The Burglar

The Burglar. Dan Duryea stars in this little known 1957 crime thriller with typical noir twists and turns. Duryea plays a cunning jewel thief hoping to pull off his final heist. In a rare serious role Jayne Mansfield plays one of the accomplices. Based on a novel by famed crime writer David Goodis who also did the screenplay. 90 minutes. No CC. 

This film was made in 1955 but only released in 1957. In the meantime, Jayne Mansfield had become a blonde sex-symbol, but in this early film she turns in a fine, subdued performance. Dan Duryea, one of the great film noir villains, plays the burglar, a real professional with a sense of loyalty and honor. The beautiful Martha Vickers does a good job in a supporting role.

Eddie Muller of TCM's Noir Alley provides a good intro.

Dan Duryea and Jayne Mansfield

Dark Passage

 

Dark Passage: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall star in this 1947 film about a man who breaks out of prison after being falsely convicted of murdering his wife, and has to undergo plastic surgery to escape the law. Perhaps the least well-known of the four films that starred the famous couple, it ranks with their best. Agnes Morehead is especially effective in a supporting role. 106 minutes. CC. The DVD includes an informative commentary.

Delmer Daves directed this film that is based on a novel by famed crime writer David Goodis. For almost the first third of this film we do not see Humphrey Bogart's face. Instead, in a very unusual filmmaking technique, the director lets us see things only through Bogart's eyes. Only after the bandages are removed after a back alley plastic surgery do we see that the convict has been transformed into Bogart. The scene with the plastic surgeon, played over the top by Houseley Stevenson, is perhaps the most memorable one in the film. I also like the tacked on happy ending.

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.