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| Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall in 1947’s “Darkish Passage,” the duo’s third movie. |
The 1947 WB movie noir Darkish Passage is very entertaining, however
the whirlwind story is crammed with again to again coincidences and chatty
supporting characters. The film will go away you breathless however unbelieving at
what has cartoonishly transpired.
Convict Vincent Parry (Bogart)
is decided to not rot in San Quentin, and escapes to seek out the true killer of
his spouse. From the get go, Parry’s path is crammed with probably the most handy coincidences.
The stacked deck plot particularly comes from nosy individuals who go means out of
their approach to help or deter Bogie’s escapee.
After escaping within the
again of a jail truck, Parry is later picked up by a grinning goon, who offers
him the third diploma from the second Parry will get in his automotive. It doesn’t assist
that Bogie’s sporting solely a sleeveless undershirt (he is no Gable), jail work
pants, and muddy footwear. After the radio announcer conveniently reveals his
identification and the tell-tale particulars, they tussle from the automotive and Bogie drags
him into the roadside bushes.
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| Bogie’s convict has the misfortune of being picked up by this goon, in “Darkish Passage.” |
After Bogie takes the
driver’s garments, who comes alongside however Lauren Bacall? As Irene Jansen, she’s an
artist who simply occurred to be out portray landscapes. Jansen simply occurred to listen to concerning the escape, simply occurred to be driving by, and simply occurred to be a champion of Parry, when he was getting raked over the coals by the press throughout his homicide trial.
The “simply occurred” trope is a continuing all through this flick. As
trendy and grownup as Darkish Passage performs,
I rolled my eyes various instances on the blizzard of coincidences!
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| Look who occurred to be out portray landscapes whereas a convict escapes? Lauren Bacall finds Humphrey Bogart within the bushes in “Darkish Passage.” |
Jansen smuggles Parry
again to her trendy Deco condo constructing (which nonetheless stands on San
Francisco’s Montgomery Avenue). It seems Irene’s curiosity in his case stems
from her personal father’s homicide trial of his
spouse. Whereas Irene goes out for a brand new go well with for Parry, her nosy pal Madge
knocks on the door. Seems that her testimony is what received Parry imprisoned—small
world. Madge, a imaginative and prescient in leopard pores and skin, kilos on the door however offers up, but is
suspicious. In one among a number of dumb strikes, Parry raises the blind to have a look at
her, and she or he stares again, twice!
All spiffed up
courtesy of Irene, Parry decides to get cosmetic surgery, on a tip from a really
gabby cab driver, who takes his trigger for no good purpose. Parry appears up an previous
buddy for post-surgery shelter, as he would not need to impose additional on Irene. George,
a musician, knew Parry’s spouse, in addition to Madge, who he despises.
Off to the plastic
surgeon, who likes to yak as a lot because the cab driver, and appears like he is been
preserved in alcohol! The doc’s a man who you would not let provide you with a shave, a lot
much less slice your face. As soon as anesthetized, Parry has a drugged nightmare worthy
of a William Fort thriller. Afterward, the doc offers him a listing of detailed
care directions. The excellent news is that the surgeon reassures Bogie he can
nonetheless drink and smoke.
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| Would you let this man provide you with a shave, a lot much less cosmetic surgery? “Darkish Passage.” |
Bogie appears fairly
unflattering in his bandaged state, huge woeful eyes, and skinny face and
lips—sort of like a Chihuahua, post-cosmetic surgical procedure! Parry will get again to his
pal’s solely to seek out he is been murdered, with the musician’s horn. Natch, Parry
handles the instrument, leaves prints, and flees.
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| Rumor has it that Jack Warner was sad that his prime star was solely heard the first third of “Darkish Passage,” and seemed like this for the center of the movie! |
In no way conspicuous
climbing up a number of fights of steep stairs in San Francisco, he passes out
when he reaches Irene’s. Below her tender care, she is completely in love at this
level, regardless of his being the suspect of homicide #2. Their lovey-dovey
convalescence is interrupted by an surprising go to by Madge. She’s panicked by
Parry being on the free (who’s hiding in Irene’s bed room.) Madge shrilly
insists that she stick with Irene, who could not be much less delighted. Then
right here comes Bob, Irene’s form of boyfriend. Bob is performed by Bruce Bennett in
his typical glum fashion. He too was aware of Parry’s case and sadly,
Madge.
Bogie’s plastic
surgical procedure is so successful that he would not even have scars or puffiness when
Bacall removes the bandages. It’s careworn that the surgeon made Bogie look
older, good factor since Bogie seemed far
older than his 47 years! It’s amusing that Parry’s “earlier than” photographs within the
newspapers outweighs Bogie by about 30 kilos. That jail grub should have been
grueling!
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| Beefy Vincent Parry, earlier than he turns into the meat jerky that’s Humphrey Bogart, in 1947’s “Darkish Passage.” |
He no sooner stops at
an all-night diner than a cop’s suspicions is immediately raised. A
chase ensues and Parry hides out at a lodge. Parry’s first experience comes knocking,
searching for a blackmail payday. As soon as once more automotive buddies, they tussle as soon as extra,
the place scrawny Bogart dispatches the lunkhead off a steep cliff. That’s now
homicide quantity #3, although Bogie claims innocence of the suspicious demises
of his spouse and pal.
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| Agnes Moorehead as Madge, the cougar wearing leopard pores and skin, in “Darkish Passage.” |
Parry goes again to
Madge’s to get the reality out of her. With each minor character on their cleaning soap
field, musing about life, reality, and happiness, there’s little time for
Agnes Moorehead’s monstrous Madge. She seems briefly at Irene’s door, then in
the center to barge in and act extremely annoying, then within the finale, the place
she pulls out all of the stops. As skillful as Agnes is at performing, this appears like
a Carol Burnett spoof, dashing by means of to the climax. Madge falls by means of
a window to her dying, and Bogie flees the scene wanting completely suspicious. In
the finale, Bogie’s Parry decides that it is hopeless to attempt to clear himself of
4 deaths—good name. So, it is off
to Peru to livin’ life incognito!
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| Concerned with 4 deaths, Bogie’s fugitive is off to Peru, in 1947’s “Darkish Passage.” |
In a cellphone name to
Bacall’s Irene, detailing discover him, Bogie’s Parry seems like Morgan
Freeman giving Tim Robbins prison-style GPS The
Shawshank Redemption. Bogie sips a cocktail in a swanky nightclub, their track
comes up, and there’s smiling Lauren Bacall, and the lovebirds dance off into
the Peruvian sundown.
Lauren Bacall is extra
relaxed than in her earlier movie outings. Bear in mind, she made her movie debut simply
three years earlier in To Have and Have
Not. Right here, Bacall is extra a sympathetic character and never as snarky. I by no means
thought Bacall had a lot versatility as an actress, however inside that vary, she
was fairly putting.
Bacall can also be fairly
pretty at simply 23. Apparently a belief fund child in addition to Bogie’s Child, Irene
paints and teaches kids’s artwork courses, which does not account for a beautiful
pad and classy wardrobe. I favored that whereas Bacall was fairly glam right here, her
face would not appear like a masks and her stunning hair is not bleached to the nth
diploma like most Hollywood blondes. She seemed actual—and actually stunning.
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| I at all times discovered Lauren Bacall one of many extra pure glamour ladies of the Forties. Apart from the winged eyebrows, Bacall’s fashion may be very modern. |
I completely get Bogie’s
sexual enchantment and whereas he seemed slightly frail and tough when not lavished with
delicate close-ups (these weren’t given simply to the women), his very expressive
eyes, distinctive voice, and charisma made that very clear why 19-year-old
Bacall fell for 25 years older Bogie in To
Have and Have Not.
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| After a pair many years of laborious residing, Bogie started to settle all the way down to a cheerful marriage with Lauren Bacall. At 47, Bogart required a toupee and delicate lighting to disguise his untimely growing old. From 1947’s “Darkish Passage.” |
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| A extra candid shot of Humphrey Bogart, studying “Darkish Passage.” |
Delmer Daves’
path and writing attempt to tie up all of the free ends and contrivances, not like
Howard Hawks’ The Huge Sleep. Nevertheless it
all appears like warp velocity storytelling! Possibly a few of these screenwriter-friendly
supporting speeches ought to have been reduce.
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| Bogie, Bacall, and director/screenwriter Delmer Daves have a look at some movie footage. |
Some movie followers geek
out over sure movies’ methods and elegance. Whereas that stuff is pleasing,
the story and the performing are what matter to me. Robert Montgomery’s Girl within the Lake is nearly
unwatchable, with the actors overreacting and the fixed digicam motion over
the highest. Or Hitchcock’s Spellbound,
due to the mostly-deleted Salvador Dali sequences, ignoring the hokey Hitch
psychoanalysis. There’s additionally Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, a technically good-looking manufacturing, with its lengthy takes and
good-looking set. Sadly, the stilted story and performing come off like a
filmed ‘40s Broadway play. Of all these motion pictures talked about, Darkish Passage pulls off Bogie’s pre-cosmetic surgical procedure POV and
post-surgery digicam work probably the most subtly.
Darkish Passage is absolutely an train in fashion, with a robust manufacturing and
forged. If solely the movie’s story was as genuine as its two iconic stars.
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| Bogie and Child, getting into for the clinch, in 1947’s “Darkish Passage.” |
