I love this Bogart movie very much and watched it several times in my life, but never figured out why it was called "In a lonely Place", because Bogart is always surrounded by people, so his apartment definitely cannot be the lonely place.
shareIn the scene in Brub's dining room, where Bogart is telling how he believes the murder took place while Brub and Sylvia re-enact it, Bogart says something like "You put your arm around her neck. You get to a lonely place in the road, and you begin to squeeze..." I think that's where the title comes from.
shareAnd also because Bogart's character is very lonely deep inside.
shareAgree. It is easy for some to be lonely in a crowded room.
The movie illustrates that 'Dixon Steele' has for one reason or another in a way has 'painted himself back into a corner', and even when he thinks he has found that 'someone different' who he knew would come along someday, he is unable to break out of the corner enough to make things work.
Even interactions with friends and acquaintances are noted to be 'unusual', as it seems he might 'play them' for his own enjoyment perhaps, not to mention his encounters with straingers :)
Just some probably vague thoughts....
Short and Mexican http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOG_veOyO9g
Thanks to all of you!
Now it makes sense to me.
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These are all really great points, but the film title does not come from anything in the film itself. The film is adapted from the novel "in a lonely place" by dorothy hughes. And "that lonely place" is referred to as a state that a criminal must live with holding in a secret that he can never get away from. the secret is lonely, well- for obvious reasons.
hope that clears it up. the book is very good and i recommend that everyone read it :D
waldenpond88; that just shows the capacity of your mind. What a dumb thing to say - "Bogart is always surrounded by people, so his apartment definitely cannot be the lonely place" ...Jesus...
shareHe's probably just never felt alone in a crowd. The picture was one of the few that dealt with the effects on what was then called battle fatigue, now post-traumatic stress disorder, on World war II veterans. Most films of that era pretended it didn't exist. Now we know better. It was a good film dealing with a real problem. True, Dixon had a temper before the war, but combat could not have helped and probably made it worse. I speak as a combat veteran.
shareHey pmiano, thanks for your service.
Interesting about the WWII vets. That also brings about a new perspective on Keith Richards "Before They Make Me Run". He sings 'Only a crowd could make me feel so lonely' and the 'When I die I'll go to heaven because I did my time in hell', a phrase he copped from Viet Nam vets. Of course the song is about his drug problems and not war.
Love's turned to lust and blood's turned to dust in my heart.
Those lyrics have nothing to do with Vietnam Vets; he says "Gonna find my way to heaven, 'cause I did my time in hell. Wasn't lookin' too good but I was feelin' real well"...the song is ALL about drugs, inspired by his then-recent arrest for trafficking.
Also, the phrase "Alone In A Crowd", or variations thereof, is very old. Elvis was even quoted as saying he could feel all alone right in the middle of a crowd, which I think surprised people because he was so famous and seemingly outgoing. But as we know now, he was a terribly troubled man...as was the character of Dix Steele. For all of his luck with the ladies, Dix can't seem to be happy. The look on his face ***SPOILER*** as he leaves Gloria Grahame's apartment at the end is priceless, showing us that he knows now that he's just scared off the love of his life and he's doomed to be alone.
"Love has got to stop some place short of suicide."
Good catch. Actually I was thinking the same sort of thing. Little things set him off. Most of the time he was a great guy and everybody loved him, but piss him off and he would become unpredictably violent. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder certainly seemed the right label for what was troubling Dixon Steele.
Watta ya lookn here for?
Too bad this country is over-populated by some low lives still. I just reported you to imdb. I am not rude to other people, so I expect the same from people I interact with.
shareGood luck. The admin won't do anything about it. Being mean to you is not a reason they'd censor someone. Besides, they'd probably agree with the other poster: your observation seems clueless.
It is better to be kind than to be clever or good looking. -- Derek
"because Bogart is always surrounded by people, so his apartment definitely cannot be the lonely place."
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We plow deep while others sleep
The dvd has the featurette 'In a Lonely Place - Revisited'.
Curtis Hanson describes the title perfectly: someone struggling with inner demons; how most artists exist to create; and living in a world without love.
Fantastic movie with a great sense of mood and emotion. It also has some great dialogue, particularly the interrogation scene and when Bogie first talks to Grahame at their courtyard apartments.
I can watch this anytime and not get tired of it
Soup's not a meal!
Interestingly, the French adapted the title : "Le violent". Not a very good choice imo.
shareActually, the movie title is from the book the movie is loosely based upon, "In A Lonely Place" by Dorothy B. Hughes. In fact, if you can slow down and zoom in on the frames where the book Dixon is supposed to convert to a screenplay, you'll find that the title of the book is "In A Lonely Place" by the aforementioned author.
Watta ya lookn here for?
As someone else pointed out, the line originated in the book, which talks about a criminal's having to keep a dark secret. That's what makes it lonely, because he can't share it with anyone else.
But that poster's saying that the title doesn't come from the movie is wrong. A perfectly reasonable interpretation of the title, as applied to the film, is that he is a screenwriter specializing in lurid crime scripts. After a while, this focus warps his personality, which may also have a predisposition toward violence and a quick temper. So, even when he has "friends" around (some of whom just tolerate him because they need him), he is in a lonely place in his head.
It is better to be kind than to be clever or good looking. -- Derek
It must be really difficult to have to prove yourself ALL THE TIME.
share