The Prowler - Joseph Losey

[MissGoddess]

After Secret Beyond the Door is what I believe is another TCM premiere, Joseph Losey's The Prowler (1951).
Another noir I've never seen but have heard good things about it. It's supposed to be about a policeman
"obsessed with a married woman". Sounds like a very different change of pace for the usually upstanding
but complex actor, Van Heflin.

TCM's article on the film:

http://www.tcm.com:80/tcmdb/title.jsp?s ... y=Articles

[Mr. Arkadin]

My recorder is ready!

[moira finnie]

I have never seen this one either, but will be recording it. Van Heflin as a cop with "issues" sounds intriguing. I'm pretty sure that fairly tough cookie, Evelyn Keyes, won't be intimidated...or will she? Sounds like Joseph Losey hitting his stride and possibly conveying his patented gift for creating an ominous atmosphere. Thanks for the reminder, Miss G.

[ChiO]

Another must-see. Mr. Ark fave, Van Heflin, does not disappoint (does he ever?) and Evelyn Keyes is right there with him.

[MissGoddess]

The Prowler was so good it's now in my top ten favorite films noir.

Van Heflin was terrific in a classic Robert Ryan role. The story and direction really
surprised me with their depth and wonderful emotions and ironies. A classic film noir
if there ever was one.

Any time I can be made to actually feel sorry for the "villain" at the end is a unique
experience.

[klondike]

Mr. Ark fave, Van Heflin, does not disappoint (does he ever?) . . .

Members of the jury, I hereby contend that my esteemed colleague has made this statement only because he has never viewed Mr. Heflin's work in the motion picture entitled Grand Central Murder.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for nearly ten thousand unfortunates all across America in 1942, & the early months of '43.

[ChiO]

Members of the jury, I hereby contend that my esteemed colleague has made this statement only because he has never viewed Mr. Heflin's work in the motion picture entitled Grand Central Murder.

Members of the jury, my esteemed colleague is correct in that I have unfortunately never seen GRAND CENTRAL MURDER, a situation I would wish to remedy as soon as possible based on the nearly unanimous praise -- and no raspberries -- for Mr. Heflin's performance in that film received from posters at TCM and IMDb and, I report with some trepidation, in the contemporaneous review by one Bosley Crowther. Not that this near uniformity of opinion, or my failure to recall having witnessed a subpar performance by Mr. Heflin, closes the case. No, wise jury, you are the final arbiters. But in closing, I leave you with three words to consider in your deliberations:

THE PROWLER -- WOW!

[MissGoddess]

THE PROWLER -- WOW!

Care to elaborate, Counsellor? Or should I say, Your Honor?

[ChiO]

Well...a quick note before taking off to see GILDA tonight on the big screen (and, with all due respect, I'd rather see Rita than write about Van at the moment. That's how shallow I am.).

THE PROWLER aka Hoosier Love and Basketball: This pushes all of the right buttons for me. The seemingly upstanding protagonist -- a representative and enforcer of society's mores, no less -- who wants something else that always seems out of reach and lunges headfirst into a downward spiral. The woman in a bad marriage who leads him on, but who really isn't a femme fatale, at least not in the archetypal way. They both want the appearances of security and status, but make (to the objective eye) all of the wrong decisions to attain it. Lies, lies, and lies. To the public, friends and each other. All to end with the paradox of a policeman shouting "Halt!" three times before firing, just what Webb (Heflin) said he did before shooting Emerson.

Plus, it was wonderful to watch such a beautifully restored print (as one smart aleck here at SSO who saw my copy said, "Oh, I thought it was snowing throughout the movie."). And did you notice the Assistant Director in the credits? Robert Aldrich. I didn't notice whether Millard Kaufman's name had been replaced with Dalton Trumbo's. Losey + Aldrich + Trumbo = one jaundiced look at American society.

That's it for now. If this was frighteningly weak, I'll put the blame on Mame.

[MissGoddess]

Funny you mention Gilda. The woman who played Gilda's maid also plays the Mexican maid in Secret Beyond the Door (which aired just before The Prowler).

[Mr. Arkadin]

Plus, it was wonderful to watch such a beautifully restored print (as one smart aleck here at SSO who saw my copy said, "Oh, I thought it was snowing throughout the movie.")

I take it you didn't care for that crack.

[movieman1957]

An interesting film. Kept trying to figure who was more obsessed and with what. And further proof that babies can change everything.

Good performances, Heflin especially. Creepy enough to make you wonder why Keyes stuck around. Fine work with an exciting final twenty minutes.

[Ann Harding]

I revisited The Prowler yesterday thanks to the new VCI DVD. I had seen the film some 15 years ago and didn't remember much of it. This new vision was a revelation. First, the new restored print by the UCLA Film & TV Archive is gorgeous. Instead of doing a mere digital print, they actually made a new 35 mm one. The transfer on the VCI DVD is superb, unlike most VCI DVDs which have terrible prints.
At first sight, it's a Noir with a typical storyline: husband, wife and lover. The lover kills the husband and marries the wife. Like that, it sounds like a cliché. But, the story treatment by Dalton Trumbo (uncredited because of his blacklisting) gaves it far more depth than you can imagine. Van Heflin plays a cop who falls in love with Evelyn Keyes, a young woman married to an older man she doesn't love. He would like to quit his job, but hasn't got the means to do it. Evelyn Keyes is a former failed actress who feels desperately lonely and unloved. She is not really a femme fatale, more a victim. As for Van Heflin, he probably originally had no intention to become a killer, but he is driven to it by greed and lust. What makes the film so interesting is its very ambiguity. The characters are not clear-cut. Webb Garewood (V. Heflin) is a killer, but we still feel some sympathy for the character. The final is harsh and relentless, shot in the Mojave Desert. I was very impressed by the acting of Van Hefling as the bad/good guy. This is a very handsome and complex film noir. I am glad I saw it again. The bonus on the disc are very interesting with interviews with Trumbo's son and Eddie Muller, the head of the Film Noir Foundation. Highly recommended.

[RedRiver]

I like the second half of this odd little noir. The story becomes desperate, tense. It's quite suspenseful. I wasn't terribly intrigued with the "getting to know you" sequence. They flirt, she backs off, he comes back. I knew where it was going and I wished to Hell they'd get there. Once the murder was committed, I was along for the ride.

The library in my town has done a great job acquiring some offbeat crime films. This one came along about the same time as THE SNIPER, MURDER BY CONTRACT, and something with Richard Conte. It's good to see these all but forgotten movies!