"I was born when she kissed me, I died when she left me, I lived a few weeks while she loved me."

of course, but so many other immortal lines here. one of the rawest films the studio system ever produced.

Scenes from a Noir Marriage

or as Netflix might categorize it: "existential romance"

this is what we talk about when we talk about Bogart.

poor Ray & Grahame... i thought those crazy kids were gonna make it.

5 Reasons why this film is a masterpiece:

1. It's the best film Nicholas Ray ever made; a noir-tinged drama rendered in dark visuals of exhilarating beauty.

2. It showcases probably the greatest performance of Bogie's career as the short-fused screenwriter Dix Steele, a character he imbues with a neurotic edge that is frightening in its intensity.

3. This dialogue: 'I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me'.

4. Gloria Grahame is in it.

5. It just 'is', OK?!

A paranoid phantasmagoria of broken people, shattered Hollywood dreams, violent American character, Bogart and Grahame personals, New Deal and shifting political space of the era, romantic longing cut short. One of the most perfect bad trip movies, probably because it is also one of the most romantic.

Dear In a Lonely Place,

Now that we've known each other for quite a while, I would like to ask you: Do you want to marry me? Because you're beautiful, brilliant, funny, mysterious, soulful, emotional and sexy—everything I like in a film, and I fear I cannot live without you anymore, nor do I want to.

Until death do us part?
Anna

Still perfect, still gorgeous and devastating. Gloria Grahame is exquisite and Bogart is at the top of his game.

I first saw it about a year ago; watching it the second time around I was able to really luxuriate in every moment. And I was lucky enough to catch it on the big screen: magic.

the name of bogey’s character is “dix steele” lol you can’t make this stuff up

Obra maestra.

Mystery Mondays #1

Watched this on Criterion Collection blu-ray.

Great film noir, and surprisingly dark for a 1950's film. This, to me, is Humphrey Bogart's best performance of the movies I've seen him in. I will say that the poster is a lie. The finish isn't a surprise, but it for damn sure is well executed.

A Lonely Place starts under the disguise of a murder mystery, but gradually develops into a depiction of suspicion rotting away at a relationship. It’s all but summed up in one of the final lines of the film to be exact, and the bitterness of those words and their larger significance lingers with you for a long time. Apart from some overbearing musical scoring and slightly melodramatic close-ups, this is a golden-era romance that’s refreshingly uncliché, and I particularly enjoyed certain pieces of dialogue that cleverly and subtly broke the fourth wall. A very dynamic Grahame easily carries her own, and Bogart finds both surprising sympathy and terrific anger in a darkly temperamental character. These are career-defining performances for both actors.

Yesterday, this would've meant so much to us. Now it doesn't matter... it doesn't matter at all.

Wonderful film.

7/10

The ending made this a million times better tbh

Perhaps the most downbeat happy ending in cinema history. Bogart's most complex and vulnerable performance, akin to John Wayne in THE SEARCHERS or James Stewart in VERTIGO. Nicholas Ray explores the human capacity for violence and the need for love.

Shocked how down and DARK this picture descends. A too real and harrowing character study fueled by a Bogey battling demons bottled up and ready to burst. This is my first Nicholas Ray picture (throw me in movie jail!), but the no frills drama left me shook and eager to scope more of his work! Talk about a movie ahead of its time!