Saturday, February 3, 2018

Jason goes to Noir City--Day 4

Two more on Monday, let's just jump right in.

CONFLICT (1945): Bogart killing his wife, what's not to love? And in a reversal of roles, Sydney Greenstreet plays the hero--a psychiatrist with an expertise in the criminal mind. Richard Mason (Bogart) has a very good reason for killing his wife (Rose Hobart)--he's in love with her sister (Evelyn Turner.) So there's an elaborate, fool-proof plan. But soon after the murder (framed to look like an accident on a windy mountain road) he starts receiving disturbing messages that she might actually be alive. Like most fool-proof plans, it's one small detail that will eventually trip him up. But the twists, turns, and suspense are great along the way.

JEALOUSY (1945): And then some good B noir trashiness. An alcoholic writer, his spunky taxi-driving wife, and the man who is smitten with her. Things will, of course, go bad--murderously bad for the husband, and bad for the rest of them when they are the obvious suspects. Gustav Machatý directs with a flair and visual style that shows what could have been if he hadn't been relegated to these low budget pictures after the scandalous ECSTASY (1933.) Lots of fun.

Total Running Time: 157 minutes
My Total Minutes: 466,845

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