On D List of Movie Reviews

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Dark Passage (1947)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 6/15

6/15: The only film noir I've seen that was shot in first person point of view is Lady in the Lake with Robert Montgomery.

Dark Passage can be safely added to this list although it's not 100% done this way. Humphrey Bogart would appear in front of the camera about an hour into it which seems like a mistake because the film went downhill thereafter. He and Lauren Bacall made four pictures together. To Have and Have Not is the best they had done due to their inimitable chemistry.

Humphrey Bogart is less than effective here. He's showing his age a great deal while looking more worn down than before. Lauren Bacall wrote in her autobiography By Myself that her husband was losing his hair throughout the production due to vitamin deficiencies, hence the toupee for the first time ever. On the other hand, her greatness began and ended with To Have and Have Not. She's a terrible actress who played herself repeatedly. Agnes Moorehead is wasted as her character will jump out of the window.

Dark Passage is high in film noir during the first half, but it tapers off afterwards along with the overwrought and ridiculous story. The ending is stupid. It's a mistake to reintroduce the motorist to try to make things more interesting. What's his motivation for helping out the convicted murderer? Wherever the guy goes, everybody is highly suspicious of him which is unrealistic. Also, he keeps leaving his fingerprints behind every scene for various crimes. Regardless, I wasn't rooting for him the entire time, but the San Francisco scenery is a nice touch.

All in all, the first-person-point-of-view technique may be keen for Dark Passage, but let's be real: everybody wants to see Humphrey Bogart in the flesh.

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