User reviews

Tony Curtis may not have been the greatest of actors (though he did give some great performances), but he was very charismatic and immensely likeable and improved hugely with each film, it was very difficult to dislike him even early in his career. Reading the subject matter gave the impression that 'The Great Imposter' would be interesting and entertaining. There is also a good deal of talent in the cast.

Luckily, 'The Great Imposter' turned out to be exactly that, exactly what it seemed it would be on paper. It was interesting and it was very entertaining, the latter being especially strong, those two being its main objectives and they were achieved. Won't say it was a masterpiece or classic cinema because it wasn't, not everything works, but like Curtis one cannot be too hard on 'The Great Imposter' with so much working in its favour. It knows what it wants to be, who to aim it at and shows a lot of effort without trying to bite more than it can chew or play it too safe.

Would have liked DeMura's motivations to have gone into depth more or properly explored/explained, this aspect felt underdeveloped.

Also didn't buy his reform, which felt rushed and too pat to me, but that's personal opinion.

On the other hand, 'The Great Imposter' looks attractive, especially in the photography, and is assuredly directed. The music is never intrusive, low-key, obvious or repetitive, it fits well and not hard at all to remember.

While the facts and subject are adapted loosely and the tone significantly more light-hearted compared to the biography, of which it is a loose adaptation of, the light-hearted wit is infectious, it doesn't get too camp or silly and those unfamiliar with the man and story before seeing the film will find themselves wanting to learn more. The story is crisply paced and while odd in places (in an appealing way) it doesn't get too hard to follow. The surgery scene is priceless and avoids the trap of falling into distaste, do agree though it is not a subject to be laughed or poked fun at usually.

Did worry as to whether Curtis would be able to handle multiple roles and whether he would pull it off, but didn't need to be. He does splendidly here, we have as much fun as he clearly did, and one can really see how much he grew as an actor from when he first started a decade or so before. Raymond Massey, Edmund O'Brien and Karl Malden are particularly note-worthy in support.

All in all, lots of fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox

"The Great Impostor" is quintessential Tony Curtis. Curtis was never an exceptional screen actor but a decent one, probably more for his good looks and charisma than his ability to become different people. He is in the category of what I call "charisma actors". (I would include Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the same category.) Charisma actors are talented and can be very convincing given the right role. And this was the right role for Curtis.

"The Great Imposter" tells the true story of Ferdinand Waldo Demara (Curtis) who was chronicled in a novelistic book of the same name written by Robert Crighton (who also wrote "The Secret of Santa Vittoria"). Demara assumed different identities, such as a monk, a sheriff's deputy, and notably, a prison warden, usually without the expected credentials. Probably the exploit he is most known for which brought him both recognition but exposed his chicanery was becoming a ship's surgeon for the Canadian military during the civil war in Korea. And he didn't have a medical degree!

Curtis was perfect casting as Demara. He makes his character fun and likeable. The real Demara was somewhat heavy-set, unlike Curtis. However, Curtis captures the essence of Demara's likability which was probably the reason for his success. The real Demara found ways of inserting himself to situations without alienating or threatening those already there. While the movie exaggerates a little bit the outcomes of some of Demara's ventures, it's a fun and thoroughly entertaining film. Not one which will go down in the annals of the greatest movies ever made, but it holds its own. A must for Curtis fans.

"The Great Imposter" is one of the most unusual stories ever put on film. Based on a 1959 book by the same title, it's a true story about a man of many identities and many professions. Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. lived from 1921 to 1982. From the time he was a teenager, he lived the lives of some 30 different people. Most of them were "borrowed" IDs from real persons living. And, in most cases, he assumed their careers or credentials which enabled him to pursue another career.

This movie is a fictionalized account of Demara's many IDs and positions before he was 38 years old. Tony Curtis gives a good performance of Demara, who was a physically large man. But Curtis portrays well the character of Demara who was an extrovert with a very upbeat personality. The movie shows many of the real escapades that Demara had -- all that are shown here actually happened. And, there were many more.

This movie is billed as a comedy and drama, but it also ranks as an adventure and maybe even a mystery of sorts. It's not a crime story, but lingers around the edge. Demara is close to a con man, yet he doesn't do anything to rob, steal or gain money from someone else. He doesn't really have victims, but his guises are a type of caper in which he fools an entity or institution in order to get a position.

With all of this, I think Demara's story itself, and this film, also are something of a satire. They get in jabs at the government, education system, institutions and various professions where they build on credentials. Here was a man who had the Ph.Ds. and accolades behind his assumed names, but who hadn't earned those honors and yet could do the job or hold down the position, whatever it was.

This is a fine film and one that everyone should enjoy. The full story about Demara makes great reading. For those who would like just a condensed version of more of his background, I provide the following.

Demara did spend 18 months in a U.S. Navy disciplinary barracks for desertion, but otherwise never was tried or convicted of any crime or wrongdoing. That probably was due to the nature of his forged or faked IDs. He never took on a new position for money, or stole or robbed from anyone. He lived on the money he was paid for the various jobs he had under the various IDs. In several of his assumed IDs, he made significant contributions.

But how could he take on so many diverse careers successfully? He had a photographic memory and could quickly read and easily memorize textbooks. He supposedly had an exceptionally high IQ. Asked later in life why he didn't just use his skills to advance as himself, Demara said that he was just being a rascal. He left school and ran away because it was too slow. He liked the adventure and challenge of each new thing. He was interested in many things. None of it ever was harmful. Much of it was in helpful and in humanitarian fields.

Among the many careers or positions he worked in, most under his fake (assumed) IDs, were several in the medical field, education, and social welfare. Before his Canadian Royal Navy service as a surgeon, he was trained as a Navy corpsman (medic), was a sanitarium orderly, and a psychologist. He was an elementary school teacher, taught at two different colleges, and founded a college that today is Walsh University in Canton, Ohio. He entered and tried Catholic religious orders, including time as a Trappist monk, a Benedictine monk, and a member of the Christian Brothers that run schools.

Demara worked as a counsellor at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles. He received a graduate certificate from Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon and for a time was pastor of a Baptist parish in that state. In his last years, he was a visiting chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital of Orange County in Anaheim California. He befriended many people over his life, including the owners of the hospital. He was allowed to live there and died of heart failure due to diabetes.

Demara served as a prison deputy warden, as a sheriff's deputy, and as a lawyer. Other guises and jobs he had were as a civil engineer, an editor, a cancer researcher and a childcare expert. His is almost a fairy tale story of many escapades.

It's only natural to compare this story and film with that of Frank Abagnale Jr., and the 2002 movie, "Catch Me if You Can." But there is a big difference between the two characters. Abagnale was a true con artist who set out to make millions of dollars, by dishonest means. Demara was a genius who wasn't driven for money but by curiosity, many interests and a sense of adventure that led him to try many fields. As I noted, he was on the edge but he never pursued a scam operation to cheat or steal from, or hurt anyone else.

I don't understand why one might see this film as a bad influence for children. With proper discussion, one can point out the good things Demara tried to do. And then tell children they should try them the right way. Or, does anyone think that there are thousands, hundreds or even dozens of such genius personalities and with such abilities among the young today? If there have been up to the late 20-teens, they haven't gotten very far. Or, there surely would be more than one such story.

Physically, the charismatic and handsome Curtis (until he got into drugs and booze in the 70s) was nothing like Demara, a portly looking chap. The real Demara played a doctor in the horror film The Hypnotic Eye (1960) starring Jacques Bergerac and Allison Hayes. He has a scene tending to one of the women who disfigured herself on the order of the crazed hypnotist. Demara was a puzzling figure. He didn't do his impersonations for money or to harm anyone and the question still remains why he was compelled to become one of the most successful flim-flam man of the 20th century. Today with cameras, smart phones and social media, it would be impossible to fool so many institutions and people in person to the extent he did. The film was shot and lit well, and Mancini's score fluctuates between light and frothy and dark and dramatic. The use of black and white instead of color creates a distancing effect. No matter how dangerous and stupid Curtis's Demara behaves at different points in the film, his movie star charisma and the film's lighthearted approach to a possible sociopathic personality guarantees the audience enjoying his exploits and brushes aside the emotional damage he inflicted on the women he romanced. His attraction to the Catholic church is another puzzle the film does not investigate. The TV series The Pretender has a lead character who has even greater chamelonic powers than Fred.