06. DARK PASSAGE (1947)
Another classic example of film noir, starring the genres quintessential leading man
Humphrey Bogart as Vincent Parry, a man who has wrongly been convicted of his wifes murder and subsequently escapes prison to clear his name.
Dark Passage is notable for the fact that visually it mimics the narrative for the first third of the plot the film is shot entirely as Parrys point of view. The exclusion of Parry from the screen stylistically replicates his attempts to remain hidden from the police whilst he hunts for his wifes real murderer. The point of view shot was not a new technique and previous films had used the style, including
Lady in the Lake a year earlier. However, whilst this earlier film was also a murder mystery, Dark Passage is the first film to effectively use this technique in conjunction with the wrong man theme. The stylistic choices of director
Delmer Daves are certainly an original take on this theme and add to the drama and suspense of the narrative. Whilst this may not be Bogarts finest moment, Bacalls performance is excellent and
Agnes Moorehead as the villain of the piece is sheer femme fatale perfection.