Dark Passage (1947)

Dark Passage (1947) A man convicted of murdering his wife (Bogart) gets unexpected help from a woman who believes in his innocence (Bacall).

Directed by Delmer Daves                      Starring – Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall

An innovative noir film, and the third of four that the stars made while married to each other.  You won’t see Bogart’s face till after the plastic surgery changes his looks.  That’s 62 minutes into the movie.  Prior to that much of the movie is shown from Bogart’s characters point of view.  This was a fairly unusual technique at the time.  It was tough because cameras were still pretty large at that time, meaning it was very awkward any time the character had to reach into the shot.  Neither the studio or, as it turned out, the audience, was really enamored of the twist.

The end result is a solid if unspectacular, movie.  While both stars are fine in their roles, the film lacks the kind of crackling dialogue you expect from Bacall and Bogart.  Fans of ’60s television may get a shock when they realize the conniving Madge is played by Agnes Moorehead, who was a regular as Samantha’s mother on the show “Bewitched”.  She is smooth, and dangerous here.

All the elements of noir are present here – a cynical point of view, sexual tension, double crosses and twisted motivations.  It never quite pulls enough strings to really take off.

“Dark Passage” was not a hit in its day.  Bogart was criticized in the press for his work against the House UnAmerican Activities Committee.  Add in the less than exciting script, the unusual shooting of the star, and it was a bit of a flop.

Why You Will Like It – The script is good enough, and Bogie and Bacall are worth watching.

Rating – *** Worth A Look