who really killed his wife

i woke up this morning thinking about the two quiet weeks i spent with my grandmother last christmas, just the two of us. i often retreat to this memory when things are feeling crazy, taking comfort in the peaceful and productive time i spent in penticton, bc. in short, those two weeks consisted mostly of sewing, reading, talking and watching old movies, which couldn't be a more ideal way to spend my time.

for some reason, i started to think about one of the movies i happened to watch during my visit. it was one of the best films that i saw while i was there and although i typically give hollywood films a bad time, i do make exceptions for films made before 1950. this particular film struck me for its stylish and clever film techniques.

dark passage is a 1947 film noir starring humphrey bogart and lauren becall and is based on the crime novel of the same name by david goodis. the film centres on vincent parry, a man who has been framed for the murder of his wife. when he escapes from prison he undergoes a dramatic reconstructive surgery on his face so he can go undetected. he is eventually taken under the wing of a young artist named irene jansen.

if you have never watched a bogart and becall film (this is one of four they filmed together), i highly recommend dark passage. it's also a good introduction to the film noir genre, which is arguably one of the most interesting eras in film.