Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121057 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-11-04
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This gimmicky film noir stars Humphrey Bogart as an escaped criminal who undergoes plastic surgery and holes up at the home of Lauren Bacall's character while healing and preparing to prove his innocence. If you can last through the first half-hour of Dark Passage--which is shot entirely from the subjective view of Bogart's bandaged face, which we don't see until later--you might find ample reason in the stars' performances to stick around for the conclusion. But director Delmer Daves (A Summer Place) tests a viewer's endurance with such an obvious, attention-getting ploy. The least of the Bogart-Bacall vehicles, the other being The Big Sleep,To Have and Have Not and Key Largo). --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Wacky and great fun
I was bowled over by this forgotten piece of Forties High Style, wacky and quirky and unpredictable as it is. Yes, the idea of subjective camera for the first third of the film was campy and too much, and certainly neither Bogey nor Bacall added significantly to the allure established elsewhere. The Waxman musical score is great, though, and the supporting cast, and the lines and situations they are given!, is brilliant, one of the best ever. The couple Bogey overhears at the train station! The plainclothes cop with all the weird questions in the diner! And, above all, the cabbie driver and his wild stories about goldfish and the seven hills of San Francisco! I laughed with delight all the way through, and I readily forgive the film that it is no straightforward thriller. So much the better!

Truly a dark Passage
Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) is imprisoned for killing his wife. Irene Jensen (Lauren Bacall) who had her father falsely imprisoned for the same thing assumes that Vincent is also falsely accused and waits for her chance to help with his escape. For quite some time we only see the world through his eyes, and never see his face. This perspective has been very effective in other movies and adds to the mystery in this movie.

Who is the guy with the circus tent upholstery in his car?
Will he prove to be innocent?
And will the man and woman strike up a relationship?
What perils lie ahead?

All right this is for all you analyzers these movies contain similar themes:
The escape scene is a classic and the barrel is used again in "Wrongfully Accused" (1998).
The first person prospective is used again in "It Came From Outer Space" (1953) where you see the world from an alien viewpoint.
(Agnes Moorhead) The orange car is close to the red hair in "Bachelor in Paradise" (1961).
The end relates to "On the Beach" (1959).

Second time through this movie, you will find your self, rooting for the good guy, want to warn him that you saw the movie before, and know what is going to happen. However, does he listen? Of course not. Nevertheless, maybe next time he will. Get out your popcorn and be aware of strangers barring chocolates.