X (1963 film)

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X
X (X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes) DVD cover
IMDb profile

X (also known as X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes) is a 1963 science fiction/horror film.

The film was directed by Roger Corman and stars Ray Milland as Dr. James Xavier. A world renowned scientist, Dr. Xavier experiments with X-ray vision and things go horribly wrong. Most of the cast are relative unknowns, but Don Rickles in notable in an uncharacteristically dramatic role.

The movie was notable for its use of visual effects to portray Dr. Xavier's point of view. While crude by later standards, the visuals are still effective in impressing upon the audience the bizarre viewpoint of the protagonist.

[edit] Plot Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Dr. Xavier develops eyedrops intended to increase the range of human vision, allowing one to see beyond the "visible" spectrum into the ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths and beyond. Believing that testing on animals and volunteers will produce uselessly subjective observations, he begins testing the drops on himself.

Initially, Xavier discovers that he can see though people's clothing, and he uses his vision to save a young girl whose medical problem was misdiagnosed. Over time and with continued use of the drops, Xavier's visual capacity increases and his ability to control it decreases until he can no longer see the world in human terms, but only in forms of lights and textures that his brain is unable to fully comprehend. His behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and Xavier's associates assume that he is going insane.

After accidentally killing a friend, Xavier goes on the run, using his x-ray vision first to work in a carnival, and then to win at gambling in a casino. Xavier's eyes are altered along with his vision: first they become black and silver, and then entirely black. To hide his startling appearance, he wears dark wrap-around sunglasses at all times.

At the end of the movie, Xavier blinds himself in an attempt to remove the visual super-acuity which is driving him mad.

[edit] Trivia

There have long been rumours about additional footage, shot for the final scene in the movie, in which Dr. Xavier, after removing his eyes, screams "I can still see!" Writer and horror film buff Stephen King related these rumors in the late 1970s in his book Danse Macabre. This footage has never turned up, but in the X DVD audio commentary for the 2001 "Midnite Movies" series from MGM, Corman claims that he does recall shooting the scene on a whim (the "I can still see!" line was not in the script), but being dissatisfied with the results and returning to the script's ending.

King also notes a strong Lovecraftian quality to X, based on Xavier's near-insanity when he cannot comprehend the god-like being he sees at the center of the universe.