turns out, as even she seems more aware of the general situation involving David than David does, though she also seems to ultimately be an ally. The same can't be said for a number of other potentially murderous folks who enter the fray, including Willard (George Kennedy) and Lester (Jack Weston), both of whom seem to have something to do with a mystery man initially known only as "the Major" (Leif Erickson).

When not fist fighting with people trying to bully him into — well, that's not exactly clear, David also reaches out to both a psychiatrist named Dr. Broden (Robert H. Harris) and a private detective named Ted Caselle (Walter Matthau) for help. Interestingly, both are more than a bit skeptical that David's "amnesia" seems to be the memory equivalent of "selective hearing", in that David has clear recollections of himself in certain contexts, though it turns out that even those memories may be suspect. The fact that this film was written by Peter Stone and co-stars both Walter Matthau and George Kennedy may allude to the fact that, as is mentioned in the commentary track included on this disc as a supplement, Mirage is kind of a follow-up to the better remembered Charade, and in fact might also be considered as the "middle panel" in a triptych which also includes another mystery starring Gregory Peck, 1966's Arabesque. (Stone was brought in as a script doctor on that one, but was credited under the pseudonym Pierre Marton.)

Mirage certainly never reaches the suspense heights of Charade, and it doesn't have that film's almost ebullient wit, but its central mystery is quite compelling, even if subsequent revelations about what's actually going on are beyond ludicrous after a while. To cite just one of the film's many improbabilities, if someone knew something that you needed, and was the only person to know that thing, would you shoot at him -- repeatedly? This all plays into a late breaking "political" aspect to the story that is again far fetched and literally incredible.

Still, Mirage has a lot of style, including but certainly not limited to the cool compositing effect featuring a hapless gentleman tumbling out of a skyscraper window. Director Edward Dmytryk and cinematographer Joseph McDonald suffuse the film with a kind of midcentury modern take on noir, utilizing what were evidently only a few days shooting in New York City to nice advantage. The supporting cast of the film is wonderful, and as usual Peck makes for an appealing, if in this case somewhat befuddled, hero.

Mirage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mirage is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber's Studio Classics imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There's no information on the transfer given on the back cover of this release, which may point to an older master, which this certainly has the signs of being. There's a rather peculiar "processed" look to this presentation that kind of oddly combines sharpening, which can make "grain" look weirdly digital, with an at least intermittently filtered appearance that virtually removes grain and gives things a smooth, textureless quality. Perhaps surprisingly, then, detail levels on things like fabrics can actually be at least decent, and the film's black and white cinematography boasts healthy contrast and good blacks. There is noticeable age related wear and tear, including minor scratches, nicks and other blemishes. Parts of this presentation look reasonably organic and are probably at what I'd personally term "above 3.0" levels, but this is a highly variable looking presentation of a film that probably needs more intensive effort.

Mirage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

No similar issues attend this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track. Quincy Jones' score is one of the highlights of the film, and the spacier cues, which feature things like celestas, sound like they're awash in reverb, have surprising force and clarity. The more traditional scoring choices, like a nicely sumptuous theme (which evidently has a lyric, not used in the film) are warm and inviting sounding. The film's dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Mirage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson


• A Face in the Dark (HD; 14;09) is a lovely contemporary interview with Diane Baker, who gives a bit of career background information before discussing this particular film.


• Animated Image Gallery (HD; 8:01)


• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 2:12)

Additionally, trailers for other releases from Kino Lorber are included.

Mirage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mirage is often intriguing, but it's probably ultimately too ridiculous to ever work up the same level of excitement and even angst that Charade did/does. Peck and Baker make an appealing if not exactly combustible pair, and Peter Stone's writing keeps the viewer guessing right along with David. Unfortunately, video quality of this release is iffy, but audio is fine and the supplements appealing, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.