☆ ☆ ☆ ½
Hollow Triumph (1948) – S. Sekely/P. Henreid
A.K.A.
The Scar. Paul Henreid is a gangster
just out of jail who decides to rob a notorious gambling den but things go
awry. He goes into hiding to avoid the
hitmen after him and happens to run into his exact double, a psychoanalyst with
a thriving practice. Having studied
psychology himself, Henreid plots to kill the doctor and take his place
(approaching his secretary Joan Bennett in order to glean personal info about
his double, he winds up falling in love). The only difference between Henreid
and the psychologist (also played by Henreid) is that the latter has a
pronounced facial scar on his left cheek.
Unfortunately, when Henreid cuts himself to reproduce the scar, he
accidentally chooses the wrong cheek – but no one notices (or do they?). The suspense is built and, in Hitchcock-like
fashion, we find ourselves barracking for the bad guy. But this being film
noir, it can’t possibly work out and the ending is deliciously ironic. Although Paul Henreid apparently took over
direction of the film himself, the real highlight here is John Alton’s shadowy
cinematography – characters are shown starkly surrounded by pitch black
darkness more often than not. Above average noir, not least because of its
weird plot. Worth seeking out (I found it on youtube).
No comments:
Post a Comment