In a Lonely Place, 1950

When "IN A LONEKY PLACE" was recently restored, re-issued on DVD and reviewed, I was surprised that I'd never seen this Bogart classic before. After watching it, I think I know why: it's mediocre. Bogey plays a screenwriter suspected of murder based on a history of manifold fistfights and violence. Gloria Grahame, looking her very best, plays a starlet who falls in love with Bogey (it takes about two minutes) and then just as quickly starts worrying that he might be capable of murder. While the acting and art direction are superior, the cast behaves more like stereotypes in a movie than people in real life. And the story, which plays out primarily on three claustrophobic sets -- an apartment, a police station and a club -- is kind of preposterous. We never find out why the scriptwriter is so full of rage or why the love of his life falls so quickly in and out of love with him. But if you enjoy Hollywood genre pictures and anything with Bogart, "IN A LONELY PLACE" is worth seeing. The DVD includes a short interesting piece on the restoration of the film, which was badly damaged, and a not-so-illuminating discussion by a present-day director that serves mainly to re-run through the prime scenes in the film. Despite the labeling, the sound is not Dolby Digital 5.1, but Pro Logic only.

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