The Clairvoyant Review

• 9th Jun 2011

The Clairvoyant is a 1934 dramatic thriller by Maurice Elvy starring Claude Raines, Fay Wray and Jane Baxter. Raines plays Maximus  (“King of the Mind Readers”), who along with his wife Rene (Fay Wray) perform a cabaret act using a secret code. Things change dramatically for Maximus when an encounter with Christine Shawn (Jane Baxter) at the theatre unlocks an actual ability to see the future.

Maurice Elvy was the most productive British director of the silent year and managed over 200 films in total between 1913 and 1957. His name hit the headlines in 1996 when his lost masterpiece The Life Story of David Lloyd George was discovered and shown for the very first time. His undoubted pedigree in the silent era can be seen in The Clairvoyant as the camera is particularly static at times. Some of the performances are also far more given to the silent era, especially the doe eyed Jane Baxter who stares off into space a great deal.

The Clairvoyant is an excellent psychological thriller as Maximus begins to predict catastrophic events that claim lives. Having started as a somewhat jovial con man comedy this moves into a very dark area indeed. Once the emotional core of the film shifts to the pain that this burden brings things really get going.

The Clairvoyant reminded me somewhat of Final Destination being far more drawn to disaster than happy events. The film had the title The Evil Mind upon its USA release which is even more misleading than the actual UK title. Raines is perfectly cast making me think of his legendary role in James Whale’s The Invisible Man. Maximus could in fact be the same character but having understood the danger of his ability and chooses to shy away from the inevitable dangers.

Having never encountered The Clairvoyant before this turned out to be a fantastic find courtesy of Odeon. Claude Raines always delivers a combination of dark humor and pure terror that has made his name synonymous with fantasy cinema. Having heard a great deal about Maurice Elvy around the time when they found his lost masterpiece it was fascinating to see another film by him. Delightful stuff that will entertain any fan of fantasy film or anyone looking at the history of British film post the silent era.

Aled Jones