Dark Passage (Delmer Daves, 1947): USA
Reviewed by Kathleen Amboy. Viewed on TCM.
Stowing away on the back of a truck then jumping off undetected, escaped con Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) is aided by a stranger named Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall), through his Dark Passage to discover his wife’s real murderer.
Believing him innocent, Irene offers Parry a fresh suit, access to her upscale apartment, and cash, wherein he reluctantly accepts. Investing in a new face by an underground plastic surgeon (Houseley Stevenson), Parry is told he needs several days rest in order to recuperate.
Hesitantly he returns to Irene’s apartment all bandaged up, and she agrees to help, but he has second thoughts, due to her overly clingy friends Bob (Bruce Bennett) and Madge (Agnes Moorehead), who are both a little too inquisitive into Irene’s personal affairs.
Aside from being on the lam from the police, Parry’s best friend turns up dead, an annoying ex-con is continually sniffing around, and it turns out that Madge once had the hots for Parry!
Although this is not one of the more popular Bogart and Bacall pairings, due to the fact that the film lacks the clever gibes and comebacks between the two, which made To Have and Have Not (1944), and The Big Sleep (1946) enormously popular, but it is one of their best.
Directed and well-written by Delmer Daves, the first hour of the film is told from a subjective camera (Parry’s) POV. We don’t see Bogart’s face until the second half of the film, which relies completely on Bacall’s acting and presence to carry it.
Unlike the detective story Lady in the Lake (1947), a noir film told with the same subjective camera POV, Dark Passage is noir which focuses on the accused, (or) the real victim.
Shot in and around San Francisco is only a part of the charm of the film, which has many effective tight and upward angled shots, that make us feel confined, hunted, and claustrophobic. In addition to an unforgettable framed shot of the real killer, Parry suffers a hallucinogenic dream sequence, as impressive as Marlowe’s, in noir classic Murder, My Sweet (1944).
Delmer Daves was an incredibly gifted writer, director, and producer, with Jubal (1956), and 3:10 to Yuma (1957) as just a couple of modest examples of his work.
Agnes Moorehead is superb as Madge; she’s an actress that always delivered a strong performance, and if pressed, I would have to say this is one of her best roles.
Lauren Bacall’s Irene Jansen is against type from her previous two sultry roles, but solid and underrated in this role. Another Bacall film that is a must-see is Designing Woman (1957) – hands down her best!
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