DARK PASSAGE (1947) B/W 106m dir: Delmer Daves

w/Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett, Agnes Moorehead, Tom D'Andrea, Clifton Young, Douglas Kennedy, Rory Mallinson, Houseley Stevenson, Bob Farber, Jo Stafford

From The Movie Guide: "An example of how star power can compensate plot, this is the least electric of the Bogart-Bacall pairings [their other films together include TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT and THE BIG SLEEP]; luckily there's Agnes Moorehead, the screen's best hornet, to intervene whenever the going gets too lackadaisical. She's the only female Bogie ever played opposite he looks scared of.

"Bogie escapes from San Quentin, where he has been imprisoned for murdering his wife, and is picked up by Bacall who has long been obsessed with his case. Convinced that he is innocent, Bacall hides him in her San Francisco apartment. On a tip from a friendly cabbie, Vincent visits an underworld plastic surgeon who gives the fugitive a new face --- thereby enabling him to dodge the authorities and find his wife's real murderer.

"Coming just one year after LADY IN THE LAKE, this mystery likewise employs a subjective camera technique in which the viewer sees the action through Vincent's 'eyes.' The chief difference, however, is the ability here to integrate the technique into the film's plastic surgery plot twist. The audience does not see Vincent's (Bogart's) face until after the bandages are removed (more than an hour into the film) and, since we haven't seen his face until that point, the switch isn't very interesting. And since the narration up until then has been by Bogie, it's impossible not to imagine that you've seen him all through the film. No one else ever inflected like that. At the time of this movie, Bogart was Hollywood's highest paid actor, making more than $450,000 a year."

From the Hi-Def Digest website (www.bluray.highdefdigest.com), this 2016 review of the film by David Krauss:

"Of the four movies Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made together, Dark Passage is the forgotten stepchild. Sandwiched between The Big Sleep and Key Largo, Delmer Daves' innovative and suspenseful mystery-thriller caused barely a ripple at the box office upon its initial release. Maybe the gritty, post-war themes of isolation and paranoia hit too close to home, or the use of a subjective camera alienated audiences. Whatever the reason, Dark Passage got a bum rap from critics and public alike. And while it may not rank up there with the best of Hollywood noir, the film flaunts enough style and substance to merit appreciation.

"After World War II, filmmakers found the subjective camera a slick gimmick to add realism and flair to crime dramas. Robert Montgomery even shot an entire film, an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's Lady in the Lake, from the first-person perspective, with his character's face appearing only in the reflection of mirrors, windows and water. Of course, by the mid-1940s, Montgomery's star stature had faded, so audiences didn't particularly miss his physical presence. Not so for Bogart, who in 1947 was still at the peak of his popularity. Audiences came to see Bogie and felt somewhat cheated when the first third of Dark Passage featured only his inimitable voice. Still, Daves employs the subjective camera to superb effect. Love it or hate it, there's no denying the device quickly draws the viewer into Bogart's world and adds urgency, confusion, and a sense of unease to the film.

"Yet in Dark Passage, the subjectivity isn't all flashy technique --- it serves a narrative purpose, and a clever one, too. Bogart portrays wrongly convicted wife-killer Vincent Parry, and as the movie opens, he stages a desperate escape from San Quentin prison that we see through his frantic eyes. On a deserted roadside, he's rescued by sympathetic socialite Irene Jansen (Bacall), who identifies with Parry's predicament and believes him to be innocent. Parry hides out in Irene's San Francisco apartment, narrowly evading her busybody friend Madge (Agnes Moorehead) and casual boyfriend Bob (Bruce Bennett). Of course he yearns to clear his name and root out his wife's real killer, but to freely roam the city, he needs a new face. A helpful cab driver (Tom D'Andrea) refers Parry to a renegade plastic surgeon (Houseley Stevenson) who alters his features. When the bandages come off a week later (during which time his best friend also winds up murdered), Parry looks exactly like --- surprise! --- Humphrey Bogart.

"The artistry of Dark Passage, however, extends well beyond the subjective camera. Daves filmed much of the drama on location in San Francisco, and the hilly landscape and majestic Golden Gate Bridge lend the story a coarse, realistic edge. He also favors the close-up to heighten tension and mood, as well as unveil a softer side of Bacall that her previous director, Howard Hawks, never explored. Hawks showcased Bacall's allure, but Daves photographs her like a glamorous movie star, with striking results.

"Bacall must also carry the film's first third with her acting and presence, and quickly proves she's up to the task. While she never totally abandons the smoldering attitude that made her famous, she nicely tones it down in favor of a more sensitive image. Bacall's screen relationship with Bogart also evolves, becoming more mature and gentle. Gone are the wisecracks, nicknames and verbal one-upmanship that dazzled the masses. In Dark Passage, their first movie as a married couple, their romance is more about aching need and deep, abiding love than boozy good times and lusty passions. Personally, I find the change fascinating, although it left contemporary audiences cold.

"Caught up in a Hitchcockian wrong man scenario, Bogart also displays refreshing vulnerability and, at times, a palpable fear that gives his screen persona new dimension. He looks older, more weathered, a bit broken down, and although we know he'll rise to the occasion and eventually take control, a seed of doubt creeps into the equation. Typical of the post-war attitude, nothing in life is a sure thing anymore, not even Humphrey Bogart, and that unsettling edge helps fuel Dark Passage. The always-marvelous Moorehead also excels (though perhaps a bit too much), adding some Freudian complexity to her icy performance. Magnetic, bold, and deliciously over the top, she steals every scene in which she appears --- and that's tough to do when you're up against the likes of Bogie and Bacall.

"Unfortunately, Dark Passage will always be regarded as that 'other' Bogart-Bacall film, despite the way it smoothly balances taut suspense and tender romance. Yet over time, Daves' stark, involving mystery has earned well-deserved respect, and holds up well today. Despite a couple of narrative hiccups and occasional languid pacing, the film provides terrific entertainment and the opportunity to savor one of Hollywood's most legendary love teams in its prime. Dark Passage may remain the weakest of the Bogart-Bacall quartet, but in the company of To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, and Key Largo, that ain't half bad."