Dark Passage
A fugitive from San Quentin takes a desperate gamble on a new face, but the past won't let go.
Where to watch online
Official services. The link goes straight to this film.
Availability data by JustWatch
About the film
One of a kind! Tough... Torrid... Terrific!
What it’s about
Vincent Parry breaks out of San Quentin after ten years of a life sentence for killing his wife. On a deserted road, Irene Jansen picks him up and offers shelter. With the police closing in, he decides on plastic surgery to buy time and hunt for the real murderer, hoping that a changed appearance will let him reclaim the decade he lost.
What hooks you
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, married at the time of filming, play Vincent Parry and Irene Jansen. Bogart's face stays hidden for the first hour—seen only through subjective camera or shadow—until the bandages come off at minute 62. The film's composite newspaper photo of Bogart's pre-surgery face used double exposure and retouching, a standout technical feat for its era.
Who it’s for
It is a good pick for those who like noir suspense that builds slowly through identity and pursuit, and for viewers drawn to 1940s crime stories where a wounded protagonist seeks to clear his name.
- Country
- United States
- Year
- 1947
- Genre
- Thriller
- Running time
- 1h 46min
- Age rating
- NR+
- MPAA
- NR
- World premiere
- Sep 5, 1947
Ratings
MOVIE․ONE · 558 votesCreative team
All 9
Trivia
All facts 8
- The plot of the film is based on the novella of the same name by David Goodis.
- In one of the frames, Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) sees his photo in a newspaper, in which he is depicted before plastic surgery. This photo is of character actor Frank Wilcox.
- This is the third of four films made while Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married.
- Warner Bros. paid $25,000 for the rights to the novel "Black Streak" by David Goodis. The work was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post from July 20 to September 7, 1946.
- Humphrey Bogart's fully revealed face can only be seen at the 62nd minute of the film, after his character removes the bandages and looks in the mirror. All preceding scenes with the character are shown either from his point of view (the "subjective camera" technique) or in such a way that his face is hidden by shadows or bandages.
- The voice on the car radio announcing Vincent Parry's escape as Humphrey Bogart and Clifton Young drive is that of actor Dane Clark.
Reviews
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7.5
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They Made Me a Fugitive
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6.3
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Man on a Ledge
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Dark Passage (1947)
Dark Passage
1947
Dark Passage
1947
Dark Passage
1947