A Masterpiece!

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Blistering performances.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Movie Review: "Dark Passage" (1947)Warner Bros. presents Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in their third collaboration in a crime-drama with ingredients of mystery, while the leading man must act under heavy facial bandages to get supported by his wife into finding a new life from being an imprisoned convict for murder, when "Dark Passage" can only be enjoyed for the two Hollywood stars sake in an otherwise suspense-lacking attempt of stark-noir "hard-boiled" motion picture of the 1940s.© 2018 Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC

My initiation into the film Noir genre of the late 40's and 50's. This movie starts out in an idiosyncratic angle as we follow through the eyes of escaped convict Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart). Parry's eyes are the camera's eyes through the first hour of the picture. At that time the studio was under scrutiny for gambling on this unique method but in my opinion I applaud the effort despite weak receipts at the box office at the time of the films release. That was the hook that kept me interested in the picture in the first place and would the director continue the entire movie through Bogart's eyes? Back to our story. Vincent Parry was found guilty of murdering his wife. Somehow escapes from jail and hitches a ride from a nebbish type man called Baker (Clifton Young). As they converse Baker notices that he's an escapee and Parry punches him unconscious.Parry takes off and luckily meets up with co-star/Wife Lauren Bacall as artist and newspaper clipping investigator Irene Jansen. Hides in the back of her station wagon under art supplies as the two set out for San Francisco. Parry is in search for the real killer and wants to claim his innocence. Meets up with an over friendly and sympathetic cab driver as Parry confesses his dilemma to the attentive cabbie (Tom D'Andrea). The Cabby suggests he meet with his unlicensed friend Dr. Coley (Houseley Stevenson) who is a plastic surgeon. I also enjoyed the dialogue between Parry and the irregular practitioner just before Parry goes under the knife. Our antagonist/ meddler who fears meeting up with the escaped convict is Madge Rapf played by veteran actor Agnes Moorehead. Honorable mentions to the following in the films production. Director Delmar Daves letting the player spill their lines with such a natural style and applause for the cinematographer Sidney Hickox for the first person images through the eyes of the film's protagonist This movie was not well received by true Bogie/Bacall fans but for some strange reason I like this movie. Maybe the characters or the off beat plastic surgery twist held my attention span. The San Francisco back drop was always a favorite of mine in some classic movies of yesteryear. Maybe it's something more like the chemistry Bogie and Bacall capture in all four of their movies together. The integrity when Bogie professes his feelings for Bacall, he really means it. In addition Bacall sympathetic style toward Bogie was so instinctive and their dialogue for the most part was visceral. Two Birds of the same feather doing a movie together that's the appeal! To marvelous for words!

DARK PASSAGE is melodramatic romantic thriller, which in the first part we look through the eyes of the main character. The story has its drawbacks or rather continuous decline in the dynamics and struggles with a lack of tension. Set and Bogart performance elements of this film that I would call very good.The film is all developed separately. Nothing much is interwoven in the noir themes. The manhunt, romance and eventually obviously dismissal mysteries. Bogart's character is definitely stiff. It is interesting to hear his voice, and not see it. Unfortunately, he was in that part got the most space. The film which lacks action. Incidents are present, but quickly go limp. Climaxes almost non-existent.Humphrey Bogart as Vincent Parry, his appearance for the first time was not so impressive. The obvious failure. Bogart always bring a good performance, but I repeat, it was interesting to watch the movie from his perspective. Bogart's eye.Lauren Bacall as Irene Jansen won the space with the main actor. In scenes with Bogart she is pretty good. Simply work. If she focused it can be called a good chemistry.Agnes Moorehead as Madge Rapf is fast becoming the main villain, perhaps by mistake. It brings the most energy in the film and is quite intrusive character.Solid film in which experimentation and lost in some basic segments.

Dark Passage is one of the more experimental movies of Hollywood's golden age with majority of the film's first third being filmed from the first person point of view of Humphrey Bogart's character. I never thought a black & white movie from the 1940's would remind me of a modern video game. I would like to see more films which experiment with this point of view style. MGM's Lady In the Lake (also released in 1947) was filmed in POV for the entire film which the studio promoted by claiming the POV style was the most revolutionary style of film since the introduction of the talkies. Nope, it didn't catch on. The use of POV took me of guard at first as I wanted to watch some Bogart but I did not get to see him on screen. Bogart's distinctive voice alone though helps carry the picture, thanks in part to his many witty remarks. We're then given a section of the movie in which Bogart doesn't talk and is wrapped in bandages looking like a horror movie character (these scenes also make me squeamish). Considering we have to wait a whole hour until we finally see and hear Bogart in his entirely makes Dark Passage nothing short of a daring role.For the plot you do need to suspend your disbelief at the number of highly improbable coincidences. Irene (Bacall) just happens to be out painting near San Quentin on the day Vincent Parry (Bogart), the man she has an obsession with escapes and she knows where to find him. Oh and she also happens to be friends with Madge (Agnes Moorehead) who gave false testimony in court against Parry that he murdered his wife. I find it is easy however to just roll along with the ridiculous plot as the movie plays out like a dream, culminating in the satisfaction of seeing Bogart get his revenge on Agnes Moorehead (a useless old bag and real love to hate character) and seeing these two characters getting their happily ever after together in South America. One minor complaint I have is the reveal of Frank Parry's face on the newspaper, prior to getting plastic surgery; because the character doesn't actually have Bogart's face, I would have preferred the mystery of not knowing what he looks like. Also, a plastic surgeon who can give you the face of Humphrey Bogart? Someone should have told Woody Allen that in Play It Again Sam. Dark Passage in part sees the return of gangster Bogart but still has the romantic elements of his on screen persona which he developed after achieving stardom. Right from the very beginning we're in classic gangster territory, a prisoner escaping from San Quentin, the type of setting not seen in a Bogart film since High Sierra. The on location filming in San Francisco also really adds to the film, giving you a sense of the world the movie inhabits and Irene's apartment with the two floors and the art deco designs - I want it!I once said 'All Through the Night' was the most Hitchcockian film Bogart starred in but Dark Passage wouldn't be far behind it. We get the innocent man falsely accused on the run while trying to prove his innocence. The focusing on landmarks (the Golden Gate Bridge), while the San Francisco setting has some Vertigo vibes. The trippy plastic surgery sequence feels reminiscent of the Salvador Dali dream sequence in Spellbound; while Madge's death rings a bell of the character death shots in Vertigo in which someone falls from a great distance.When attempting to review a movie, I can't always predict how much I will have to say about it. Occasionally though you get movies like Dark Passage, which have layers and layers of fascinating details worth talking about. Dark passage is my favourite Bogart & Bacall film, although to be honest I was never a huge fan of their partnership. To Have and Have Not bored me and The Big Sleep was, well, a big sleep. Plus I never fully got the appeal of Lauren Bacall; she never struck me as a massively interesting screen presence. I find Bacall plays a much more interesting character than in the previous two Bogie & Bacall pairings. Not a vamp but a lonely single woman who purses painting as a hobby. During the first kiss between Bogart and Bacall I had the reaction of "Ok, now I'm getting it".