DARK PASSAGE (Warner Brothers, 1947), directed by Delmar Daves, marked the third pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, who were already married in real life. Following their earlier successes of TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) and THE BIG SLEEP (1946), DARK PASSAGE is often hailed as their weakest collaboration yet their most revived on television. The story follows the pattern used in LADY IN THE LAKE (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1946) starring Robert Montgomery using the camera as the subject matter where the leading character is heard but out of view, with others looking and talking to the camera being the subject matter. This time, the subject matter is Humphrey Bogart, at least during the first half of the story anyway. Though this camera method was regarded something new at that time, it's a little-known fact that the subjective camera was used years ago, notably in Paramount's DR. JEKYLL AND MR, HYDE (1931) and A FAREWELL TO ARMS (1932). Another bonus besides Bogart and Bacall is the on-location filming of San Francisco and how it looked in the 1940s.
The story begins with a truck leaving San Quentin Prison. Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart), having served three years to a life sentence for the murder of his wife, makes his daring escape hiding inside one of the garbage cans. With the sirens roaring and motorcycle policemen hot in pursuit, Parry breaks away and hitches a ride. After his pick-up driver (Clifton Young) hears the radio news about an escaped convict, Parry knocks him out and switches clothes. In the meantime, Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall), an amateur landscape painter, stops her car to give him a ride. Managing to get past a roadblock, Irene, who has followed Vincent's trial and believes him innocent, offers her San Francisco apartment to stay. Buying him a new set of clothes, Parry, fearing he would be recognized by Irene's friend, Madge Rapf (Agnes Moorehead), who had testified against Parry, and Bob (Bruce Bennett), her ex-husband now interested in Irene, decides to go on his way that night, using the money for food and lodging given to him by Irene. Recognized by Sam (Tom D'Andrea), a taxi driver, rather than taking Parry to the police, he takes him to Walter Coley (Houseley Stevenson), his plastic surgeon friend. Now with a new face so he wouldn't be recognized, Parry discovers his best friend, George Fellsinger (Rory Mallinson), who offered to take him in during his healing process, has been murdered. Returning to Irene for further support and the removal of the surgical bandages on his face, Parry leaves her once again. Going under the name of Alan Lynell, he finds himself being hounded on suspicion by a detective (Douglas Kennedy) and being blackmailed by an unexpected presence at his hotel room.
An interesting concept with interesting characters, the best being the plastic surgeon and the blackmailer, but none as meatier and meaner than Madge, memorably played by Agnes Moorehead. She gives the story a real added interest. Though this is a Bogart-Bacall union, DARK PASSAGE is Bogart's film for its full 107 minutes from unseen face to off-screen narration. Even though Bacall is gone for long stretches, her character remains in memory throughout. As much as there could have been an original theme song used for DARK PASSAGE, an older one, "Too Marvelous for Words" introduced in READY, WILLING AND ABLE (1937) is used instead. Of the minor players, John Arledge and Mary Field stand out as a lonely couple with two children sitting in a bus depot.
Though some may not find DARK PASSAGE too marvelous for words for being somewhat slow and contrived with a series of coincidences, it's one of those movies that with repeated viewings make this now regarded a film noir classic. Available on both video cassette and DVD format, DARK PASSAGE often shows on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. (**1/2)
The story begins with a truck leaving San Quentin Prison. Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart), having served three years to a life sentence for the murder of his wife, makes his daring escape hiding inside one of the garbage cans. With the sirens roaring and motorcycle policemen hot in pursuit, Parry breaks away and hitches a ride. After his pick-up driver (Clifton Young) hears the radio news about an escaped convict, Parry knocks him out and switches clothes. In the meantime, Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall), an amateur landscape painter, stops her car to give him a ride. Managing to get past a roadblock, Irene, who has followed Vincent's trial and believes him innocent, offers her San Francisco apartment to stay. Buying him a new set of clothes, Parry, fearing he would be recognized by Irene's friend, Madge Rapf (Agnes Moorehead), who had testified against Parry, and Bob (Bruce Bennett), her ex-husband now interested in Irene, decides to go on his way that night, using the money for food and lodging given to him by Irene. Recognized by Sam (Tom D'Andrea), a taxi driver, rather than taking Parry to the police, he takes him to Walter Coley (Houseley Stevenson), his plastic surgeon friend. Now with a new face so he wouldn't be recognized, Parry discovers his best friend, George Fellsinger (Rory Mallinson), who offered to take him in during his healing process, has been murdered. Returning to Irene for further support and the removal of the surgical bandages on his face, Parry leaves her once again. Going under the name of Alan Lynell, he finds himself being hounded on suspicion by a detective (Douglas Kennedy) and being blackmailed by an unexpected presence at his hotel room.
An interesting concept with interesting characters, the best being the plastic surgeon and the blackmailer, but none as meatier and meaner than Madge, memorably played by Agnes Moorehead. She gives the story a real added interest. Though this is a Bogart-Bacall union, DARK PASSAGE is Bogart's film for its full 107 minutes from unseen face to off-screen narration. Even though Bacall is gone for long stretches, her character remains in memory throughout. As much as there could have been an original theme song used for DARK PASSAGE, an older one, "Too Marvelous for Words" introduced in READY, WILLING AND ABLE (1937) is used instead. Of the minor players, John Arledge and Mary Field stand out as a lonely couple with two children sitting in a bus depot.
Though some may not find DARK PASSAGE too marvelous for words for being somewhat slow and contrived with a series of coincidences, it's one of those movies that with repeated viewings make this now regarded a film noir classic. Available on both video cassette and DVD format, DARK PASSAGE often shows on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. (**1/2)