The Dark Past: Difference between revisions
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit |
→Plot: Expanded Plot description. |
||
| Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
==Plot== |
==Plot== |
||
Police Dr. Andrew Collins ([[Lee J. Cobb]]) tells a detective that he believes that he can help to turn a young suspect away from crime. Though an extended flashback, he illustrates his claim with the story of how he came to work for the police. |
|||
A psychoanalyst and his young family and some friends are taken hostage by a gang led by an escaped killer, Al Walker. The doctor gets the killer to talk to him in an attempt to find out the killer's unconscious motivation for his evil ways. |
|||
While Collins (at the time a college professor), his wife, and son head to their vacation cabin, convicted murderer Al Walker ([[William Holden]]) escapes from prison after capturing and killing the warden. Collins is entertaining three guests when Walker, his girlfriend Betty ([[Nina Foch]]), and two partners break in and hold the family, guests, and servants hostage. With the servants tied in the basement and the others upstairs guarded by Betty and the other criminals, Collins observes Walker's behavior downstairs closely, explaining that his profession has trained him to do so. |
|||
Walker relates a dramatic dream he's been having since childhood. Eventually, his crimes are traced back to his childhood and lack of parental guidance, and by the end of the night the doctor has calmed the killer's murderous rage and prevented any further killings. |
|||
When Fred Linder (Steven Geray), a friend of Collins, comes to return a hunting rifle, he tells Collins about the prison escape but notices that Walker is hiding in the room. Pretending to leave, Linder grabs the rifle, but Walker struggles with him, wounding Linder. Before and after this incident, Collins has noticed that Walker is drawn to some of his books on [[psychoanalysis]] and the [[subconscious]]. Betty, who is told to watch Collins while Walker sleeps, tells the professor that Walker is prone to nightmares (visualized in [[Negative (photography)|negative film]] images) where he is standing under a leaking umbrella with a paralyzed hand and trapped behind bars. |
|||
When Walker awakens, Collins suggests analyzing his dreams, and Walker agrees. With Collins' guidance, Walker remembers a scene from his childhood, where he hid under a table in a bar and witnessed his father shot by the police. The trauma was intensified because the young Walker had told the police where to find his father and because his hand was covered with his father's blood, which leaked through the table above him. Collins tells Walker that recovering the lost memory means that his nightmares will not return and that he will no longer be able to kill. |
|||
One of the servants having managed to escape and notify the police, the cabin is surrounded. Walker seems ready to shoot it out, but finds that he cannot pull the trigger. When the film returns the opening present-day scene, the police detective agrees to let Collins analyze the young suspect they had been discussing. |
|||
==Cast== |
==Cast== |
||
| Line 35: | Line 41: | ||
* [[William Holden (actor)|William Holden]] as Al Walker |
* [[William Holden (actor)|William Holden]] as Al Walker |
||
* [[Nina Foch]] as Betty |
* [[Nina Foch]] as Betty |
||
* [[Lee J. Cobb]] as Dr. Andrew Collins |
* [[Lee J. Cobb]] as Dr. Andrew Collins c |
||
* [[Adele Jergens]] as Laura Stevens |
* [[Adele Jergens]] as Laura Stevens |
||
* [[Stephen Dunne (actor)|Stephen Dunne]] as Owen Talbot |
* [[Stephen Dunne (actor)|Stephen Dunne]] as Owen Talbot |
||
Revision as of 02:07, 31 December 2020
| The Dark Past | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Rudolph Maté |
| Written by | Malvin Wald Oscar Saul |
| Screenplay by | Philip MacDonald Michael Blankfort Albert Duffy |
| Based on | Blind Alley 1935 play by James Warwick |
| Produced by | Buddy Adler |
| Starring | William Holden Nina Foch Lee J. Cobb |
| Cinematography | Joseph Walker |
| Edited by | Viola Lawrence |
| Music by | George Duning |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Columbia Pictures |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 74 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Dark Past is a 1948 American psychological thriller film noir directed by Rudolph Maté, and starring William Holden, Nina Foch, and Lee J. Cobb. The film, released by Columbia Pictures, is a remake of Blind Alley (1939), also released by Columbia, and based on a play by American playwright James Warwick.[1]
Plot
Police Dr. Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb) tells a detective that he believes that he can help to turn a young suspect away from crime. Though an extended flashback, he illustrates his claim with the story of how he came to work for the police.
While Collins (at the time a college professor), his wife, and son head to their vacation cabin, convicted murderer Al Walker (William Holden) escapes from prison after capturing and killing the warden. Collins is entertaining three guests when Walker, his girlfriend Betty (Nina Foch), and two partners break in and hold the family, guests, and servants hostage. With the servants tied in the basement and the others upstairs guarded by Betty and the other criminals, Collins observes Walker's behavior downstairs closely, explaining that his profession has trained him to do so.
When Fred Linder (Steven Geray), a friend of Collins, comes to return a hunting rifle, he tells Collins about the prison escape but notices that Walker is hiding in the room. Pretending to leave, Linder grabs the rifle, but Walker struggles with him, wounding Linder. Before and after this incident, Collins has noticed that Walker is drawn to some of his books on psychoanalysis and the subconscious. Betty, who is told to watch Collins while Walker sleeps, tells the professor that Walker is prone to nightmares (visualized in negative film images) where he is standing under a leaking umbrella with a paralyzed hand and trapped behind bars.
When Walker awakens, Collins suggests analyzing his dreams, and Walker agrees. With Collins' guidance, Walker remembers a scene from his childhood, where he hid under a table in a bar and witnessed his father shot by the police. The trauma was intensified because the young Walker had told the police where to find his father and because his hand was covered with his father's blood, which leaked through the table above him. Collins tells Walker that recovering the lost memory means that his nightmares will not return and that he will no longer be able to kill.
One of the servants having managed to escape and notify the police, the cabin is surrounded. Walker seems ready to shoot it out, but finds that he cannot pull the trigger. When the film returns the opening present-day scene, the police detective agrees to let Collins analyze the young suspect they had been discussing.
Cast
- William Holden as Al Walker
- Nina Foch as Betty
- Lee J. Cobb as Dr. Andrew Collins c
- Adele Jergens as Laura Stevens
- Stephen Dunne as Owen Talbot
- Lois Maxwell as Ruth Collins
- Berry Kroeger as Mike
- Steven Geray as Prof. Fred Linder
- Wilton Graff as Frank Stevens
- Robert Osterloh as Pete
- Kathryn Card as Nora
Reception
Critical response
When the film was released the film critic at The New York Times gave the film a positive review writing, "William Holden is excellent as the dream-shackled gunman, who is at once ruthless, nervous and explosively dangerous but who grudgingly complies with the doctor's 'screwball' tactics. As counterpoint is Lee J. Cobb's equally fine portrait of the unflustered scientist who is dedicated to 'curing people not killing them.' And, Nina Foch does a competently restrained job as the gangster's moll, who learns he's suffering from an Oedipus complex. The doctor's house guests, including Steven Geray, Adele Jergens and Wilton Graff, and their captors, especially Berry Kroeger, give unobtrusive but neat characterizations. Neat, too, is the word for this small but well-made Christmas package."[2]
More recently, film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a mixed review stating the film was well acted, but called the film "pure Hollywood hokum."[3]
References
- ^ The Dark Past at IMDb.
- ^ The New York Times, film review, "William Holden Plays Gangster in The Dark Past, Columbia Film at Ambassador", December 23, 1948. Accessed: July 9, 2013.
- ^ Schwartz, Dennis. Ozus' World Movie Reviews, film review, April 16, 2001. Accessed: July 9, 2013.
External links
- The Dark Past at IMDb
- ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› The Dark Past at AllMovie
- The Dark Past at the TCM Movie Database
- The Dark Past at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- The Dark Past informational site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images)
- The Dark Past introduction on YouTube by Robert Osborne