In a Lonely Place (1950)

"When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes, I all alone beweep my outcast state, And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries, And look upon myself and curse my fate"

I was never a fan of Humphrey Bogart. Even though Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon are two of my favourites, Bogey never made an impression on me, until, I watched "In a Lonely Place". Nicholas Ray and Bogey create a most memorable character in Dix Steele, a disillusioned screenwriter, whose short temper and arrogance have made him an outsider in Hollywood. He has not written a hit since before the war, but Dix refuses to work on mundane projects. His agent secures Dix a job of adapting a bestseller, but Dix invites hatcheck girl Mildred Atkinson over to his house to tell him the story (which she considers an epic). Next day, Dix is taken to the police station (by his friend and Det. Sgt. Brub Nicolai) where he finds out he is the prime suspect as Mildred was murdered during the night, after she left his house.

Enter, Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame), the neighbour, who testifies (for Dix, because she likes his face) that she saw Mildred leave the apartment and here begins her tumultuous affair with Dix. The affair sets off Dix's creative streak and their relationship flourishes but the murder investigation and an incident involving a UCLA quarterback causes a strain and doubt begins to form in Laurel. As Dix proposes marriage, Laurel accepts out of fear more than love. Dix walks in on Laurel packing her bags to skip town and in a rage, starts strangling her. The telephone rings and it is the police clearing Dix of the murder, but the call has come in too late to rescue the relationship.

Usually it would take a longer movie (Lawrence of Arabia, There Will Be Blood, etc) to drain me emotionally, but, "In a Lonely Place" with the running time of just over 90 minutes achieves it as Nicholas Ray had managed to squeeze in a plethora of emotions in the film. Bogey is a revelation (for me, anyway) as he displays emotions ranging from misanthropy, pure rage and vulnerability as Dix Steele, whose genius, which is respected, also results in his alienation. In one memorable scene, while visiting Brub and his wife Sylvia, Dix sets them up to re-enact the murder of Mildred. As Dix explicitly describes the horrible incident, Brub unwittingly strangles Sylvia until she cries out. Cinematographer Burnett Guffey, places a spotlight on Bogey's eyes which gives off the impression that Dix is sadistically fascinated by the twisted drama taking place.

Solving the murder takes a back-seat, thus preventing the movie from being an ordinary police procedural, as Nicholas Ray explores the lives affected by the murder. Gloria Grahame brilliantly portrays Laurel, who started out falling in love with Dix but ended up doubting his innocence. The others provide adequate support but it is Bogart all the way and he carries the movie on his world weary shoulders. The quote Dix has a hard time placing in his script rings true as he walks away from Laurel, a broken man.

"I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me."