Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Robert Mitchum faces his shadowy former life in "Out of the Past"

Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum) is living a quiet life, running a gas station in a small town. But then a stranger drives his car into town, and everything changes. It seems that someone from Jeff's past wants something from him, and so Jeff tells his girlfriend, Ann (Virginia Huston), about his shady past. Years ago, Jeff had been hired by Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas) to find his lady friend, Kathie (Jane Greer), who had shot him and ran away with 40,000 of his dollars. Jeff tracks Kathie to Mexico, meets her in a bar, and the beautiful lady helps him forget all about bringing her back to the States. The two lovers are eventually forced to part ways, and Jeff soon learns that Kathie had returned to Sterling. Now, Sterling wants Jeff to do one simple job, so that they're square, but Jeff suspects that it might be a frame.

Jacques Tourneur, who'd directed some of the Val Lewton-produced films, Cat People (1942), I Walked with a Zombie, and The Leopard Man (both 1943), helmed this movie. Many of the Val Lewton movies were covered in shadow, with the terror merely hinted. This was for budgetary reasons, but it helped immensely to heighten the suspense. Tourneur employs a similar technique in Out of the Past (1947), in this case with a thematic purpose. All that Jeff has left behind is creeping back into his life. The shadows begin to represent impending doom for Jeff, so that it's not only a reference to the title, but is almost a literal interpretation of the man's "shady past."

When we first see Jeff, he's fishing by a pond, in the bright of day. By the time he tells his story to Ann, he's partially hidden in shadow, where he spends the majority of the film. When Jeff is introduced in the flashback, he is wearing a dark overcoat. It was a time when he was a part of the seedy underworld, and he fits right in with the disreputable Whit Sterling. The refurnished Jeff, the man who fishes and owns a gas station, is adorned in a much lighter trenchcoat. It hints at a change in the man, but this is immaterial when he is hiding in the dark, continually stepping into the shadows when trying to uncover Sterling's scheme. It's almost as if Jeff is stepping back into his old role. He must return to his past, become who he used to be, to expose the frame-up. Despite his new life with Ann, Jeff seems more comfortable as his darker self.

When Jeff sees that Kathie is with Sterling again, she comes to his room later to explain herself. Jeff tells her simply, "Let's just leave it where it all is." But even Jeff knows that cannot happen. This is why he goes to see Sterling without an argument, why he takes the job offered to him, knowing fully well it's more than likely a setup. It's a basic belief in penance. Jeff walks back into the past to face whatever consequence awaits him.

The lighting in Out of the Past helps shape the film's story and people. Heavy contrasts, like the infamous sequence in which Jeff walks down a hallway (after stealing evidence implicating Sterling), clearly express the world in which the characters reside. The brighter the lights, the deeper the shadows, and the easier it is to lose oneself in the dark. Cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca had worked with Tourneur previously on Cat People. He'd also photographed other Val Lewton movies, such as The 7th Victim (1943) and The Curse of the Cat People (1944).

Out of the Past was based on the book (and released in the U.K. as) Build My Gallows High. The novel and its adaptation were written by Daniel Mainwaring, both under the pseudonym, Geoffrey Homes. Mainwaring's dialogue is so sharp that a viewer might need a box of gauze handy while watching the film. The lines are witty, with a wry sense of the environment. In other words, most of the characters have accepted their lot in life, and their words are assertions of this reserved compliance. One of the film's best scenes involves Jeff's first meet with the potential victim. He arrives at the door, where Meta Carson (Rhonda Fleming) is posing as his cousin. The other man and Jeff share this bit of dialogue:

"Your, uh, cousin is a very charming young lady."

"No, he isn't. His name is Norman, and he's a bookmaker in Cleveland, Ohio.

The performances in Out of the Past are flawless. The lazy-eyed Mitchum is unparalleled as Jeff. His lines flow from his lips like water from a faucet. The beautiful Jane Greer is the quintessential femme fatale. Her performance is so strong and alluring that it's easy to see why Jeff is such a sucker for her. You want to see more and more of her, in spite of knowing what her presence means. Douglas is equally solid as Whit Sterling. He spends so much of the film smiling that you can't help but assume that his charm is genuine. In one incredibly effective scene, he approaches Kathie, and just as she enters the frame, Sterling slaps her. Greer's reaction makes you wonder if the slap was unexpected, but more than anything, it makes Sterling a terrifying menace. Even Fleming, in the small role as Meta, is noteworthy. In essence, she is the other femme fatale, but she is so appealing that her association with the bad guys is a trait that can readily be forgiven.

Out of the Past was remade in 1984 as Against All Odds starring Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward. Greer played the mother of Ward, who was portraying Greer's '47 character. Paul Valentine, who made his film debut in Out of the Past as Sterling's crony, Joe Stephanos, also had a small role in the '84 remake.

Out of the Past is often cited as a prime
example of the film noir genre. Tourneur's film is dramatically sound, and at times romantic, suspenseful, and just plain cool. So many separate elements come together to form a memorable film. And, just like Jeff and the movie's seemingly endless shadows, it's easy to lose yourself in a dark, somber world.


  1. Great review, Sark. I really enjoy Douglas in this picture. His character just oozes smarm. As usual, Mitchum is especially effective as a man with a past.

  2. Sark, what an outstanding way to kick off the Café’s Film Noir Festival for June! I love your in-depth analysis on how Tourneur uses lighting to contrast Jeff’s two lives (the one with Ann and the one with Kathie). And I couldn’t agree more that Jane Greer is the quintessential femme fatale! If I had to pick one favorite film noir, it’d be a toss-up between OUT OF THE PAST and LAURA. While there is much to enjoy in OUT OF THE PAST (e.g., Jane Greer…well, all the performances), my favorite scenes are the ones at the beginning of the film. I really like how we’re introduced to Jeff’s seemingly mundane existence as a gas station operator in a small town. It’s a quiet life, but Jeff seems to have found peace—and love—after putting a dark past behind him. But then, by pure chance, evil passes through town and Jeff’s idyllic existence is put at risk. He has no choice but to take the actions he does; he cannot escape his past. He’s almost like the reformed gunslinger in a Western who has found redemption with the honest farm family, but has to strap on his guns again to protect his newfound existence. Again, this was an excellent film noir pick and an awesome review.

  3. Rick hit it -- your writing about light and shadow was insightful and knowledgeable. And I was interested to know about Mitchum's raincoat and the change from dark to light. That's one of those wonderful film techniques that definitely affects you, but isn't necessarily consciously noticed. It was a kick to learn that so many of the Val Lewton crowd were involved in this movie. I am a great fan of Lewton's movies, and cannot stop myself from watching them whenever they are on. The shadows and suspense, the feeding of the audience's own fears without need of expensive effects -- perhaps Lewton was the film noir pioneer of horror movies! Great write-up, Sark. Now I have to get my copy of Out Of The Past out and watch it today. Hmmm....Mitchum in a raincoat and slanted hat, heavy-lidded eyes ... I sure wish men still dressed like that!

  4. Sark, Good post on one of my favorite Film Noir .

  5. Sark, I loved your Awesome review!! I also really enjoyed, for lack of a better word, humorous at times dialog and the twists and turns of this wonderful film noir. I thought Robert Mitchum's mixed up character very intriguing. And Jane Greer is very good as the bad girl. As you know by now.. I love "Film Noirs", so this months Café’s Film Noir Festival for June, is right up my dark alley (wink/wink).

  6. Sark, this is a very informative review. I don't recall having seen this film. The plot sounds intriguing, however, so I need to find this on Netflix. Always enjoy reading your posts.

  7. Nice work, Sark, on a noir classic. Tourneur achieved a look and mood that is irresistible, and was blessed with three equally matched stars - Mitchum, Douglas and Greer - who more than fleshed out their characters.
    Against All Odds didn't measure up (the odds were against it) despite the presence of another noir icon, Richard Widmark, and a villain nicely evoked by James Woods. Jane Greer's cameo was a clever touch.

  8. Sark, you have opened the door into the world of film noir with evocative precision. Shadows and past mistakes are indeed haunting. The shot of Mitchum walking down the corridor reminded me of Musuraka's earlier work in "The 7th Victim". "Out of the Past" boasts two trifectas. One is in performance and has Mitchum, Greer, and Douglas. And the other is for technique and has Tourneur, Musuraka, and Roy Webb (music). Excellent article, Sark, and expertly written.

  9. Something that's special to me is that the "small town" is a town in the Sierras where I've spent a week every summer since I was a small child (we camp near the lake seen in the film) -- Bridgeport, CA. There's a great video on YouTube comparing the film clips with the actual locations:

    Best wishes,

  10. My nominee for best film noir (arguably) and Greer is my pick for the second-wickedest femme fatale (coming in just behind Ava Gardner's Kitty in "The Killers"). An outstanding film in every category.