Since it first appeared in 1947, Robert Montgomery’s LADY IN THE LAKE has continued to fascinate and irritate movie fans. His use of first person camerawork, where everything is seen from his point of view, takes some getting used to. However it really doesn’t take that long and once you do then the film can become a rewarding experience especially if you’re a fan of 1940s private detectives in general and Raymond Chandler in particular. At MGM’s request, Montgomery inserted a few straightforward summaries to help the audience keep track of things. This not only makes the story easier to follow, it gives us more of a chance to see Montgomery himself.
The story is pure Raymond Chandler. That is say that the plot is convoluted, the characters colorful, and the hard boiled dialogue full of snappy patter especially from Phillip Marlowe (spelled here with 2 Ls for some reason). Marlowe is hired by a pulp magazine publisher’s female assistant to find his missing wife without his knowing about it. Of course it’s more than just a simple matter of locating a missing person and before long Marlowe is up to his neck in hot water whose recipe includes a fake Southerner, a crooked cop, a beautiful landlady, and a frightened older couple. His first person (and the camera’s) encounters with these people ate what make LADY IN THE LAKE so intriguing.
Although interesting in their own right, these technical shenanigans would wear thin quickly were it not for a number of fine performances that are found throughout the movie. Director Montgomery has assembled a great cast of mostly B movie actors who actually create characters that are genuinely distinctive. Richard Simmons as a faux Southerner, Lloyd Nolan as a conflicted small town cop, Tom Tully as a family oriented police Captain, and Jayne Meadows (sister of Audrey) as a seemingly ditzy landlady all give memorable performances. Simmons, who would gain fame in the 1950s as SGT PRESTON OF THE YUKON, has one of the best scenes as he and Marlowe exchange verbal barbs.
Top acting honors go to Audrey Totter as the publishing executive’s second in command. She gets to show off a variety of faces from hard nosed businesswomen to golddigger to coy and not so coy seductress to a woman genuinely in love. It’s quite a range of emotions and she handles it quite well. She bears more than a passing resemblance to Agnes Moorehead which doesn’t hurt. Movie lovers are divided about Robert Montgomery’s Marlowe. Even though we hardly get to see him (which works in his favor), he does know how to deliver Chandler’s acerbic dialogue with just the right amount of sarcasm. Of the four 1940s Marlowes I would place him second behind Dick Powell and just ahead of Bogart and George Montgomery.
The Capsule Critic 