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A Major Disappointment

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The cast is promising (Claude Rains and Fay Wray), and so is the script idea of a fake clairvoyant who gains the ability to really see the future in the presence of one particular woman. But the director, Maurice Elvey, doesn't provide much atmosphere (except for a few close-ups of Rains' face when he goes into his predictive trance); most of the time this plays like a marital drama rather than a supernatural thriller. The best sequence - a mine shaft accident - is actually lifted from a French movie! (thank you IMDb). Also, the alternate title "The Evil Mind" is a misnomer. ** out of 4.

The Clairvoyant is a surprising fantasy film. It's enthralling and very entertaining. It's a wise, sometimes witty look, without smoke and mirrors, at crystal balls and the public acceptance of prophets. While made some four score years ago, it rarely shows its age. Its actors, including a Claude Rains not resting on his laurels after his triumph in The Invisible Man, are excellent. And the action never lets up.Rains plays a fortune teller appearing in English music halls and not having much of a success. Suddenly all that changes, when he apparently is really able to foresee the future. Employing his distinctive voice to good stead, the talented Rains has both a vulnerable yet powerful presence. What's most interesting is that he, and the other actors, including a lovely Fay Wray, are three- dimensional and eminently likable. One cares what happens to them.The writing is crisp, without the hokey staginess afflicting many movies of the period. If all this weren't enough, there is enough action for three movies, including some grand and memorable scenes that will leave you gasping for air.As other reviewers have noted, the director was Maurice Elvey, the most prolific of all English film directors, directing nearly 200 movies between 1913 and 1957. His no- nonsense professionalism undoubtedly was responsible for this movie's remarkable absence of tedious scenes, the bane of British films in this period. Instead, he's given us a fast-moving streamliner that deserves to be more well-known, both in the fantasy genre and in the body of Claude Rains' film accomplishments. A terrific way to spend a rainy afternoon. Trivia note: the uncredited producer was Michael Balcon, the future grandfather of Daniel Day-Lewis, and grandfather-in-law of Rebecca Miller, daughter of the playwright Arthur Miller.

Charlatan clairvoyant Claude Rains (as Maximus) and impetuous wife Fay Wray (as Rene) become wealthy and successful when their con act benefits from his acquisition of real powers. The newfound ability to foretell the future comes in handy when Mr. Rains visits the racetrack. Rains' predictive powers seem to stem from mysterious Jane Baxter (as Christine Shawn), which makes Ms. Wray jealous. Call it her "woman's intuition." There are more problems for Rains when he predicts a horrific disaster, inviting some "kill the messenger" reaction from the public. Both Rains and the film's credulity are put on trial - one wins, one loses.***** The Clairvoyant (1934) Maurice Elvey ~ Claude Rains, Fay Wray, Jane Baxter Mary Clare

Claude Rains' follow-up to THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933), for which he briefly returned to his native country, was in this stylish psychological thriller; the notion of second sight lying at its center faintly links it with the horror genre – but, then, there is Fay Wray in an adequate dramatic showcase! Rains is, as ever, compelling in the title role; interestingly, the first scene has him rehearsing the mind-reading act with wife/assistant Wray – suggesting that his 'power' is merely a pretense. Later, however, when in the presence of newspaper owner's daughter Jane Baxter, he is able to predict a train wreck – which, discovering to be the one he is traveling on himself, is able to get out of in time! Anyway, this symbiosis proves fortuitous to Rains' career (Baxter thus becomes a fixture in his life) but, at the same time, threatens to disrupt his marriage – especially when the other woman confesses her love for him! The event which turns his fortunes around is his unsuccessful attempt in alerting mine workers to an impending disaster, for which he is eventually brought to trial accused of striking panic into the workers and actually bringing about the tragedy foretold! Prosecuting attorney Felix Aylmer similarly contends that, had he not pulled the cord to disembark during that fateful train journey, the accident would not have happened either! This, of course, is a severe blow to Rains' ego (having just opted to take Baxter's side rather than Wray's because he believes it his destiny to use his new-found gift for the good of mankind!)…but, then, he gets another genuine vision (economically but very effectively handled by shining a spotlight on Rains' bulging eyes) and predicts the mine survivors' burrowing to safety – which, of course, exonerates him of all charges. After this, he gives up his gift and the very last scene has Rains (reunited with Wray) scoffing at another mind-reader's act. Trivia: chubby Graham Moffatt (best-known for his frequent sparring with my favorite British comedian Will Hay) appears briefly as the page-boy who tips the clairvoyant about the winner of the horse-racing derby.