DARK PASSAGE (1947) *** Is Humphrey Bogart drawing that nice Lauren Bacall into his dark world, or is the brazen hussy forcing her way through? Professionally, or as characters in the movie? Yes. Riveting, their dialogue scenes are riveting. Yes, absolutely riveting, quite riveting indeed. Not quite as riveting, however as those shared between Ms Bacall and Agnes Moorehead. Did Ms Moorehead ever get to play a nice, kind character? I only ask because she's always so amusing, almost likable even admirable, as the other kind.would she command adoration beyond all bounds as a nice character, or simply nullify everything that had ever pre-existed like a hyperactive on speed? I wonder. So they're up to noire, the young lovers, Delmer Daves claiming all sorts of directorial space that has since been generally ceded to Hitchcock. Claiming or pretending? Claiming, it's good. No reason you can't hang on to things temporarily-even if no one else thinks that they're yours-and do something good before they get a-taken back. Weird role for Humphrey Bogart-you don't even see him as Daves shoots the film out his eyeballs for the first half hour. This allows dilettante's like myself the revelation of his eyes once exposed, big expressive brown eyes of a fearful puppy dog, yet hopeful all the same. Bogey and Bacall. They've got that thing.
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