Le Mystère de la plage perdue

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 *****

This is an unusually-well-photographed detective film, starring Ricardo Montalban as a handsome and improbable young Boston detective. It has a first-rate villain, an interesting investigational format, some very good actors in minor parts and very fine B/W production values. The script was by Leonard Spigelglass, Sydney Boehm and Richard Brooks with first-rate direction by John Sturges. Rudolph G. Kopp did the music, Edwin Willis the sets with Ralph S. Hurst, Cedric Gibbons and Gabriel Scognamillo the art direction and John Alton the beautiful cinematography. In the unusually large cast besides Montalban as Pete Morales were Sally Forrest, Marshall Thompson, Elsa Lanchester, Edmon Ryan as the villain, Bruce Bennet as a forensics professor, Betsy Blair, Jan Sterling and many others. The storyline is actually fairly simple. A "B" girl being told to get lost by her rich married boyfriend has to hijack a car driven by a second man to get from Boston to Cape Cod. Months later, she turns up as a skeleton near Cape Cod. Working from clues with a forensics professor, Morales tries to free the innocent motorist she had hijacked from suspicion, prevent another killing and catch the guilty man. This is a very attractive and well-mounted production; Forrest is somewhat wasted as a housewife; but many people, Lanchester and Ryan especially, have small to large telling parts in this very good narrative. Not a great film but far-above-average in every respect.

First of all .... ELLLLLLLSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you're an Elsa Lanchester fan, you've got to see this movie. Although she is fourth in the billing, I'd say she's on screen second in amount of time only to Ricardo Montalban. And, she plays her character wonderfully: a scheming, not-so-nice landlady! ELSA ROCKS!

Small aside: Thank goodness for Tivo's "wish list" feature and Turner Classic Movies! This movie came up during my Elsa Lanchester wish list search. Otherwise, I might never have seen it.

OK, back to the movie: I recorded it because of Elsa, and for that reason only. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed the movie. It's a murder mystery, and Ricardo Montalban plays a young lieutenant trying to find the murderer. For 1950, I thought the detail of forensic information they went into was pretty good ... CSI fans might laugh or find it charmingly quaint, but I don't recall any other "noir" type of films that I've seen from this era talk about forensic details to the extent that this film does.

I won't spoil the movie, but there are two scenes I'd like to comment on:

1) While Ricardo Montalban is searching the office of a snobby Cape Cod blue blood, the blue blood (Mr. Harkley) says to him, "The Harkleys have been here since before this land became known as the United States. I can tell by your accent that you've been here less than one generation." (or words to that effect). RM shoots him a great look, then has a great parting shot when he leaves Mr. Harkley's office.

2) VERY BRIEFLY, say 60 seconds at the most, Ricardo Montalban is working out by himself in a squash or handball court. A very yummy shot if, like me, you are only familiar with the older "Kahn" (Star Trek) or "Fantasy Island" Ricardo Montalban. Rrrrowwwr!

Summary: Good movie. Good story. Good acting. ELLLLLSSSSSSAAAAAAA!!!!!!! I recommend seeing it if you can.

(Sadly, I just checked Amazon and I don't see this movie as being available for sale on either DVD or VHS. Scan your Turner Classic Movie listings for this. I'm sure they'll play it again. Or plug it into your wish list if you have a Tivo. And if you don't have a Tivo then get one! (No, I'm not an employee of Tivo nor a shareholder! Just a huge Tivo fan!))

My rating = 8/10

Though the script is B-grade, the terrific cast and cinematography make "Mystery Street" a fun movie to watch. The story lacks depth and substantive twists, and the fractured plot suggests a weak structure. Focus oscillates back and forth among a number of characters. As a result, viewers come away with a sense that the film is an ensemble piece when in fact it isn't.

Jan Sterling is well cast as Vivian, a young, blonde hussy who is in trouble with the wrong people. The great Elsa Lanchester provides grotesque comic relief as the dithering but nervy Mrs. Smerrling, Vivian's smarmy, slithery landlady who's very fond of money. And Ricardo Montalban is surprisingly good as Morales, a novice Boston detective trying to solve a murder. Part of the plot provides a good account of then-current forensic science, as Morales pieces together detailed biological clues.

Gorgeous B&W photography makes this film quite atmospheric. Off-kilter angles in some scenes, shadows, silhouettes, a forced perspective, along with Gothic set decoration render interesting visuals. I especially liked those scenes that contain mostly blackness punctuated with bits of light. The look and feel is very 1940s, with scenes at a seedy rooming house, a tawdry bar called the Grass Skirt, and sleazy music to match.

The main reason I chose to watch this film is because of the mystery genre and the casting of wonderful Elsa Lanchester. The "mystery" was a tad disappointing, but Elsa was sheer delight.

"Mystery Street" contains a story that is acceptable if not first rate. But the cast and B&W noir visuals are terrific, making this an above-average film, one I would recommend.

Mystery Street (1950)

There are so many charming and sharply seen moments in this movie, and a plot that's strong and curious, you wonder why it doesn't quite pull together and zoom. Director John Sturges is neither a legend nor as slouch, one of those really competent directors who made some pretty famous films. "Mystery Street" might be revealing as to what makes a Sturges film what it is.

I mean, there's the Mexican-American lead male, Ricardo Montalban, who is far more believable than, say, Humphrey Bogart. But we prefer Bogart? Maybe because Montalban is so everyday, not a star, just wonderfully convincing as one of us. (He has a great line, probably added just for him, about being fully an American even though his family has only been in the country for less than a hundred years.) The story starts with a real bang, and with the crisp, edgy acting of Jan Sterling, and a couple of fast twists. It never gets dull, even if it levels out (it makes a potential mistake by letting us know fairly early on who the killer is, and then doesn't make this killer much of the plot until the very end). And there are other great roles, particularly the landlady, played by the incomparable Elsa Lanchester.

And check out the locale--not L.A., not even New York, but Boston area location shooting. And some great field work on Cape Cod. The whole feel of the movie is just outside the usual stuff, you know, the escape to the Mexican border or up into the California mountains, it makes it worth watching just for that. The photography is not extroverted, but it's really smart, tightly seen stuff, by John Alton, a Hollywood Veteran who later did the "Big Combo" and "Lonelyhearts."

Most of us don't watch films for all the insider stuff, or even just to salivate over the photography, as I tend to do, so we are back to the functional if not quite riveting story, held up by a handful of great performances. Better than CSI.