La calle del misterio

The somewhat generic title "Mystery Street" offers no real clue as to what is contained therein, and belies the fact that this film exhibits some very contemporary themes and devices. It is partnered with "Act of Violence" on a "film noir" DVD which offers an excellent evening of entertainment from two lesser-known movies of that genre.

Ricardo Montalban plays a Portuguese-American police detective trying to piece together the clues left behind by a skeleton found buried in the sand dunes near Hyannis, Massachusetts. The proceedings are a definite precursor to TV's "C.S.I." and similar series devoted to police forensics and procedures, and a crime lab run by Bruce Bennett at Harvard University features prominently. It's no secret to the audience who the skeletal remains are, but it is for earnest, hardworking Montalban to discover for himself.

In the process, the youthful Montalban interacts with several potential suspects and witnesses, all the while treating us to his special brand of Latin charisma that made him so popular with female audiences. He's in fine form, confident and looking great in a trench coat and fedora, although sometimes his accent gets a tad in the way.

The stellar supporting cast includes fabulous Elsa Lanchester as an avaricious and corrupt landlady who soon finds herself in over her head. Her expert dramatics are priceless, and she is allowed ample screen time to flesh-out a unique character who is both compelling and repulsive. Next mention should go to beautiful Jan Sterling in a pivotal role of a cynical but desperate dance hall girl looking to strike it rich. Marshall Thompson and Sally Forrest appear as a young married couple with their share of problems and more than a few secrets. The rest of the cast is filled with great little cameo performances, most with one scene each in rapid-fire succession.

So fans of classic police drama will find much to enjoy in "Mystery Street," a movie which certainly foreshadows current trends in that genre, and gives fine actors a great showcase for their talent.

**** out of *****

See it for the Boston locations, for an early gritty performance by Montalban before he became a Latin heartthrob joke, for the intricate plot, vivid characterizations and snappy editing, but see it most of all for the extraordinary cinematography of John Alton. What he does with composition, deep focus and lighting is amazing. That he often does it on locations where he did not have the control of a soundstage is astonishing.

A simple, clear plot that doesn't interfere with the power of the personal stories within. In its day it would've been shocking for showing the murder, and the discovery of the body. Good acting from a young Montalban.

This is proof that Ricardo Montalban was actually a fine actor, before he was somehow transformed into a caricature of himself by television. This movie is so well done, so tightly crafted that I am surprised I have never heard of it before. It may be the very first movie-version of "CSI"! Not as graphic and detailed as the TV show, but a forensic anthropological examination of the evidence by a Harvard doctor/professor is integral to the plot, and handled very well. The characters rise above typical stereotypes in this story, which almost plays like a docudrama as opposed to something created from whole cloth. Elsa Lanchester is particularly good too as a nasty landlady with no scruples whatsoever. Truly a hidden gem, and one worth the hour-forty or so you will spend watching it.

This film gets some notoriety because it introduced audiences to forensic science long before "Quincy" and "CSI" became hit shows on television. But don't be misled: forensic science is only a part of this film; it is not like watching a CSI episode. It's mainly simply a crime story where we meet a bunch of characters responsible for a killing that took place.

I thought the leading characters, played by Ricardo Montalban and Bruce Bennett, were upstaged by a couple of ladies, namely Elsa Lanchester and Jan Sterling, although the latter is killed off quickly. Too bad; I always found Sterling a fascinating actress and someone well-suited for film noir. Don't get me wrong: Montalban is a solid actor, a lot more than the "Love Boat" guy people remember him for. The same goes for Bennett, but neither has a lot of spark in here. By the way, if you liked Montalban in this kind of movie, check out "Border Incident," a noir he starred in the previous year.

This particular story won't keep on edge because we know early on who is the murderer. Like a "Columbo" TV episode, the fun is seeing how the cops figure it out. "Lt. Morales" (Montalban) gets valuable help from "Dr. McAdoo" (Bennett) is piecing the case together.

It's "Mrs. Smerling" (Lanchester) who is the most fun to watch in this film. I think most viewers would agree with that.

The movie certainly gives a lot of favorable publicity to the Harvard Medical School. I remember watching this and thinking the school must have bankrolled the movie, it's gets so much positive air time.

Finally, it's nice to see this on DVD. If it hadn't been included in this "Film Nor Classics collection Vol. 4" set I probably never would have seen this film. The transfer is fine, highlighting the wonderful black and white cinematography we film noir fans so enjoy. Kudos to photographer John Alton and director John Sturges for that. Alton was behind the camera on a number of beautifully-shot film noirs of the late '40s