Man in the Dark
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| Man in the Dark | |
|---|---|
 Film poster |
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| Directed by | Lew Landers |
| Produced by | Wallace MacDonald |
| Written by | Henry Altimus - story George Bricker - story Jack Leonard - story William Sackkheim - adaption |
| Starring | Edmund O'Brien Audrey Totter Ted de Corsica Horace McMahon Nick Dennis Dayton Lummis Dan Riss Ruth Warren |
| Music by | Stock Music Used |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | April 9, 1953 |
| Running time | 70 min. |
| IMDb profile | |
Man in the Dark is a film noir drama 3-D film starring Edmund O'Brien, Audrey Totter and Ted de Corsica released in 1953. It is a remake of the 1936 Ralph Bellamy vehicle "The Man who Lived Twice"
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[edit] The Plot
A prisoner is freed from jail after experimental brain surgery removes his criminal instincts and his memory. Will he recall where stashed the $130,000 from a previous heist before his greedy ex-partners take him out? Is the bleached blonde floozie trying to help or after the money herself? What better way to resolve the dilemma than on a high flying roller coaster.
[edit] The Production
The unexpected success of the previous year's Bwana Devil in 3-D sparked a stampede from the major studios to release their own 3-D films. Columbia Pictures rushed a current project into production and completed it in 11 days. Although Warner Brothers heavily touted House of Wax as "the first feature produced by a major studio in 3-D," Man in the Dark actually premiered two days prior.
The roller coaster ride in the climax was probably inspired by the opening shot of the contemporary hit This is Cinerama, an immensely realistic effect on the huge Cinerama screen. Process shots were used to simulate most of the roller coaster ride. Since the process shots appeared flat the 3-D effect had less than the hoped for results.
The amusement park setting was filmed at Ocean Park in Santa Monica. A newer version of the park called Pacific Park was built a few miles north of the original which closed in 1967. The "High Boy" roller coaster used in the film's cliimax was renamed "The Sea Serpent" after some modifications and later moved to the new park.
In addition to 3-D, original prints were toned in sepia tone which Columbia hailed as "glowing mono-color." The use of sepia tone in this case was largely technical, as Columbia felt that it increased the amount of light transmission, an aspect that was cut down by polaroid filters in projection. Similarly, they sepia-toned their first 3-D short, the Three Stooges short, Spooks.
[edit] The Cast
"Man in the Dark" has two of film noir's most durable stars to its credit:
Edmond O'Brien is best remembered for the film noir classic "D.O.A." (1950). He started his film career as an extra in "Prison Break" in 1936. His appearance in "The Killers" (1946) was the first of many film noir roles to follow. Twice nominated for the Acadamy Award he received the Oscar in 1954 for "The Barefoot Contessa". He made an easy transition to TV in the early 1950s and continued to act in both mediums until his death from Alzheimer's Disease in 1985.
Audrey Totter's film career began playing a ""bad girl"" in "Main Street After Dark" (1945). She was on the MGM track to be groomed for stardom but her no nonsense demeaner and gruff voice made her a natural for the "femme fatale" and her career stayed rooted in these portrayals. As film noir diminished in the late 1950's so did her film appearances. She transferred her talents to TV playing the brassy blonde when the studios began to dismantle their rosters of contract players. Ironically, her last role was as a nun in "Murder, She Wrote" in 1987.
[edit] The Critics Speak
- Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called it: "A conspicuously low-grade melodrama".
- Elliott Stein of "The Village Voice" This seems to be the 3-D flick that most exploits the short-lived medium. An endless array of stuff comes whiffling at your face – a lit cigar, a repulsive spider, scissors, forceps, fists, falling bodies, and a roller coaster.
[edit] Trivia
- Audrey Totter was scheduled to play the female lead in the film noir classic "The Killers". When Audrey was held up in filming "Lady in the Lake" MGM took a chance on Ava Gardner. The film helped Ava Gardner become a major star.
- Audrey's voice was prominent as an unseen phone operator in "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946).
- Edmond O'Brien was taught magic tricks at age 10 by his neighbor Harry Houdini.
- Edmond was the original choice to play newspaper reporter Jack bentley in "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962). health problems prevented him from accepting the role which went to Arthur Kennedy.
- The Ocean Park amusement park in Santa Monica was also used in "Gun Crazy", another film noir from the 1950s..
[edit] Availability
- A dual projection polarized 3-D print of "Man in the Dark" was struck by Columbia Pictures in 2003. Among various venues, it has been shown at:
- The 3-D Thursdays film festival at The Film Forum In [New York], NY. in 2003.
- "The World 3-D Film Expo" at the Egyptian Theater in [Hollywood], Ca. in 2003.
- The "3-D at the Castro" film festival at the Historic Castro Theatre in [[San Francisco] in 2005.
- "Man in the Dark" has not been released on VHS or DVD.
