Review of Lady in the Lake (1946) by Grant S — 03 Sep 2015

This film is perhaps one of the most radical ever to come out of hollywood and should be part of the core curriculum for any film school or course in screen studies. The film is shot entirely from the point of view of Phillip Marlow whose face we never see.

Every character looks almost directly at the camera just to the right or left of centre, The effect is most unnerving and entirely in keeping with the exquisite Raymond Chandler dialogue. It appears to have been a B movie, the only way the director would have gotten away with it.

It is very hard for actors to play to directly to a camera as the convention of almost all narrative cinema is a recreation of the stage "proscenium" where the audience forms a virtual fourth wall.

As such I can only pronounce all the performances of even the miinor characters to be excellent. Wait for the scene where Phillip Marlowe is punched in the face, its literally a knockout!