Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Agnes Moorehead, Clifton Young, Houseley Stevenson
Director: Delmer Daves
Screenplay: Delmer Daves, based on the novel by David Goodis
Cinematography: Sid Hickox
Music: Franz Waxman
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
In the history of motion pictures, there has probably never been a more popular couple then Humphrey Borgart and Lauren Bacall. When it was revealed that their sizzling on-screen chemistry had an off-screen component, they became the biggest story in Hollywood. Between 1944 and 1948, the pair made four movies together. (They were planning a fifth at the time of Bogart's death.) Three are well-known: To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, and Key Largo. The other, 1947's Dark Passage, is often forgotten or overlooked. Yet the movie is better than its reputation suggests. Yes, the plot is convoluted and littered with coincidences. Yes, the first-person approach to the first third feels needlessly gimmicky. And yes, the conclusion is weak. However, the story is involving, the atmosphere is as starkly noir as anything Bogart participated in, and the dynamic between the leads is as conspicuous as ever.
When Dark Passage begins, Vincent Parry (Bogart) has just escaped from prison, where he was serving a sentence for killing his wife. He's the classic wrongly convicted man, who went to jail primarily because of the testimony of Madge Rapf (Agnes Moorehead), a friend of his wife's. Fleeing from the penitentiary, Parry hitches a ride but the driver (Clifton Young) hears a radio broadcast and deduces Parry's identity. The car stops and there's brief fracas in which the driver ends up lying unconscious on the side of the road. Enter Irene Jansen (Bacall), a beautiful young woman who is sympathetic to Parry's cause and agrees to smuggle him into San Francisco and provide him shelter until he can figure out his next move.
After leaving Irene's place, Parry meets with his best friend, George (Rory Mallinson), who agrees to let him stay for a week. Parry then visits a plastic surgeon (Housely Stevenson), who gives him a new face. The heavily bandaged man returns to George's house to find him dead. With nowhere else to go, Parry returns to Irene, who again takes him in. During his recovery, the two fall in love. Once the bandages are off, Parry heads out on his own to clear his name, leaving Irene wondering if she will ever again see him.
Dark Passage is presented in three acts. The first, which is the most controversial, elects to show events from Parry's perspective. About 90% of the shots are therefore first-person; in those rare cases when director Delmer Daves uses a more traditional approach, Parry's face is obscured in shadow (although we are given an opportunity to see what he looks like via a newspaper clipping). The practical reason for this is that it allows Daves to alter the lead character's appearance without changing actors - a cheesy, B-movie practice that audiences would not have appreciated. So, for the first 30 minutes, we hear but do not see the main character (his voice is provided by Bogart). The odd thing about this tactic, and the reason it is regarded as gimmicky, is because it results in actors speaking directly to the camera, and this inflicts some of the acting with an unintentionally campy quality. Many of the performances during the movie's first third have an awkward, forced feel. It's almost certainly not the portrayal, but the manner in which it is captured. The absence of Bogart is not a major issue; his voice is a continual reminder of his "presence."
The second act is all Bogie and Bacall, and the chemistry between them is as palpable as ever. They don't sizzle quite the same way they did in To Have and Have Not or The Big Sleep (they were married by the time they made Dark Passage), but there's still a tangible spark. The screenplay doesn't have them spar or toss double entendres at one another. Their interaction is instead more relaxed and comfortable, and it says a great deal that they can captivate audiences even though Bogart spends much of this portion of the film with his face wrapped in bandages.
Act III is standard noir thriller stuff, with Bogart alternately being held at gunpoint and holding others at gunpoint. All the plot threads get tied up, some perhaps a little too neatly. Bacall's absence is keenly felt, and there are times when it seems as if Daves is rushing trough this portion of the story. Some critics have griped about implausibility issues, but since when has any movie of this genre been built on an unimpeachable foundation? The question is whether the film draws us in enough so its contrivances are convincing. For the most part, Dark Passage succeeds in that regard.
Dark Passage is a must see for fans of Bogart/Bacall. They only made four movies together, so every moment of shared screen time is to be savored, and there are quite a few worthwhile moments in this outing. It's also decent entertainment for those who enjoy the dark pleasures of film noir. The first person perspective is easily forgiven when counterbalanced by the movie's strengths, which include a fresh setting (San Francisco) and some impressively atmospheric camerawork by Sid Hickox. Dark Passage is more deserving that its reputation suggests.
© 2006 James Berardinelli