Columbia Pictures
Not part of a collection.
In a Lonely Place
The Bogart suspense picture with the surprise finish!
A violent screenwriter and a female neighbor fall in love after she clears him of murder, but she begins to have second thoughts.
- Original title
- In a Lonely Place
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- $1,400,000
CinemaSerf
Mar 26, 2023 · via TMDB
Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame are on great form in this complex and intricate crime noir. He ("Dixon") is a down-on-his-luck writer who finds himself squarely in the eyes of the police, suspected of murder. Fortunately, and somewhat out of the blue, his neighbour turns up at the station and gives him a cast iron alibi. She ("Laurel") saw the victim leave his home, and he stayed put! Now at this point, we have no reason to disbelieve her, but as the story develops and the two become more intimately connected, we start to see certain flaws appear in both of their characters that starts to make us doubt which (if either) of them might be telling the truth. The police haven't given up on him either, and their investigation and his consistently wayward behaviour soon has everyone on edge. It's a well paced and well written drama this, that plays well to the skills of the two stars. They exude a chemistry that is just as suspicious as it is loving. We are never quite sure where we are - not until the rather effective denouement which was not really what I was expecting. If you can watch this for ninety minutes on a big screen: it offers a richness of photography and a gripping George Anthiel score to complement a strong story well controlled by Nicholas Ray who is also at the top of his game.
John Chard
Feb 17, 2020 · via TMDB
Clinically excellent noir drama. Plot Summary - First Paragraph Screenwriter Dixon Steele is very talented, he also drinks too much and is prone to outbreaks of shocking violence. Thus the studios are reluctant to hire him, but through sheer determination, his agent manages to get him a coveted writing assignment to adapt a popular novel. The main players in the proposed picture meet up at a restaurant to talk things out, but with Dixon being Dixon it all goes wrong and violence curtails the evening. Though not really keen to read the novel he is to adapt, Dixon accepts an invitation from the hatcheck girl to read for him as it's her favourite book, they both go to Dixon's home and nothing untoward happens between the pair, he bids her farewell and puts out for her cab fare home. The next day the police show up at the door requesting Dixon accompany them down to the station, turns out that the poor hatcheck girl was murdered and dumped on the roadside, Dixon of course is the chief suspect. But a glint of light appears in the form of Dixon's beautiful neighbour, Laurel Gray, who provides Dixon with a solid alibi, this sets in motion a relationship between the pair that might break or make either one of them. In A Lonely Place is a fabulous picture, not nominated for any academy awards (incredible in light of Bogart's stunning portrayal as Steele), and tagged on its release as being too bleak to be a winner, it's now rightly considered one of the best films of its type and contains some of the best work from those involved. What always amazes me with the film is how the two halves are so very riveting for different reasons. The first half we are trying to understand Steele's conflict with himself (a wonderfully complex character), he is our sole focus of attention. Then the second half as Laurel and Dixon enter into a full blown relationship, we find ourselves in Laurel's place, as Dixon grows ever more erratic, we join Laurel in her unease, it feels like a coiled spring waiting to unleash itself. It's quite an achievement that director Nicholas Ray blends the pictures' halves together and dabs them with darkly affecting visuals, whilst simultaneously taking us on an up and down ride as to how we feel about Dixon Steele and the girl he has clearly fallen in love with. This is not just about the actors (Gloria Grahame as Laurel is also as fabulous as Bogart is) and the director, though, a tip of the hat has to go to the source material by Dorothy Hughes and Edmund H North and the adaptation by Andrew Holt. The ending here is different to the one in the book, but personally I think this one works better because it has a quandary cloud hanging over it, not in a short changed way, but in a deeply unnerving way, the kind that sets you pondering over a cold glass of beer. Terrific stuff here for those willing to invest undivided time with it, a film that is now rightly revered as a classic, so just as Dixon Steele is up on that old knife edge, the makers are asking you to hop up on that edge alongside him, so do it and you wont be disappointed. 9.5/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Fandango At Home
Humphrey Bogart
Dixon Steele
Gloria Grahame
Laurel Gray
Frank Lovejoy
Brub Nicolai
Carl Benton Reid
Capt. Lochner
Art Smith
Mel Lippman
Jeff Donnell
Sylvia Nicolai
Martha Stewart
Mildred Atkinson
Robert Warwick
Charlie Waterman
Morris Ankrum
Lloyd Barnes
William Ching
Ted Barton
Steven Geray
Paul
Alix Talton
Frances Randolph (uncredited)
James Arness
Young Detective (uncredited)
Pat Barton
Second Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
David Bond
Dr. Richards (uncredited)
Charles Cane
Angry Husband in Convertible (uncredited)
Jack Chefe
Bartender (uncredited)
George Davis
Waiter (uncredited)
Ruth Gillette
Martha (uncredited)
Billy Gray
Young Boy Seeking Autograph (uncredited)
Joy Hallward
Woman (uncredited)
Myron Healey
Post Office Clerk (uncredited)
Lewis Howard
Junior (uncredited)
Mike Lally
Bar Patron (uncredited)
Frank Marlowe
Dave (uncredited)
Harold Miller
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
John Mitchum
Bar Patron (uncredited)
George Nardelli
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Davis Roberts
Flower Shop Employee (uncredited)
Cosmo Sardo
Bartender (uncredited)
June Vincent
Actress In Convertible (uncredited)
Ruth Warren
Effie (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
Restaurant Patron at Paul's
Jean Louis
Costume Design
Earl Bellamy
Assistant Director
Nicholas Ray
Director
Viola Lawrence
Editor
Morris Stoloff
Music Director
George Antheil
Original Music Composer
Edmund H. North
Adaptation
Dorothy B. Hughes
Story
Another Great Night
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La Haine
Citizen Kane
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Amores Perros
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Swimming Pool
Police Story 4: First Strike
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2 Days in the Valley
Lady in White
White Rabbit
In the Name of the Law
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Miss Meadows
The Last Prosecco
The Juror
The Order
The Journalist
A Dangerous Profession
Cube Zero
I Was a Communist for the FBI
Runaway
My Gun Is Quick
Kai Rabe gegen die Vatikankiller
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No Escape
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The Last Seduction
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Wonderland
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The Critic
May 17, 1950
New York City, New York (premiere)
