In a Lonely Place

by Dana Polan

"I was born when she kissed me; lived a few short weeks while she loved me; I died when she left me." These bittersweet lines from In a Lonely Place are a fitting epitaph for the doomed romance at the center of this powerful Hollywood drama. Humphrey Bogart, in one of his most memorable performances, plays Dix, the hard-bitten and cynical screenwriter who falls for the glamorous Laurel (Gloria Grahame). But Dix has a violent streak in him, and though he's finally absolved of the murder he's accused of, the love affair cannot survive.
Undeniably, as Dana Polan shows in his subtle and intelligent account, there are autobiographical undertones in the film--the marriage of Gloria Grahame to its director, Nicholas Ray, began to break up during production. Yet despite its bleak ending and its frequent noir style, argues Polan, the wise-cracking between Dix and Laurel gives the film the aspect of a screwball comedy.
Critics were uncertain how to respond to this mix of genres when the film first appeared. Since then however, In a Lonely Place has rightfully been acknowledged as a classic and compelling story of blighted love.

Genres: Film

72 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

About the author

Dana Polan is Professor of Cinema Studies at New York University. He is the author of The Sopranos, Julia Child's The French Chef, and Scenes of Instruction: The Beginnings of the U.S. Study of Film.

Reviews

[Mark]

Despite being somewhat repetitive in one particular aspect of his approach, Polan goes some way toward elucidating the appeal of a mutt of a film that by any reasonable line of thought shouldn't work at all. Polan explores the disparate tones on In a Lonely Place, setting it against the divergent traditions of murder mystery; women's picture; film noir; love story; Hollywood behind-the-scenes look; screwball comedy; Gothic romance; and Nicholas Ray film, a virtual genre of its own. Polan's far-too-brief summary of Ray's interests and how In a Lonely Place explores them is by far the high point of this text, and makes me wish he would produce a full-length work on Ray alone. In the context of this book, though, Polan makes the interesting choice not to over-emphasize Ray's influence; despite Ray having been the most celebrated of the original Cahiers du cinéma proponents of the politique des auteurs, any such auteurist sentiment is avoided here by not privileging Ray's obsessions among the long list of influences on the film but also focusing on the many other names in the credits that helped shape In a Lonely Place during its adaptation. The most satisfactory effect of Polan's overall approach is that he seeks not to clarify, but to celebrate, the ambiguity and hard-to-nail-down tone and genre of the film.

[Steve Miyamoto]

I added this book to highlight this great overlooked movie. My staff at work today asked me what were some of the most romantic dates I have ever been on. I mentioned watching this film at the LA County Museum of Art as part of a date.

What makes this film so powerful is knowing that this was director Nicholas Ray's goodbye love letter to his wife, who was the female lead Gloria Graham, as they were struggling against all odds to save their marriage. This book tells the drama behind the scenes. Ray would still be a few years away from making his masterwork "Rebel Without a Cause" but the genius of his skill is in full force. But the longing in Ray's (and the character's hearts) are best summarized with the film's famous line: "I was born when she kissed me, I died when she left me, I lived a few weeks while she loved me."

Add to this combustable combination Bogart, at his most vulnerable and in his most highly overlooked great role. As the character Dixon Steele, Bogart leaves everything on the screen in an almost modern portrayal that feels as honest as DeNiro at the height of his powers. Bogart is in the role of a man who lost his way and maybe only Graham can save with true love.

[David]

Extended essay that adequately introduces the 1950 film version of Dorothy B. Hughes' 1947 novel In a Lonely Place. The essay assumes an audience of general readers (not film scholars) and thus includes brief detours into such background areas as the career of director Nicholas Ray and the characteristics of film noir and screwball comedy. Worth reading if you have a particular interest in this film.

[Nancy Loe]

Great analysis of an overlooked Bogart/Ray masterwork.