JohnHowardReid
A King Brothers Production. Copyright 19 August 1944 by Monogram Pictures Corp. New York opening in November 1944 at the Brooklyn Strand (which meant no New York opening so far as most critics were concerned). U.S. release: 21 August 1944. U.K. release through Pathé: 9 April 1945. Australian release through British Empire Films: 6 May 1945. 6,169 feet. 68 minutes.
Re-issue title (with Mitchum top-billed): BETRAYED.SYNOPSIS: Worried when her new husband, Paul, forces her to go into hiding with him, Millie Baxter is further frightened when her loyalty makes her flee with him from the law. Police Detective Blake (Neil Hamilton), involved in the case, becomes suspicious of Millie's ex-boyfriend, Fred, and decides that he knows more of the crime than he has divulged. Discovered and arrested, Paul admits that he was at a bar in Philadelphia where the murdered man was last seen alive.COMMENT: A classic B-grade thriller, William Castle's second film as a full director (he was previously a dialogue director) shows a great deal of promise, which, alas, was never exceeded in his later films. Though already, he shows his predilection for a "gimmick" in this case the casting of inexperienced Robert Mitchum in a key role. Castle's tendency to imitate the successes of other directors is also on display, in this case Hitchcock's screaming cleaning woman over the whistle of a train. Ira Morgan's superb photography contributes a great deal to the mood and the art direction is suitably drab.
Richie-67-485852
Back in the forties, it happened more often than not. People were quick to make their wants and themselves known and didn't mince words. Marriage was one of those subjects and comes up in the older movies. It was easier to go through life married making things more affordable if both continued to work and of course eliminate being lonely instantly. Meeting someone was no problem as eligible were all over the place. Using that as the story line, we got a nice clever who done what to whom and why movie going here. Nice to see the actors making their trade and this movie does a good job of capturing the viewer right to the end. The ending is delightful and caused me to laugh out loud in a most pleasing way for its originality and of course upbeat ending. Its a nice quick to the point little drama mystery. Settle in with your favorite candy and a tasty drink as we glimpse what life was like in the forties. Worth mentioning is a slice of the black culture back then as the actors visit a part of town and bar that caters to the black community. Little bit of history captured there as movies usually didn't do this but this one did. BTW...People were naive, simpler and easier going believing what they were told until they had reason to doubt otherwise. If you were burned back then, you became hard and stayed that way which is depicted in the movie in one of the scenes involving renting a room. Today, people doubt first and hesitate making for trust a hard thing to come by...
madmonkmcghee
Bargain basement noir with some nice touches, but ultimately disappointing. Director Castle simply tries to be too clever and too faux artistique for such a modest melodrama. It's obvious he'd seen movies like Stranger on the Third Floor ( a moody masterpiece) and thought he'd figured out the recipe. He guessed wrong: the plot is riddled with holes, the lighting and camera-work, essential to make noir movies really work, are shoddy and bleak. The sets look like cardboard cutouts that could collapse at any moment, and some actors fumble their lines or deliver them as if they're John Barrymore. On the plus side Mitchum is his good solid self, but he just doesn't get the chance to be as charming or menacing as he should be. Kim Hunter is engaging, but she only gets to play a lovesick newlywed for the entire movie, even when the story clearly demands a change of mood. Even when she suspects her hubby of being a serial killer, she keeps staring longingly into his eyes and even helps him escape from the police. The things we do for Love! The surprise twist at the end is just too predictable to forgiveall these faults, and the ending.....surely when they're on the rooftop together the killer will.....? Nah, just let the cops nab him posting a letter. That Castle just didn't get it; no wonder he turned to effect-heavy horror flicks. Noir addicts may want to give this one a look, but probably not more than once.
Alex da Silva
Millie (Kim Hunter) travels to New York to meet with her husband Paul (Dean Jagger). However, he does not show up for a while and when he eventually does, he seems to mysteriously keep disappearing again. Millie's ex-lover, Fred (Robert Mitchum) is also in town and he keeps a look-out over Millie as she tries to discover who the man is that she has married. She had only met Paul 3 times before they tied the knot. Fools! Playing alongside this mystery is the police investigation of the "silk stocking murder" in which a very annoying Sam Prescott (Dick Elliott) had been rightfully murdered in his hotel room. Can the police get their man and can Millie find happiness? The film moves at a swift pace and contains some nice shots and good atmosphere, eg, the Harlem club that Paul and Millie slip into while on the run together. There are a few liberties that are taken with the plot, eg, the cab driver who suspects Paul of being the "silk stocking murderer". Why would he think that when there is such a vague description of the killer that is released to the public (he's a tall man)? We watch to discover the identity of the killer and we are sold a couple of red herrings along the way.The acting is alright, nothing great but Mitchum's acting loses it completely in the scene by the mail-chute. Watch out for an appearance by Rhonda Fleming at the film's ending where the cycle seems to be starting all over again.
AD
