THE CHASE (1946) ***1/2
When a hapless fellow (Robt. Cummings) returns a lost wallet that belongs to gangster (Steve Cochran) and becomes his chauffeur and then he falls for his bosss girl (Michelle Morgan). Usually when something is called surreal, its a codeword for senseless but entertaining. THE CHASE is surreal. It is a dream. From the get go we witness California cliffs standing in for the Florida coasts, a Rahcmaninoffesqe piano theme that surfaces from a radio and dictates at least a third of the narrative, the haircut sequence, a man eating animal in the shadows, a bottle of wine that stands in for a corpse. It also helps that Peter Lorre is on board as the villains right hand man. Thats all before the chase begins and moves to Cuba. Later there is even more haunting imagery with a set of knives evoking the chime Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil. When the police observe the murder weapon, the flick moves like black ink running across a table with Cummings about to drown in it. It is as if the movie is an exquisite corpse. It begins on one plane but it concludes with a very different setting than promised. The story remains what you expect but the props and environments are always changing. What foreshadows with a knife fight ends with car chase. THE CHASE is sinister in all of the right ways. The script is Philip Yordon and based on a novel from Cornel Woolrich. For an adaptation that is full of event changes, the structure and dreaded atmosphere are still faithful to the novel itself. THE CHASE is as much of a rearrangement as it is an adaptation. If you simply switch a couple of reels youll have a closer version of the source novel. The movies plot unfolds more like a deck of cards than a novel. Oh! Peter Lorre and Steve Cochran make a great pair and its a shame they didnt make more movies together. At least you have this one. For your information Cary Grant is featured in a Old Time Radio version of this story. That is some wild stuff.
When a hapless fellow (Robt. Cummings) returns a lost wallet that belongs to gangster (Steve Cochran) and becomes his chauffeur and then he falls for his bosss girl (Michelle Morgan). Usually when something is called surreal, its a codeword for senseless but entertaining. THE CHASE is surreal. It is a dream. From the get go we witness California cliffs standing in for the Florida coasts, a Rahcmaninoffesqe piano theme that surfaces from a radio and dictates at least a third of the narrative, the haircut sequence, a man eating animal in the shadows, a bottle of wine that stands in for a corpse. It also helps that Peter Lorre is on board as the villains right hand man. Thats all before the chase begins and moves to Cuba. Later there is even more haunting imagery with a set of knives evoking the chime Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil. When the police observe the murder weapon, the flick moves like black ink running across a table with Cummings about to drown in it. It is as if the movie is an exquisite corpse. It begins on one plane but it concludes with a very different setting than promised. The story remains what you expect but the props and environments are always changing. What foreshadows with a knife fight ends with car chase. THE CHASE is sinister in all of the right ways. The script is Philip Yordon and based on a novel from Cornel Woolrich. For an adaptation that is full of event changes, the structure and dreaded atmosphere are still faithful to the novel itself. THE CHASE is as much of a rearrangement as it is an adaptation. If you simply switch a couple of reels youll have a closer version of the source novel. The movies plot unfolds more like a deck of cards than a novel. Oh! Peter Lorre and Steve Cochran make a great pair and its a shame they didnt make more movies together. At least you have this one. For your information Cary Grant is featured in a Old Time Radio version of this story. That is some wild stuff.
