On D List of Movie Reviews
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Dark Passage (1947)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
6/15
6/15:
The only film noir I had seen that was shot in the first-person point of view was
Lady in the Lake by Robert Montgomery.
Now, Dark Passage can be safely added to this list although it's not 100% done this way. Humphrey Bogart
would appear in front of the camera about an hour into it which seemed like a mistake because the film went
downhill thereafter. He and Lauren Bacall made four pictures together.
To Have and Have Not was the best they did due to their
inimitable chemistry.
Humphrey Bogart is less than effective here. He also shows his age a great deal while looking more worn down
than before. Lauren Bacall wrote in her autobiography By Myself that her husband was losing his hair
throughout the production due to vitamin deficiencies, hence the toupee for the first time ever. On the other
hand, her greatness began and ended with To Have and Have Not.
Overall, she's a terrible actress who plays herself repeatedly. Agnes Moorehead is wasted as her character
will jump out of the window.
Dark Passage is high in film noir during the first half, but it tapers off afterwards along with
the overwrought and ridiculous story. Even the ending is stupid. It's a mistake to reintroduce the motorist to try
to make things more interesting. What's his motivation for helping out the convicted murderer? Wherever the
guy goes, everybody is highly suspicious of him which is unrealistic. Also, he keeps leaving his fingerprints
behind in every scene for various crimes. Regardless, I didn't root for him the entire time, but the San
Francisco scenery is a nice touch.
All in all, the novel technique may be keen for Dark Passage, but let's be real:
everybody wants to see Humphrey Bogart in the flesh.