Traqués

Lightweight crime picture about a man (Ralph Bellamy) recently released from prison for killing a guy in a fight over a girl. It doesn't take long before he finds himself in trouble again over another girl (Fay Wray), thanks to a guy (Melvyn Douglas) who thinks that girl belongs to him. I was anxious to see this due to the stars involved and Dashiell Hammett's name attached. What an immense disappointment this was. The whole thing creaks along like it was made the very day talking pictures were invented. Plodding pace with no memorable lines or scenes. Bellamy does fine playing a tougher role than we're used to seeing him in. But there's a reason why he was eventually typecast as the genial "runner-up" who loses the girl to the more exciting star of the picture. The rest of the cast doesn't stink but no one impresses, either. Phil Rosen's direction is nothing to brag about. This one is a drag, in my opinion. But obviously other reviewers saw something I didn't so give it a shot and see what you think. But keep expectations low.

"Woman in the Shadows" AKA "Woman in the Dark" (1934). It's not a bad lighthearted crime drama - would have been much better without the comedy - would be better as a serious piece but it's not bad as it is. It's not a complicated story - it's simple but effective for what it is.

John Bradley is a man out of prison for manslaughter. He decides to live alone - he simply wants to be alone because he's afraid of his own bad temper hurting someone again. And for a man that wants to be alone he sure attracted a lot of company and that company leads him to fear he's killed someone again so he and his newfound female company goes on the run together.

And for a tough guy that doesn't like chicks to well because they are trouble he sure turned out to be a soft romantic.

5/10

Sort of a very early "Twin Peaks" look at a small town and its corruption. Ralph Bellamy is a man just out of jail for accidental manslaughter but the town hates him. Fay Wray is running away (from what?) in the dark night in a slinky gown. She comes to his cabin where he is trying to get rid of the sheriff's daughter. She got him in trouble first time around.

Then Melvyn Douglas and a stooge barge in looking for Fay Wray. In a tussle the stooge shoots Wray's dog so Bellamy clunks him one and he hits his head on the fireplace. Here we go again.

Bellamy and Wray take off but get sidetracked by a cop and end up hiding out in the city with Bellamy's old cell mate and his wife, Roscoe Ates and Ruth Gillette.

Then the cops arrest Wray for stealing jewels from Douglas (which were a gift). To get out of jail she agrees to go back to Douglas but when she catches him trying to kill the stooge (who lingers on) she changes her mind.

Wild plot but the 3 stars are all pretty good. This is a 1934 film and it was made at Biograph Studies in New York City. I thought they had gone out of business 20 years before this!

Interestingly, this isn't a Hollywood film - it was made in New York at the old Biograph studios. That's about the only interesting thing about this other than wondering why reasonably high profile actors ended up in this low budget rubbish. The story behind that might be more interesting than this film?

The difference between this and something from a major studio is blatantly obvious. It looks decidedly amateurish. It's directed with all the skill of an arthritic chimpanzee trying to teach the tango in a dance school. It's hard to believe that some of these people are proper actors and that they have actually seen a camera before. I don't however harbour any pre-conceived notions that the cinematographer had seen a camera before.

It's just entertaining enough that you'll probably watch it to the end but you'll have the feeling that you've just watched a local amateur dramatics society put on a play in a church hall.

It's also a perfect example of how not to efficiently use your film time. They seem to have forgotten that in a movie you can have more than one thing going on at the same time. This results in weird long gaps in dialogue whilst each member of the cast waits in turn to read their lines. For example, He asks Her a question - does she reply? Yes but only after she's walked for about 5 seconds in silence to the other side of the room (where the microphone is?) to reply. It makes it so slow. 'Speak as you walk' you'll be wanting to shout.

I wonder if this explains why Fay Wray's career didn't go anywhere after Kong?

Out on parole, John Bradley (Ralph Bellamy) has no intention of returning to prison. His first night home, he is visited by Helen Grant (Nell O'Day) whose father is the sheriff. It was over Lil that John got into a brawl that ended in a man's death. John is encouraging her to leave when a woman, Louise Loring (Fay Wray) dressed in a white gown arrives at his house. She's hurt her ankle trying to get to the train station - and away from Tony Robson (Melvyn Douglas). Louise thought that Robson lent her money for her singing career - but it was an investment and he wants a return that isn't monetary.

Robson is there with a drunk friend (Reed Brown Jr.) who kills the dog that accompanied him (setting my teeth on edge), goes after Louise, is hit by John, and sustains a concussion, though John thinks he's dead. Tony informs the sheriff, and John and Louise go on the run to his cellmate Logan's (Roscoe Ates) place. It goes from there, with the police showing up yet again.

This is an okay movie, with the comedy coming from the visit at the Logan's -- he's an ex-jewel robber who is dying to get his hands on the jewels Robson gave Louise. Bellamy's career in films spanned 59 years, and his stage career spanned thirty. Here he's 30 years old, playing a somewhat laconic role, though flirtatious with Louise - his sonorous voice making him instantly recognizable.

Fay Wray was supremely beautiful and does a good job as Louise - though why anyone would walk in total darkness through what looked like woods to get to a train station is beyond me. I've seen too much true crime, I guess.

There was nothing special about this film, it was just nice to see the beautiful Wray and handsome Bellamy as a young man.