The Dark Past (1948)

The Dark Past (1948) (DVD) (*)

~~$24.99~~ $21.98

Language Selections:
English ( Mono )
Italian ( Mono )
Italian ( Subtitles )
Spanish ( Mono )

Product Origin/Format:
Italy ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
71 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Photo Gallery
Posters
Scene Access
Black & White

Movie filmed in 1948 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Rudolph Maté

Written By:
Michael Blankfort
Albert Duffy

Actors:
William Holden ..... Al Walker
Nina Foch ..... Betty
Lee J. Cobb ..... Dr. Andrew Collins
Adele Jergens ..... Laura Stevens
Stephen Dunne ..... Owen Talbot
Lois Maxwell ..... Ruth Collins
Berry Kroeger ..... Mike
Steven Geray ..... Prof. Fred Linder
Wilton Graff ..... Frank Stevens
Robert Osterloh ..... Pete
Kathryn Card ..... Nora

Synopsis:

When a detective scoffs at his suggestion that an 18 year-old criminal be referred for psychiatric examination Dr. Andrew Collins, the police psychiatrist, tells him the story of his encounter with Al Walker. Walker had a history of violence and killed the prison warden during an escape. He and his gang took the Collins family and their friends hostage but when Dr. Collins learns that Walker has a violent recurring dream, he offers to help him decipher the dream and determine exactly what has driven him to a life of crime and violence.

In this faithful remake of Blind Alley (1939), psychoanalyst Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb), his wife, his son, and some friends are taken hostage by escaped murderer Al Walker (William Holden) and his gang, including girlfriend Betty (Nina Foch). Collins, an advocate of rehabilitating criminals through psychiatry, induces his captor to talk about himself through the course of the night. By calmly and methodically piecing together the strands of the killer's unconscious motivation, Collins rids Walker of his literally murderous rage and prevents a massacre. Shrinks who practice in the noir universe are frequently painted as absurdly omnipotent. When not using their power for evil, like Dr. Cross (Vincent Price) in Alfred L. Werker's Shock (1946), they may be capable, like the benign Dr. Collins, of miracle cures. A more complex depiction of an unrealistically powerful, but ambiguously motivated, psychiatrist can be seen in Joseph Losey's The Sleeping Tiger (1954). In that British film, Dr. Clive Esmond (Alexander Knox) cures a criminal in a few short months but destroys his own marriage in the process.

An escaped psychopathic killer who takes the family and neighbors of police psychologist hostage reveals a recurring nightmare to the doctor.

This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 18 November, 2015.

Customers who bought this product also purchased

Welcome to New York (2014) (Blu-Ray)	They Knew What They Wanted (DVD)	They Won't Believe Me (DVD)
The Wrath of God (1972) (DVD)	Wild Bill (2011) (Blu-Ray)	Tobruk (2008) (DVD)