Search - In a Lonely Place on DVD

A Truly Great Performance in a Tragic Film Noir.

mirasreviews | McLean, VA USA | 03/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hot-tempered, uncompromising screenwriter Dixon Steele (Humphrey Bogart) hasn't been able to write a successful script in years. When he's asked to adapt a popular novel, Dix invites an enthusiastic young hatcheck girl (Martha Stewart) who has read the book to tell him about it. She cancels a date for the chance to explain the novel to the famous screenwriter, and he's happy not to have to read the book. But Dix is summoned to the police station for questioning the next day, because the young woman was murdered shortly after leaving his apartment. A neighbor, Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame), who saw Dix the night before from her balcony, verifies that the murder victim left Dix's apartment alone. But Dix remains the police's prime suspect, as he and Laurel fall in love. Although she loves Dix, his controlling, violent personality eventually cause Laurel to distrust him, and then to suspect that he may be guilty of murder, after all.

"In a Lonely Place" is loosely based on the novel by Dorothy B. Hughes and is wonderfully reflexive in that Dixon Steele adapts a novel in the film, which he alters dramatically for his purposes. Edmund H. North, who adapted "In a Lonely Place", departed radically from Hughes' novel and completely rewrote the Dix character. Dixon Steele is a typical film noir protagonist in that he falls victim to his own character flaw: his violent and controlling nature. "In a Lonely Place" is a "Hollywood insider" film that takes place in and around the filmmaking industry and presents an unflattering view of the industry's motives and the audience's tastes. Even Burnett Guffey's "sunny California" cinematography is dark. Dix is to some extent made a heroic figure within this environment by his stubbornness -a writer with integrity trying to do good work in an industry of "popcorn salesman". Director Nicholas Ray is masterful at manipulating the audience's sympathies from Dix to Laurel and back again. When we are sympathetic to Dix, he frustrates the audience by being his own worst enemy. When he is callous and volatile, we wonder if he committed the crime. Ultimately, "In a Lonely Place" is about the corrosive effects of distrust and suspicion. Humphrey Bogart achieves true acting greatness with his complex performance, which is one of the most memorable of his career.

The DVD: Bonus features include 2 documentaries, a sort of retrospective of Bogart's career, and trailers for "In a Lonely Place", "The Lady from Shanghai", and "The Big Heat". "In a Lonely Place Revisited" (20 minutes) is hosted by director Curtis Hanson. Speaking from the courtyard of the hacienda-style apartment community where Dix and Laurel lived in the film, Hanson talks about various aspects of the film, including the director, actors, characters, and the collaboration between director Nicholas Ray and Humphrey Bogart that produced such an emotionally honest performance. He also contrasts the film and the book on which it was based. Commentary is illustrated with film clips. "In a Lonely Place: Restoration Story" (5 minutes) is an interesting look at the process of restoring the film from its original, very battered, cellulose nitrate film stock. Includes interviews with Sony's Vice President of Asset Management, Grover Crisp, the folks at Cinetech who restored the film images, and the folks at Chase Productions who restored the film's sound. "The Bogart Collection" (4 minutes) is a text bio of Humphrey Bogart's career, followed by posters and publicity stills for some of his films. Subtitles are available for the film in English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean. Dubbing is available in French."