Lady in the Lake
| Program section: | Starring Philip Marlowe |
|---|---|
| Directed by: | Robert Montgomery |
| Year: | 1947 |
| Country: | USA |
| Length: | 105 min. |
| Cast: | Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully, Leon Ames, Jayne Meadows and others. |
Screening:
- 20. 8. 2026 | 17:45 - LoGyn Hall (castle - western room) / CZ subs /
- 21. 8. 2026 | 10:30 - Cinema Sokol Č. Šternberk (below castle - Sokolovna) / CZ subs /
Production: Loew‘s
Script/Based on: Steve Fisher, Raymond Chandler
Director of Photography: Paul Vogel
Score: David Snell
The adaptation of Chandler’s The Lady in the Lake represents an experiment that was unprecedented in the era of classic Hollywood. In the 1940s, it was relatively common for filmmakers to occasionally use point-of-view shots to show events from the subjective perspective of a character. Here, however, this technique is taken to the extreme: nearly the entire narrative is presented through the eyes of the protagonist, detective Philip Marlowe. The filmmakers justified this approach as the equivalent of a first-person narration in the novel, though reactions were mixed. Many complained that, rather than fostering a deeper identification with Marlowe, the technique tended to create a sense of alienation which is why it was rarely used with such intensity in later films. The film was directed by Robert Montgomery, who also played the lead role. You won’t get to see much of him, though; he appears only in reflections in a mirror. (mh)
