I'm sorry I didn't DVR Shadows on the Wall, but I did High Wall, just watched it, and I made notes on what Eddie Muller said before and after for you.
Intro
--Has all the hallmarks of classic film noir: a man accused of murder - a veteran of WWII no less, bad guys hiding under the veil of respectability, the latest trends in psychoanalysis, and film noir's favorite technique for restoring lost memory: narcosynthesis.
--The only thing missing is a slinky femme fatale. Audrey Totter plays it straight in a lab coat to help a befuddled Taylor.
--MGM not the most likely studio to produce film noir
--Robert Taylor the least likely of noir actors, but he gives an anguished performance of what would later be known as PTSD.
--Portrays the unsettling trauma that awaited some veterans in the post-war years.
--Directer Berhart said it was his chance to direct such a film that led him to sign a contract with MGM.
--Months after the film's release, Robert Taylor, a conservative Republican and opponent of unions in Hollywood, testified before the HUAC. When asked if he knew any communists in Hollywood, Taylor replied that Lester Cole (co-screewriter of this film) was the only communist he knew in Hollywood. Cole was found in contempt of Congress and spent almost a year in jail.
Conclusion
--Muller notes the tremendous supporting cast in this film, and singles out Frank Jenks (as Pinky). He "steals the show" from Taylor and Totter. Pinky is used to "pull the plot through a sticky patch", and "you almost want to follow him...instead of our heros".
There, I think I caught all the important points Muller made. HTH. Cheers!
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franzkabuki
9 years ago
On point two... it was good to see though that Totter didn't fall for Taylor too unrealistically fast and hard - although it would have been less a cliche if she didn't fall for him at all and helped her patient only as a sympathetic professional. But I guess there's got to be romance in the mix...
And point three... MGM did do noirs, but they were usually more glammed up than the ones made by Warner or RKO. Fortunately, there wasn't much glamming or softening in evidence with High Wall, which I found to be a very solid number (even though the use of Sodium Penthatol as this ultimate way to resolve the plot was kind of pat and easy, of course. Otherwise, however, the depiction of psychiatry and the conditions in the asylum seemed fairly reasonable, avoiding any particularly ludicrous nonsense or over-the-top histrionics).
And point four... what's PTSD stand for?
"facts are stupid things" Ronald Reagan
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gcassidy2
9 years ago
My wife and I are catching up slowly to all the Summer of Darkness we recorded and just watched High Wall.
As to your point three: since we had just seen Shadow on the Wall the night before, we're amused at MGM having happy endings while trying to ride the wave of film noire that was becoming more popular then. I guess Dory Schary should have come back to MGM sooner given what he was doing at RKO at the time.
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