The Dark Corner

The Dark Corner
1946 - 20th Century Fox
Directed By Henry Hathaway



SYNOPSIS

Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens) is a detective who was recently released from prison for manslaughter... framed by his former partner Jardine (Kurt Kreuger.) He relocated to New York City from San Fransisco and hired a secretary (Lucille Ball) who fancies him. They spot a man (William Bendix) following them and Galt suspects his old partner of hiring the tail. Soon Jardine turns up dead in Galt's apartment and when Galt and his secretary lean the identity of the tail... he turns up dead too. Galt has only one small clue as to who is trying to frame him.



MY THOUGHTS

A great little film noir, The Dark Corner should be put in the center of the room so it can be enjoyed by more people.

Great performances by the leads make the film stand out.
Mark Stevens is tough and ballsy like any true film noir hero. His character is more sympathetic than your usual noir detective like Sam Spade or Phillip Marlowe. The fact he was framed, sent to prison, and is now back trying to lead life as a law-abiding citizen... coupled with his romance, make him easy to root for.

Though she has a few funny lines, Lucille Ball proves herself as an excellent dramatic actress. She pulls off the tough but romantic secretary very well (very un-Lucy like.) It's a shame she didn't play more roles like this. She seems to be equally adept with drama as she was with comedy.
The strong relationship between the characters is one of the rarer elements that separate it from the usual noir... and it's one of the best-handled parts of the story.

Director Henry Hathaway delivered greats in the noir style like Niagara, The House On 92nd Street, and Call Northside 777. But The Dark Corner fits the noir label the best.
The cinematography is pure noir... striking and full of deep shadows and dark places. Noir rarely looked better. There are many great views of New York as well.

The dialogue is snappy and has many great lines:
Bradford Galt: "I can be framed easier than "Whistler's Mother"."

Plot-wise the film is fairly predictable (and somehow also a bit confusing at the same time!) but the direction, cinematography and performances make up for it. The Dark Corner doesn't stand as one of the very best of the bunch... but it's pretty damn close.