High Wall

Director: Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt

Overview

Former army pilot Robert Taylor is accused, on the basis of strong circumstantial evidence, of his wife's murder. Suffering from periodic blackouts, Taylor isn't so certain of his innocence himself. When offered a brain operation, Taylor refuses, knowing that if he is proven sane he will be executed for murder. Instead, he opts for confinement in a high-walled veteran's mental institution. A compassionate lady doctor (Audrey Totter) falls in love with Taylor, convincing him to have the operation. Even after emerging from the ether, Taylor cannot remember any of the details concerning his wife's death--but he does recall that the dead woman had recently taken a job with a publisher (Herbert Marshall) of religious books. While the killer's identity is tipped off by this revelation, the audience is never certain that Robert Taylor isn't a murderer--especially since he'd previously appeared as a homicidal maniac in the 1946 film Undercurrent. The best moment in High Wall is the casual disposal of the sole witness to the murder, via a long, dark elevator shaft.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/07/2010
UPC:	0883316276693
Original Release:	1947
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Taylor	Steven Kenet
Audrey Totter	Dr. Ann Lorrison
H.B. Warner	Mr. Slocum
Herbert Marshall	Willard I. Whitcombe
Dorothy Patrick	Helen Kenet
Warner Anderson	Dr. George Poward
Moroni Olsen	Dr. Phillip Dunlap
John Ridgely	David Wallace
Morris Ankrum	Dr. Stanley Griffin
Elisabeth Risdon	Mrs. Kenet,Mrs. Kenet
Vince Barnett	Henry Cronner
Jonathan Hale	Emory Garrison
Charles Arnt	Sidney X. Hackle
Ray Mayer	Tom Delaney
Bobby Hyatt	Richard Kenet
Dick Wessel	Jim Hale
Robert Emmett O'Connor	Joe,Joe the gatekeeper
Celia Travers	Maggie
Mary Servoss	Aunt Martha
Eula Guy	Vera Mercer
Jack Davis	Det. Halloran,Mr. Grant
Tom Quinn	Det. Schaeffer
Frank Jenks	Drunk
Irving Bacon	Gas Station Proprietor
Bernard Gorcey	Hirsch
Bert Hanlon	Bored Clerk
Selmer Jackson	Insp. Harding,Inspector Harding
John Hamilton	Police Surgeon
Lee Phelps	Telephone Man
Matt Willis	Admittance Clerk
Robert B. Williams	Deputy
Eddie Dunn	Deputy,Police Clerk
Jim Drum	Orderly
Paul Kruger	Orderly
Jack Worth	Orderly
Lisa Golm	Dr. Golm
Grandon Rhodes	Dr. Edermann
Perry Ivins	Cackling Patient
Dorothy Vaughan	Harriett
Jean Andren	Nurse
Frank Marlowe	Patient
John Beck	Patient
Henry Sylvester	Patient
Phil Dunham	Patient
Skeets Noyes	Patient
Marta Mitrovich	Patient
Kate MacKenna	Patient
Russell Arms	Patient
Al Hill	Patient
Erville Alderson	Patient
William Fawcett	Patient
Guy Beach	Patient
Stanley Price	Patient
Joel Friedkin	Patient
Helen Eby-Rock	Josephine
Milton Kibbee	Counterman,Counterman
George Bunny	Customer
Bob Wendal	Customer
Sammy Shack	Customer
Hank Worden	Customer
Georgia Caine	Miss Twitchell
Henry Hall	Rev. Holmsby
Howard Michell	Attendant
Frank Darien	Old Man in the Tub
Dorothy Neumann	Mrs. Miller
Ray Teal	Lieutenant of Police
Dan Quigg	Police Clerk
Rhea Mitchell	Woman,Attendant
Abe Dinovitch	Cab Driver
Jack Chefe	Bartender
Jack Baxley	Bartender
Bronislau Kaper	Composer

Technical Credits

Sydney Boehm

Lester Cole

Curtis Bernhardt	Director
Sydney Boehm	Screenwriter
Lester Cole	Screenwriter
Alan R. Clark	Playwright
Bradbury Foote	Playwright
Robert Lord	Producer
Warren Newcombe	Special Effects
A. Arnold Gillespie	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

The High Wall is a good film noir that benefits from an excellent performance from matinee idol Robert Taylor. Taylor had at this time in his career already begun attempting more challenging roles, and Wall stands as one of his finest achievements. It's the kind of film that demands a strong, central performance, one that can careen from one motion to another yet must be grounded in a solid, sturdy performer that can carry the picture. Taylor fits the bill very nicely, teetering on the brink when required but always pulling back from the edge to keep Wall focused. He's aided by Audrey Totter, a noir staple who here gets the rare chance to play a good woman rather than a femme fatale and proves more than up to the task. Even better is the wonderful Herbert Marshall, who gives the screen a truly memorable villain, chillingly efficient in his machinations. The screenplay has some problems, including too many coincidences and a reliance on truth serum that feels like a cheating way of resolving situations; but these limitations aside, it works fine. Curtis Bernhardt directs with a sure hand and aims for maximum atmosphere and tension, aided by Paul Vogel's magnificently dark, dark, DARK cinematography, creating a vista of shadows and rain swept streets that is enormously effective.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler