The trail in the dark
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The trail in the dark |
| Original title | Eyes in the Night |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1942 |
| length | 80 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Fred Zinnemann |
| script |
Guy Trosper , Howard Emmett Rogers |
| production | Jack Chertok |
| music |
Lennie Hayton , Daniele Amfitheatrof |
| camera |
Charles Lawton Jr. , Robert H. Planck |
| cut | Ralph E. Winters |
| occupation | |
| |
The Trail in the Dark is an American crime film from 1942 by Fred Zinnemann. The script for the film is based on the novel Odor of Violets by Baynard Kendrick.
action
The New York private investigator Duncan Maclain is blind, but still continues his work. He gets help from his guide dog Friday, his butler Alistair and his assistant Marty. His old friend, actress Norma Lawry, asks him to take care of her 17-year-old stepdaughter Barbara so that the young woman doesn't do anything stupid. Barbara is dating the actor Paul Gerente. Paul, in turn, is a former lover of Norma. He tries to convince Barbara that Norma married Barbara's father Stephen just for the money. Duncan refuses the assignment. He convinces Norma to speak to Paul himself. However, Paul does not respond to Norma's insistence on separation. He and Barbara are currently on stage together.
Stephen goes on a business trip. He's working on a secret formula for the government. Norma, worried about Barbara, decides not to go with Stephen. She makes her way to Paul's apartment. When Barbara arrives at Paul’s, she finds his body and accuses her mother of killing him. Norma explains that Paul was dead when she arrived. Barbara, who secretly hates her stepmother, gives her a choice: either Barbara calls the police or Norma leaves Stephen. Norma fears a scandal that would harm her and her husband and agrees to part with Stephen. She looks for Duncan, who goes into the apartment, but does not find a body. While he was looking for clues in the apartment, an unknown man came along, answered the phone, dialed Norma's number and spoke to someone. Duncan turns off the light and, with the help of Friday, is able to provide the man.
The man's name is Gabriel Hoffman. Duncan can't get any more out of him. He gets Marty to hide the man. Duncan drives to Norma and Stephen's country house and pretends to be an uncle to the others who wants to visit his niece. Barbara comes home from her stage performance. She is accompanied by the director of the play Cheli Scott. Scott is a Nazi agent who tries to get Stephen's formula with the help of Hansen, the Lawry's butler. He ordered Paul's murder because his relationship with Barbara was hindering his espionage. Gabriel and his wife Vera, who works as a maid for the Lawrys, are also agents and work for Scott. When Gabriel does not come home, Vera becomes hysterical. Duncan, who pretends to be a curmudgeon, wants to meet Vera in a greenhouse. But Vera is under observation by the Nazi spies and is killed before the meeting.
Scott's helpers cut the phone lines so Norma and Duncan cannot call the police for help. Duncan writes a note and tucks it into Friday's collar. He orders his dog to go home. When Friday starts running, Stephen comes home. Scott blackmails him to hand over the formula, otherwise his family will die. Duncan tries to buy time, but is locked in the basement. His blindness helps him there, as he can find his way around better than his guardian, who cannot see in the dark. Duncan overwhelms him, shortly afterwards Marty appears with the police. Barbara realizes how much Norma took care of her. The Lawrys will be a happy family.
Reviews
The lexicon of international films describes the film as "a sluggishly staged, reasonably exciting mixture of crime thriller and espionage adventure, in which the political background never becomes concrete."
The "TimeOut Filmguide", however, describes the film as a small but happy piece of ingenious snooping. The production is cleverly worked out within its limits.
background
The film premiered on October 16, 1942 in the United States. In Germany it appeared on May 25, 1974 as a TV premiere for the broadcaster ARD .
Art director Cedric Gibbons and set decorator Edwin B. Willis were responsible for setting the film . Douglas Shearer was the head of the sound studio .
For Katherin Emery, the film was the screen debut. Ann Harding appeared in front of the camera for the first time after a five-year hiatus.
In 1945 Richard Whorf made another film with the character of the blind private detective Duncan Maclain. In "The Hidden Eyes" Edward Arnold played the detective again.
Web links
- The track in the dark in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The trail in the dark. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/64148/eyes_in_the_night.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
