L'impasse maudite

I tend to mostly avoid James Mason films in a British setting as he frequently evokes the staid, bloodless, leather driving glove school of acting of England in the 1950s.

Here, however, as a fish out of water character in this U. S / Mexican saga he is rather good. The accompanying cast of Marta Toren, William Conrad and the always excellent Dan Duryea are hard to resist. The final act contrasts of a baked Mexican pueblo back to a rain sodden nocturnal American city are extremely evocative. Ditching the Noir urban for a village, and redemption in the bucolic charms of country life is a novel take for a film of this genre.

Here's the kicker - very hard to find a 35mm converted version of this film, instead it is the horror of Blu ray / HD manipulations which are in ready supply, a technology which completely destroys old movies. The displaced filmic world, the wealth and grain of celluloid is replaced by shiny, immediate, clear cut images, completely erasing depth of field and the necessary suspension of disbelief - instead, constantly jolting the viewer out of absorption and into an over awareness of sets, props and the artifice of production.

Dan Duryea and his gang have just pulled off a big haul. Doctor James Mason scoops the loot and Duryea's girlfriend, Märta Torén. The two fugitives head to Mexico City, but the plane they're in is forced down in a poor coastal village by a busted fuel pump. The canny and kindly local priest. Basil Ruysdael, talks them into staying and giving medical help to his parishioners. However, Duryea is still looking for them, for vengeance.

It's a well produced story of redemption, and Ruysdael steals the show. He was born in 1878 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA as Basil Spaulding Millspaugh. From 1910 through 1918, he was a bass-baritone for the Metropolitan Opera Company, before going on Broadway and then radio. His movie debut was in THE COCOANUTS in 1929. Aside from some voice-over work in shorts, he next was seen on the screen in 1949. He died in 1960.

### Movie Review: "One Way Street"

**By Edward Sterling**

Stepping into the cinema to watch Universal-International's latest production, "One Way Street," directed by Hugo Fregonese, feels like navigating the winding alleys of a noir-soaked labyrinth. This film, rich with the shadowy ambience of crime and retribution, anchors itself in the gritty reality of betrayal and the quest for redemption.

James Mason, delivering a performance both enigmatic and compelling, plays Dr. Frank Matson, a man whose veneer of calm conceals a maelstrom of desperation. Mason's portrayal captures the quintessential anti-hero, a character teetering on the precipice of moral ambiguity, pulling the audience into his tumultuous journey.

Supporting Mason, the luminous Märta Torén as Laura provides a stark contrast to the film's darker themes. Her character, though ensnared in the web of crime, emanates a glimmer of hope and humanity. Torén's portrayal brings an emotional depth that softens the otherwise relentless tension.

Dan Duryea, portraying the menacing mob boss, adds to the film's sinister undercurrent. Duryea's ability to infuse his character with a chilling sense of unpredictability keeps viewers on edge, embodying the palpable threat that looms over Matson's attempt at escape.

Fregonese's direction, paired with Irving Glassberg's evocative cinematography, masterfully captures the essence of noir. The interplay of light and shadow creates a visual symphony that underscores the film's central themes of conflict and resolution. The searing landscapes of Mexico, where much of the film unfolds, provide a stark, almost surreal backdrop to Matson's flight from his past.

"One Way Street" excels in its pacing, maintaining a relentless drive that mirrors Matson's own urgency. Frank Skinner's score punctuates the film's tense moments, heightening the sense of impending danger and the fragile hope of salvation.

However, while the film triumphs in many aspects, it does not escape certain clichés inherent to the genre. The storyline, though gripping, treads familiar paths, and at times, the dialogue slips into predictable tropes. Despite these minor shortcomings, the film's strengths lie in its atmospheric tension and the robust performances of its leads.

In a year where the silver screen has been graced with a multitude of crime dramas, "One Way Street" stands out as a testament to the enduring allure of the noir genre. It is a journey worth taking, a descent into the dark heart of humanity that ultimately suggests that redemption, though elusive, is not entirely out of reach.

In conclusion, "One Way Street" is a cinematic venture that, despite its occasional foray into the well-trodden, captivates and compels with its stark visuals, strong performances, and an unflinching gaze into the shadowy corners of the human psyche. It is, without a doubt, a notable addition to the noir canon of 1950.

James Mason, Marta Toren, Dan Duryea, and William Conrad all do a wonderful job in this first-rate production of a doctor's misadventures after associating with the wrong kind of people. A few bad decisions is all it takes; that and the Production Code, which single-handedly ruined the end of this film. A doctor hatches a clever plan to rob thieves of their heist money, and takes the moll of gangster Duryea as well. As the two flee to Mexico, there is a turn of events and the good character of the doctor begins to emerge. I will not reveal the miserable ending to this potentially wonderful film, but suffice it to say that those who decided on this ending were merely cowards, and had not a trace of real humanity within them.

In the Citadel Film series book on The Films Of James Mason, Mason himself said that he was never told by viewers that they saw this film or was ever questioned about it. I guess that One Way Street might be overlooked in the big budget films that would shortly follow in his career. That's a pity because this one is a good, but fatalistic noir film, something along the lines of Odd Man Out.

In One Way Street Mason is a doctor whose practice is on the wrong side of the law, patching up criminals and not reporting about it. We're never told brought him to this because no one starts this way in the field of medicine.

While on a house call to Dan Duryea's mob after they've pulled a heist, Duryea rides Mason once too often and through a rather ingenious bluff he winds up stealing the loot from a robbery the gang just pulled off. Not only that, he winds up stealing Marta Toren away from Duryea so Dan has two reasons for going after him.

Mason and Toren have to land in a remote village in Mexico when the plane they've chartered develops engine trouble. Even a defrocked doctor is welcome among these people where Mason and Toren settle and start to enjoy life a little, but life and the past do catch up.

Duryea's henchmen include William Conrad, King Donovan, and Jack Elam who are as scurvy a lot as you'll find. Basil Ruysdael who is always an authority figure of some kind is fine as the local priest at the village where Mason and Toren are staying. Look fast or you'll miss Rock Hudson in a bit role as a truckdriver with one line in the film.

Marta Toren who hoped to succeed both Greta Garbo and Ingrid Bergman as a cinema sensation from Sweden died tragically young. She never broke into A pictures in America, but she was for me one of the most beautiful women the big screen ever saw.

If your genre is noir you cannot go wrong with One Way Street.