The Great Impostor (1961)

The Great Impostor (1961) (DVD) (*)

$25.99

Screened, competed or awarded at:
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Mono )
English ( Subtitles )
Italian ( Mono )

Product Origin/Format:
Italy ( PAL/NTSC/Region 0 )

Running Time:
112 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (2.35:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Posters
Scene Access
Trailer(s)
Black & White
Remastered

Movie filmed in 1961 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Robert Mulligan

Written By:
Robert Crichton
Liam O'Brien

Actors:
Tony Curtis ..... Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / Ben. W. Stone / Dr. J
Edmond O'Brien ..... Capt. Glover - HMCS Cayuga
Arthur O'Connell ..... Warden J.B. Chandler
Gary Merrill ..... Pa Demara
Joan Blackman ..... Lt. Catherine Lacey
Raymond Massey ..... Abbott Donner
Robert Middleton ..... R.C. Brown
Jeanette Nolan ..... Ma Demara
Sue Ane Langdon ..... Eulalie Chandler
Larry Gates ..... Cardinal
Mike Kellin ..... Clifford Thompson
Frank Gorshin ..... Barney
Cindi Wood ..... WAC Lieutenant
Dick Sargent ..... Hotchkiss
Robert Crawford Jr. ..... Fred Demara Jr.

Synopsis:

The Great Impostor is the true story of chameleonlike Canadian Ferdinand Waldo DeMara Jr., well-played by Tony Curtis. Unable to decide what he wants to do with his life, DeMara goes about pretending to be other people, hoping to eventually "find himself." He poses as a Harvard professor, a Trappist monk, a prison warden, and a navy physician, and manages each time to get away with the artifice. The film wavers uncertainly between tense drama and frothy comedy, with comedy finally winning out. Karl Malden co-stars as Father Devlin, the young DeMara's spiritual advisor, while Joan Blackman is the nominal (and hardly visible) heroine. The real Ferdinand DeMara (if indeed there was a real Ferdinand DeMara) can be seen in a supporting role in the 1960 melodrama The Hypnotic Eye.

Fitionalized account of Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. who stole or created fictional identities and worked in a variety of occupations, most quite successfully. He worked as a prison warden, impersonated a monk and was also a doctor aboard a Royal Canadian Navy warship where he was required to perform an appendectomy. His impersonations are more to allow himself to live different lives as opposed to making any kind of personal gain although he did get in trouble with the law as a result of his exploits.

Based on a true story, a bright young man who hasn't the patience for the normal way of advancement finds that people rarely question you if your papers are in order. He becomes a marine, a monk, a surgeon onboard a Canadian Warship, and a prison warden.

This product was added to our catalog on Tuesday 27 September, 2022.