The Great Impostor

Director: Robert Mulligan Robert Mulligan

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/28/2014
UPC:	0025192243233
Original Release:	1961
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Language:	English
Time:	1:52:00
Sales rank:	23,634

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tony Curtis	Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. / Martin Donner / Dr. Gilbert / B
Karl Malden	Father Devlin
Edmond O'Brien	Capt. Glover - HMCS Cayuga
Arthur O'Connell	Warden J.B. Chandler
Gary Merrill	Pa Demara
Joan Blackman	Catherine Lacey
Raymond Massey	Abbott Donner
Robert Middleton	Brown
Jeanette Nolan	Ma Demara
Sue Ane Langdon	Eulalie
Larry Gates	Cardinal
Mike Kellin	Thompson
Frank Gorshin	Barney
Cindi Wood	WAC Lieutenant
Robert Crawford Jr.	Demara as a Boy
Dick Sargent	Hotchkiss
Ward Ramsey	Executive Officer Howard
Doodles Weaver	Farmer
Philip Ahn	Hun Kin
Harry Carey Jr.	Dr. Joseph Mornay
Jerry Paris	Defense Lieutenant
Herbert Rudley	Senior Officer
Willard Sage	Lt. Thorton
David White	Actor

Technical Credits

Robert Arthur	Producer
Robert Mulligan	Director

Editorial Reviews

Something of a precursor to the later Catch Me If You Can (although both films deal with separate real-life figures), The Great Imposter is an enjoyable, if fairly lightweight, drama that raises intriguing questions that it doesn't really answer. Some people will undoubtedly be bothered by the lack of a weightier approach to this story; after all, Demara is not only committing fraud, he is placing people's health and/or lives in jeopardy by doing so. In addition, the psychological questions implicit in such a personality -- and the effect these would have on those closest to him -- are not really explored, even when they are briefly raised. However, Imposter is pretty upfront about its intentions, which is to tell a good story without going into too much detail about the consequences, and at this it succeeds admirably. The screenplay is deftly constructed, and Robert Mulligan's direction is swift, yet leaves enough room to linger occasionally so that the dramatic impact can be built up. Tony Curtis is quite good as this "Teflon" character, changing guises and personalities as the need dictates. Edmond O'Brien is also quite good, and the tooth scene between him and Curtis is a definite high point. Karl Malden and Raymond Massey also score as a couple of religious figures who figure prominently. If one can accept the tone and scope that the filmmakers have established in telling this story, one is likely to have quite a good time.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler