Must See Movie...

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Awesome Movie

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Copyright 25 November 1947 by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Palace: 25 November 1947. U.S. release: 13 November 1947. U.K. release: 26 January 1948. Australian release: 27 May 1948. Length: 8,852 feet. 98 minutes.U.K. release title: Build My Gallows High.SYNOPSIS: In the little town of Bridgeport, California, Jeff Bailey runs a gas station with the assistance of a mute boy, Jimmy, and courts Ann. Joe Stefanos drives into town and informs Jeff that Whit Sterling, a racketeer, wants to see him. Jeff relates his life's story to Ann as they drive to Sterling's Lake Tahoe mansion. As a private detective named Jeff Markham, he was hired to find Sterling's mistress, Kathie Moffett, who had shot Sterling and escaped with $40,000. NOTES: Dick Powell was announced to star in "Build My Gallows High" after completing "Johnny O'Clock".Locations: Reno, Nevada; Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Los Angeles, California; Mexico City, Acapulco, Mexico.COMMENT: A suspenseful, if somewhat complicated detective thriller, scripted by Daniel Mainwaring from his own novel "Build My Gallows High". The dialogue is laconically witty and Jacques Tourneur's direction builds up atmosphere and suspense with praiseworthy agility. Photography (Nicholas Musuraca) and art direction (Albert S. D'Agostino, Jack Okey) are further plus factors, and performances are most capable. In short, a superior thriller.OTHER VIEWS: I wrote the first draft and then went on to something else. Producer Warren Duff put Frank Fenton, and then James M. Cain on it, and Cain threw away my script and wrote a completely new one. They paid him twenty or thirty thousand and it had nothing to do with my novel or anything. He took it out of the country and set the whole thing in the city. Duff didn't like it and called me back, and I made some changes and did the final. That's the way things used to work. As for Dore Schary, he didn't like anything that was in progress at the studio when he was appointed chief of production. He tried to get rid of them all. He just threw them out without any decent publicity. – Daniel Mainwaring. Bob (Mitchum) is a marvelous actor and was so considerate of me. I am very fond of him. On the other hand, Kirk is a more physical actor. He bruised my arms grabbing me, and my face was roundly slapped. How he did Champion without maiming his partner is a miracle. – Jane Greer.AVAILABLE on a superb Warner's DVD.

..says ex Private investigator Robert Mitchum (Jeff) to bad-news girl Jane Greer (Kathie). He is discovered at the beginning of the film in his new hideout by henchman Paul Valentine (Joe) who works for badass Kirk Douglas (Whit) whose character is obviously named after movie legend Whit Bissell. Mitchum has changed his name and has a girlfriend Virginia Huston (Ann) who is unaware of his past which is about to catch up with him. We know that Mitch would much rather lie low and skin up a few doobies but things don't pan out that way for him.It was interesting to read that in one scene when Douglas offers Mitchum a cigarette, Mitchum's relaxed response is "smoking" as he already has a ciggie on the go. I remembered that scene as I found it amusing. The reality was that Mitchum just wandered into the scene with an already lit cigarette and ad-libbed his response when Douglas delivered his line. Ha ha. He is one cool customer! It's a great cast with no misfires and I see why it has its reputation as one of the film noir classics. It's missing a seedy bar torch song - otherwise all elements that you'd expect from this genre are there.

Out of the Past is considered to be one of the best film noirs in movie history and for good reason. The multi layered plot mixed with the dark and suspenseful mood that Director Jacques Tourneur is famous for really set the tone for this fantastic film. The story has every theme you'd expect from a film noir like betrayal and corruption all within a morally ambiguous atmosphere. Centered around a love triangle with a extraordinary femme fatale played by Jane Greer you are left on the edge of your seat trying to figure out everything going on.

I first saw Out of the Past in a screening in Austin at UT. It looks so unbelievably good projected. I've since watched it every few years on TCM or DVD, and just watched it again after listening to the Out of the Past Podcast's episode on the film, and got even more out of it this time. That's what makes it a classic and a pleasure. My favorite Mitchum movie and maybe Kirk Douglas as well. My favorite noir.