Directed by:
Charles VidorCinematography:
Lucien BallardComposer:
George ParrishCast:
Chester Morris, Ralph Bellamy, Ann Dvorak, Joan Perry, Melville Cooper, John Eldredge, Ann Doran, Marc Lawrence, Scotty Beckett, Milburn Stone, Marie Blake (more)Plots(1)
This chilling psychological drama begins with Morris and other inmates breaking out of prison, then forcing Bellamy, a psychologist, and his family to hide them from the police (shades of THE DESPERATE HOURS). The doctor persuades the convict to undergo analysis during this time. While under hypnosis, Morris recounts his terrible experiences, seen in flashback, offering an unconscious recitation which pinpoints his mania for murder. A taut story, moody cinematography by Ballard, sharp direction from Vidor, and superlative acting by Morris and Bellamy earn this film noir entry a top spot in the genre. (Remade as THE DARK PAST.) (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Chester Morris
USA
Best movies:
The Bat Whispers (1930)
Red-Headed Woman (1932)
The Divorcee (1930)
Ralph Bellamy
USA
Best movies:
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Trading Places (1983)
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
Ann Dvorak
USA
Best movies:
Scarface (1932)
'G' Men (1935)
The Secret of Convict Lake (1951)
Joan Perry
USA
Melville Cooper
UK
Best movies:
Rebecca (1940)
The Dawn Patrol (1938)
Random Harvest (1942)
John Eldredge
USA
Best movies:
Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
It Started with Eve (1941)
The Black Cat (1941)
Ann Doran
USA
Best movies:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Holiday (1938)
Marc Lawrence
USA
Best movies:
Vacation with a Gangster (1954)
Marathon Man (1976)
Desire (1936)
Scotty Beckett
USA
Best movies:
Kings Row (1942)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Anthony Adverse (1936)
Milburn Stone
USA
Best movies:
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Pickup on South Street (1953)
White Feather (1955)
Marie Blake
USA
Best movies:
The Major and the Minor (1942)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Day-Time Wife (1939)
James Craig
USA
Best movies:
The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)
Side Street (1950)
The Devil's Brigade (1968)
Eddie Acuff
USA
Best movies:
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Hellzapoppin' (1941)
The Phantom Creeps (1949) (TV movie) - a.f.
Dick Curtis
USA
Best movies:
Scarlet Street (1945)
King Kong (1933)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)
Ralph Dunn
USA
Best movies:
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Scarlet Street (1945)
The Talk of the Town (1942)
John Hamilton
USA
Best movies:
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
It Started with Eve (1941)
Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
Rose Stradner
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
The Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
The Last Gangster (1937)
Grady Sutton
USA
Best movies:
My Fair Lady (1964)
It's a Wonderful World (1939)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)