In A Lonely Place [DVD] [2003]

A deeply romantic noir with Bogart and Graham in fine form as the ill-starred lovers, adapted from a fine and much darker novel by Dorothy B. Hughes. Hollywood, as usual, fillets the novel, keeping the suspicion theme and the friendship with the cop, but setting it firmly in the Hollywood milieu of screen-writers, directors, producers and agents.The novel is a disturbing portrait of a serial killer, closer in tone to Jim Thomson, where the character claims to be a writer as a cover story to explain away his lack of means of support, whereas Bogart is a successful writer with what we would refer today as 'anger management issues'. The novel roams the length and breadth of the Los Angeles area, with such geographical attention to detail that with the aid of a map it should be possible to chart his precise movements, whereas the film economically confines itself largely to his apartment complex and a celebrity restaurant.(Spoiler follows)Although the film changes the ending and makes him innocent, it denies him happiness and ends with a suitably despairing climax to warrant it's inclusion in the noir pantheon.I imagined what an even better film it would have been if they had stuck to the novel but it was far too dark and despairing for Hollywood toentertain. Bogart played mean and nasty characters at times but, such is our emotional need for reassuring archetypes, we the audience could never accept him as a serial murderer.Rather like Cary Grant in Hitchcock's 'Suspicion' (another film adapted from an even finer novel where the ending was changed) we we can accept him as a lovable rogue but never as a murderer.I thoroughly enjoyed both the book and the film, but rather than see the film as an adaptation I prefer to think of it more accurately as avariation on certain themes., a life without loverI cannot end without a special mention for the wonderfully sublime, evocative and resonant title that can variously refer to a murder scene, a life without love or the mental state of a psychopath.

Enjoyed this from start to finish, even though it is not perfect. I thought the dialogue superb and Guffey's cinematography subtly beautiful, despite this being a stagy affair, mainly taking place indoors. I was fascinated by the way the film gradually crept from a murder mystery into an investigation of how a relationship that starts well changes when it becomes clear one of the partners is psychologically unstable. A lot of people will identify with that, I suspect. Steele's mental issues are not precisely diagnosed--I assume he has been damaged by his experiences in battle. I am seeing signs of bipolarity, maybe, or manic depression--because we find Steele despondent at the beginning before he plunges into a frenzy of inspired screenwriting. Despite the fact that Bogart's personality switches seem a little overdone at time, I remind myself that people in real life sometimes do switch in jaw-dropping fashion--including the most charming of people.The standout performance here for me is that of Gloria Grahame as Laurel Grey. I thought she was going to be a femme fatale, but she isn't: Grahame, with astonishing beauty and sincerity, is playing a woman who steps unknowingly into a relationship that will test her to her limits. She lights up the screen every moment she is on it and is a match for Bogart all the way. I did not so much enjoy the hammy character acting of some of the minor characters, such as the "Thespian", the agent, and the girl who told Steele the story at the beginning--but the Bogey-Grahame partnership is enough to make this an unmissable film for me.

My wife and I went to see "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool", which is the sad story of Gloria Grahame's final months. I highly recommend you go see it. Having enjoyed this film so much, I was inspired to see one of Grahame's films, and the combination of Bogart and her together with a high rating for "In A Lonely Place" on Amazon prompted my purchase. We spent a happy time watching this film. I loved comparing how a film of 1950 was put together with today, and frankly, in a good film the production really stands up well. It was also good to see how the actors worked too, how they portrayed their character and moved from light to the darkness which pervades the end of the film. I could become a convert - a geek/buff even! - and start watching many more old films. So good. In A Lonely Place [DVD] [2003 ]

I suspect if it wasn't for Humphrey Bogart this film would have a much lower rating. That's not to say that HB is much cop in it, he isn't. The plot hinges on whether or not he is guilty of a murder. The acting and script fail to convince one way or the other.The script contains a few typically Bogart lines - hilariously overblown - the writer was obviously hoping for a memorable quote, but it just comes across as cheesy.There isn't much charisma between the two leads and Bogart looks a bit old and bored for a lot of the film.It's watchable, but not great. Gloria Grahame is very attractive and the entertainment value is improved by looking up her Wiki entry and wondering if she had her top lip stuffed with cotton wool whilst she was filming this.I think that 'Suspicion' or 'Rebecca' handles the 'did he?' idea much better.