Dubious fortune tellers have lent their charms and dangers to plenty of noirs — see Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948), The Amazing Mr. X (1948), El Rufián (1961), and many others — but rarely has their foreboding been as tragic as in Wolfgang Staudte’s Schicksal aus zweiter Hand (US: Second Hand Fate). Framed as a long flashback, fake carnival spiritualist Sylvio Sylvestro (Wilhelm Borchert) recounts his descent into carny perdition from his former life as upstanding Michael Scholz, married to the beautiful, wealthy Irene Schulz (Marianne Hoppe) whose death is foretold to him by a clairvoyant named Professor Sapis (Erich Ponto). Alarmed by the professor’s premonitions, Michael becomes overprotective of Irene, which quickly turns to paranoia — and later tragedy — when he begins to suspect her of extramarital dalliances, going so far as to hire a private investigator. Beginning with his character’s frenetic carriage ride home from Sapis’ abode the evening his wife’s fate is pronounced, Borchert’s performance of a man’s emotional journey from love to worry to fear to anger is excellent, particularly how it becomes entwined with his growing resentment of her wealthy social circle who congregate at balls and ballets. Visually, the film has a dreamy, poetic quality, the flashback opening and closing with the view of an illuminated Ferris wheel through gossamer curtains, the camera finding high angles, low-key lighting, and closeups of Michael’s distressed face as he trudges toward his ironic destiny.