Nas Sombras da Paixão

I saw this before, either this film or a remade version. I recognized it as soon as I saw the first scene in the park, where a man with a bloody head and amnesia (Walter Abel) meets a woman on the opposite bench (Margot Grahame) who is down on her luck and at that moment, homeless.

The man has $500 on him, which as far as I'm concerned is still a lot of money to carry around -- back in 1936 it was a fortune.

He finds out from the front page of the newspaper that there has been a murder, and he wonders if he was a part of it. The police are looking for a man who matches his description and wears a pinstriped suit.

He gives Marie money to square things with her landlady, and he takes a room there himself, after buying a new suit.

The man spends quite a bit of time trying to find out who he is, believing himself to be the victim's chauffeur, and runs into police at the man's residence. Can he remember and clear himself?

Pretty good B movie with the unusual casting of Walter Abel in the lead. He was more of a character actor, but he handles himself pretty well, as does Margot Grahame.

On hand also are Wallace Ford, Gail Patrick, Eric Blore, and Alan Hale, all of whom are terrific.

Entertaining. No great shakes, but a nice cast and decent story.

There are so many ridiculous story elements to this B-movie that I just can't bring myself to give it a score any higher than 3 (and this might be a bit generous)--though I must admit that it was rather entertaining at times--but certainly NOT for the entire film.

The story begins with a newly homeless lady meeting a guy in the park who has no idea who he is or where he is. At the same time, a cop comes and tells them to get moving, as it's late and they are loitering. Why, upon discovering this man with a bleeding head and amnesia didn't the lady just tell the cop and then get the man help?! Because, the film required the actors to occasionally act stupidly or bizarrely in order to make the convoluted plot work!! Later, the two decide (finally) to take him to the police station but on the way they see a newspaper that MIGHT indicate the amnesia victim committed a murder. So what does common sense tell you to do? Yep, DON'T take him to the police and help him to investigate the murder like Holmes and Watson!!! While this is stupid (after all he can be a maniac), it also makes no sense because so many people they meet might just be the murderer (if he isn't) and kill them to keep them quiet!! Sp they just blunder into the investigation and no one realizes they are implicated for the longest time!! So, provided you can ignore all this, the film then is only a moderately entertaining whodunit. Without good supporting performances and a rather listless mystery, it just isn't much of a film--only a very clichéd time-passer with a few decent performances.

I expected this film to be awful upon reading other people's reviews; on the contrary, it's a fun mystery that might have benefited from a stronger, more noir-inclined director like Hitchcock.

Perhaps the multitude of characters confused people, but that's the nature of a who-done-it. You need clues and plenty of viable suspects. I do think better pacing and filmography would have made it more engaging. Regardless, I'm not normally fond of amnesia plots, and I found myself thoroughly entertained.

Margot Grahame's character is delightful and brilliant. Her energy and wit are intrinsic opposite Walter Abel's bewildered mystery man, and it is her determination that drives the plot forward. By far, her personality is my favorite part of this film.

It has an extremely strong beginning. I could imagine the setup inspiring more modern stories in the same genre, if it hasn't already. Wish I could rate it a 6.5, but can't quite justify a 7.

As a man with a head injury staggers through a park late at night, he attracts the attention of Marie Smith, a struggling actress. He has no memory but believes he may have been involved in a murder. They set out to learn his identity and solve the mystery.

Pleasant film with Walter Abel and Margot Grahame working well as a pairing and there is good back up from Alan Hale and Wallace Ford. An interesting film, perhaps a little slow in the middle with a quick conclusion, but not overlong and will pass the time.

Amnesiac 'Ford Adams' (Walter Abel) wandering through a Boston Park meets sympathetic 'Marie Smith' (Margot Grahame), believing that he has committed a crime, MURDER. What follows is a typical mystery programmer that any of the Studios of the 1930s would churn out to complete there programming schedule. After the usual twists and turns the likable Couple not only prevail, revealing the real/reel culprits, but find 'true love'.

The film has two (2) redeeming features that makes it a worthwhile watch. It moves in a brisk 72" minutes and has a fine cast of supporting character actors. Who knew how to bring this type of material to a satisfying conclusion. You cannot go very wrong with a cast that includes Wallace Ford, Gail Patrick, Alan Hale, J. Carroll Naish, etc.

The only real reservation is with actor Walter Abel. RKO never had much luck developing leading man material. Usually borrowing quality from other Studios, like Cary Grant or Fredric March. Mr. Abel delivers all dialog with the same flat monotone that you cannot distinguish if he is angry, concerned, passionate or scared. It all sounds the same. RKO should have realized that they had a dependable character actor and not a leading man. That should have been obvious from the previous years THE THREE MUSKETEERS. Never was there a more tepid 'D'Artagan' featured, either on screen or stage! What a contrast from the fine Female actors they developed, like Ann Harding, Katherine Hepburn, Irene Dunne and Ginger Rogers.