Watched Dark Passage with Bogart and Bacall the other night (innocent man convicted of killing his wife escapes prison, tries to prove he's not guilty). What struck me this time (because I've seen this movie, like many of the classics, many times over), was how a movie made in the 1940s had, as an underlying message, intentionally or not, that justice doesn't always prevail in this country, that sometime the innocent go to jail, and the guilty are never proved to be guilty. A plot that is based on an imperfect justice system, and in a country where truth doesn't always triumph, isn't something I wouldn't think I'd find in a movie made during this more patriotic period in our country's history. I would have expected (and probably did the first time I saw the movie) that Bogart's character would have proven his innocent in the end. It is a bit of shock that -- as true as it may be in real life -- in the movie the good guy is not able to set the record straight. But it's not a depressing movie for two reasons. One is that there are so many people -- most total strangers to him -- that try to help him: the taxi driver who takes him the plastic surgeon, the surgeon himself, his old one and true friend, and, of course, Bacall's character, a woman's whose own father suffered the injustice of the justice system and ended up died in prison. Improbable as it is that these people would aid and abet a convicted murderer, it's comforting to have the movie show that, even though the system may not always work, you can count on people to both know the truth and to go to great lengths to help you. It's also not a depressing movie because we are treated to a happy ending. Though he'll never be free of guilt in this country, he does find happiness -- and with the girl -- in Peru. And that was the other surprise message that struck me this time viewing the movie - that a 1940s movie would show you that happiness can actually be found in a country other than the good old USA.

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".

An escaped convict (Humphrey Bogart) undergoes plastic surgery and hides out with a pretty young woman (Lauren Bacall) while he tries to figure out who murdered his wife, the crime for which he was convicted. Excellent film noir written and directed by Delmer Daves with beautiful photography by Sid Hickox. It's the last film Bogie and Bacall did together and it's easily the most underrated of the three. Both are terrific here and have that same wonderful chemistry we all love, albeit with less sexy banter than their previous movies together. The real scene-stealer of the picture is Agnes Moorehead, who gets the juiciest role and one awesome scene in particular. Tom D'Andrea has a great bit as a talkative cabby and there are several other fine character actors in small roles.The first forty minutes or so is filmed mostly from a first person point-of-view. We don't see Bogart's face until over an hour in, after his character has had plastic surgery. A pretty gutsy move at the time to have your big star, Humphrey Bogart, heard but not seen for such a large chunk of the movie. But it's so well-done and effective, it's probably my favorite portion of the film. Another favorite part is a little bit of business referring to a famous line of Bogie's from a past film. That sort of thing is commonplace today but wasn't then. It's a funny part in a terrific script by Daves. The movie does meander some, usually for little moments with side characters. While many of these scenes aren't necessarily needed they add something extra to the picture that I enjoyed. Definitely a must-see for Bogie fans.