One of the classics of the noir psychological thriller, In a Lonely Place is one of Humphrey Bogart's finest performances. He is almost unbearably intense as Dixon Steele, a screenwriter with high standards and a nasty temper who finds himself under suspicion when Mildred, a hat-check girl he knows, is found murdered. Immediately he gets an alibi from a neighbour, Laurel, and equally quickly, he recognises that this is a woman who meets his standards: the question is, as suspicion of his involvement in Mildred's death continues, can he make himself meet hers? This is a wonderful study in trust and suspicion and the limits of love; Bogart's performance is impressive simply because he is prepared to go well over the limits of our sympathy in the name of emotional truth. The scene where he explains imaginatively to a cop and his wife how the murder might have happened is a spine-chilling, creepy portrait of amoral artistic brilliance. Gloria Grahame is equally fine as the woman who lets herself love him, for a while. On the DVD: In a Lonely Place comes with an excellent documentary in which Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential) explains the importance of the film to him and discusses its place in the work of Bogart and the director Nicholas Ray; there is also a quick interesting documentary about the restoration and digitisation of classic films. The film is presented with a visual aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and with restored Dolby Surround sound that does full justice to the film's snappy dialogue and the moody George Antheil score. --Roz Kaveney
One of the classics of the noir psychological thriller, In a Lonely Place is one of Humphrey Bogart's finest performances. He is almost unbearably intense as Dixon Steele, a screenwriter with high standards and a nasty temper who finds himself under suspicion when Mildred, a hat-check girl he knows, is found murdered. Immediately he gets an alibi from a neighbour, Laurel, and equally quickly, he recognises that this is a woman who meets his standards: the question is, as suspicion of his involvement in Mildred's death continues, can he make himself meet hers? This is a wonderful study in trust and suspicion and the limits of love; Bogart's performance is impressive simply because he is prepared to go well over the limits of our sympathy in the name of emotional truth. The scene where he explains imaginatively to a cop and his wife how the murder might have happened is a spine-chilling, creepy portrait of amoral artistic brilliance. Gloria Grahame is equally fine as the woman who lets herself love him, for a while. On the DVD: In a Lonely Place comes with an excellent documentary in which Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential) explains the importance of the film to him and discusses its place in the work of Bogart and the director Nicholas Ray; there is also a quick interesting documentary about the restoration and digitisation of classic films. The film is presented with a visual aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and with restored Dolby Surround sound that does full justice to the film's snappy dialogue and the moody George Antheil score. --Roz Kaveney
The Terror (Dir. Roger Corman 1963): A lieutentant in Napoleon's army (a young Jack Nicholson) traces a mysterious woman to a castle on the Baltic coast and finds himself trapped by a mad baron (Boris Karloff). This highly enjoyable atmopsheric slice of low-budget horror from the great Roger Corman was also reportedly directed at points by future talents Francis Coppola and Peter Bogdanovich. Zombie The Hitch-hiker (Dir. Ida Lupino 1953): Brilliantly directed
This box set features a collection of some of Bogie's finest efforts in the 'film noir' genre. Sirocco (Dir. Curtis Bernhardt 1951): In 1925 Damascus Harry Smith (Bogart) runs guns to the rebels under Emir Hassan. The French arrest him along with others and force him to sell weapons to them where hHe develops an dangerous interest in French intelligence officer Feroud's mistress Violette... Dead Reckoning (Dir. John Cromwell 1947): Rip Murdock (Bogart) and Johnny
After this movie you'll never offer a lift to a stranger again... Brilliantly directed by Ida Lupino this tense spine-chiller of a movie sees two pals Roy (Edmond O'Brien) and Gilbert (Frank Lovejoy) driving around without a care in the world. But fate takes a hand when they stop to offer a lift to hitch hiker Emmett Myers (William Talman) only to find that he isn't the type of travelling companion they thought he'd be. They grow even more alarmed when they see he sleeps with one eye open! But there are more surprises in store for the young men as the mood of their passenger turns darker with every mile. They decide they have to off-load this psychotic oddball but how? How can they make a move on him when he sleeps with one eye open!
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