#810: RAY, Nicholas: In A Lonely Place (1950)

RAY, Nicholas (United States)

In A Lonely Place [1950]

Spine #810
Blu-ray

When a gifted but washed-up screenwriter with a hair-trigger temper — Humphrey Bogart, in a revelatory, vulnerable performance — becomes the prime suspect in a brutal Tinseltown murder, the only person who can supply an alibi for him is a seductive neighbor with her own troubled past (Gloria Grahame). The emotionally charged In a Lonely Place, freely adapted from a Dorthy B. Hughes thriller, is a brilliant, turbulent mix of suspenseful noir and devastating melodrama, fueled by power-house performances. An uncompromising tale of two people desperate to love yet struggling with their own demons and each other's, this is one of the greatest films of the 1950s and a benchmark in the career of the classic-Hollywood auteur Nicholas Ray.

93 minutes
Black & White

Monaural

1:33:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 2016

Director/Writers

Based upon a story by Dorothy B. Hughes.

Adaptation by Edmund H. North.

Screenplay by Andrew Solt.

Nicholas Ray was 39 when he directed In a Lonely Place.

Other Nicholas Ray films in the Collection:

#880: They Live By Night (1948)
#507: Bigger Than Life (1956)

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith.

Commentary

Featuring film scholar Dana Polan.

I’m a Stranger Here Myself

1975 documentary about director Ray, slightly condensed for this release.

Interview

With biographer Vincent Curcio about actor Grahame.

Piece

From 2002 featuring filmmaker Curtis Hanson.

Radio adaptation

From 1948 of the original Hughes novel, broadcast on the program Suspense.

Trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

99

By Director
By Spine #