Phantom Lady (1944)

Calificación de los usuarios:

7.6/10   

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Escritores:

Cornell Woolrich (novel)
Bernard C. Schoenfeld (screenplay)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

28 enero 1944 (USA)

Género:

Crimen | Cine Negro | Misterio

Frase comercial:

IT'S UNIQUE...suspense...mystery...drama!

Plot:

Unhappily married Scott Henderson spends the evening on a no-name basis with a hat-wearing woman he picked up in a bar...

Plot Keywords:

Hat | Secretary | Murder | Prison | Bar

Comentarios de los usuarios:

The most suggestive 'sex scene' in '40s films.

Reparto

Franchot Tone	...	Jack Marlow
Ella Raines	...	Carol 'Kansas' Richman
Alan Curtis	...	Scott Henderson
Aurora Miranda	...	Estela Monteiro (as Aurora)
Thomas Gomez	...	Inspector Burgess
Fay Helm	...	Ann Terry
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Cliff Milburn
Andrew Tombes	...	Mac - Bartender
Regis Toomey	...	Detective Chewing Gum
Joseph Crehan	...	Detective Tom
Doris Lloyd	...	Madame Kettisha
Virginia Brissac	...	Dr. Helen Chase
Milburn Stone	...	District Attorney (voice)

También conocida como:

Condemned to Hang (USA) (working title)
La dama desconocida (Spain) [es]

Duración:

87 min

País:

USA

Idioma:

Inglés | Portugués

Color:

Negro y Blanco

Relación de Aspecto:

1.37 : 1

Sonido:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Clasificación:

USA:Approved (PCA #9827) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Compañía:

Universal Pictures

Trivialidades:

Although Franchot Tone is given top billing in this film, he does not appear for the first 45 minutes.

Errores:

Personal o Equipo Visible: During an overhead shot in the sequence where Kansas trails the bartender through a deserted street after he gets off work, the actors are clearly connected waist-to-waist by a thin wire--most likely so that the actress stayed an exact number of feet behind the actor to ensure both were in focus during what was apparently a tricky camera set-up.

Citas:

Mac: Yes, Miss?
Carol Richman: Pinch-bottle and water.

Conexiones de Película:

Referenced in Saboteur: A Closer Look (2000) (V)

Banda de Sonido:

Chick-ee-Chick

The most suggestive 'sex scene' in '40s films.

Film students and fans of film noir always hear about PHANTOM LADY and now that I've seen it I'm inclined to report that it's overrated. Though the premise is initially intriguing, it quickly accumulates so many plot holes that you instantly figure out who the murderer is. But this is an exercise in style, not content. Director Robert Siodmak saved the film by giving visual distinction to a poor script.

His training in the German Expressionist style makes for very striking images thoughout despite the low budget: dramatic contrasts between light and dark with simple, strong lighting effects never fail to provide interest and tension. And he goes a long way in suggesting the ethnic and racial mix of New York City in 1944 by his offbeat choice of extras and supporting players, most of whom are not the types you see in movies of the time. And the set of sculptor Franchot Tone's apartment complete with furniture and busts would be the envy of many a Soho or Tribeca resident in 2004.

In the lead, Ella Raines looks rather like a poor man's Gene Tierney. She is attractive and likable and you have no trouble maintaining interest in her, but she doesn't have much acting range, at least at this point in her career. Franchot Tone does a very professional job in an impossibly sketchy and ludicrous part, and Thomas Gomez is okay as the detective. As the wronged man, Alan Curtis provides his own visual interest via a strong jaw and broad shoulders, and an occasional hint of surliness makes his character more interesting.

But as others have indicated here, the single most surprising and effective scene is one where horny drummer Elisha Cook, Jr. takes Ella Raines to an after hours dive to show her what he's made of. Equating jazz and especially drumming with hot sex, Siodmak cross cuts between Cook's orgasmic frenzy at the drums (complete with a closeup insert of his crotch) with Ella seemingly transported as well, giving him the come-on, urging him to climax. It's the most overtly sexual scene I've ever seen in a '40s film and it's one you shouldn't miss.