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Conflict (film)
Encyclopedia
Conflict is a black-and-white
suspense film noir
made by Warner Brothers. It was directed by Curtis Bernhardt
, produced by William Jacobs with Jack L. Warner as executive producer from a screenplay
by Arthur T. Horman and Dwight Taylor
, based on the story The Pentacle by Alfred Neumann
and Robert Siodmak
. It starred Humphrey Bogart
, Alexis Smith
and Sydney Greenstreet
. The film is the only one which Bogart and Greenstreet co-starred and Bogart, not Greenstreet, was the villain or corrupt character.
) appear to be a happily married couple. But on their fifth wedding anniversary, Kathryn accuses Richard of having fallen in love with her younger sister, Evelyn Turner (Alexis Smith), who is visiting them. He does not deny it, but has resigned himself to leaving things as they are, since he is certain Kathryn would not give him a divorce. At a party celebrating the couple's anniversary hosted by family friend and psychologist Dr. Mark Hamilton (Sydney Greenstreet), Evelyn meets with Mark's handsome young colleague, Professor Norman Holdsworth (Charles Drake
). On the way home, Kathryn suggests to Evelyn that their mother is lonely, so Evelyn decides to move home. Distracted by this unwelcome news, Richard crashes their car and suffers a broken leg. He then decides to take desperate action.
Richard pretends to require a wheelchair, even after his leg has healed; his puzzled physician, Doctor Grant (Grant Mitchell
), diagnoses the problem as psychological, not physical. He suggests exercise, so a car trip to a mountain resort is arranged. At the last minute, Richard has to stay home to do some work; he has Kathryn go on ahead by herself. She is blocked on a narrow deserted mountain road by a parked car. Richard walks unexpectedly out of the fog and kills her. Afterward, he pushes her car down a steep slope; it dislodges some logs which crash down and hide the automobile. He returns home in time to set up an alibi by meeting with employees he had summoned. He then notifies the police that she is missing.
However, things happen to make Richard wonder if Kathryn somehow survived. First, a hobo is picked up by the police; when Richard and Evelyn identify a cameo ring found in his possession as belonging to the missing woman, the tramp admits to having stolen it from a woman matching Kathryn's description after her disappearance. Then Richard smells Kathryn's perfume in their bedroom. He later finds her key to a home safe; when he opens the safe, her wedding ring is inside.
Mark suggests Richard and Evelyn join him on a fishing vacation to relieve the strain. Mark also invites Holdsworth, who takes the opportunity to ask Evelyn to marry him. She is undecided. When she tells Richard, he believes her hesitation is because of him. He tells her he loves her, and that she must feel the same about him, but she strongly denies it. Realizing his mistake, he encourages Holdsworth to try again.
Then a pawn shop claim ticket is mailed to Richard, addressed in what appears to be his wife's handwriting. When he goes to the pawn shop, he finds Kathryn's locket. Finally, a woman looking and dressed like his wife passes by on the street while he is in a shop. He follows her to an apartment, but when he has the owner show him the place a few minutes later, there is no one there.
It turns out that it was all designed to make Richard incriminate himself. He had given himself away to Mark when he told detectives she was wearing a rose the last time he saw her. Mark gave Kathryn the rose after she had left her husband, something Richard should have had no way of knowing. Kathryn's corpse was found, but Richard was not told. The ploy works. Richard returns to the murder scene to see if her body is there; the police and Mark Hamilton are there waiting to arrest him.
to indicate the putative reappearance of Katherine, with the background strings translating the scent of perfume; the opening trucking shot through the rain-soaked night up to the window of the Mason house, which allows the audience to eavesdrop on the dinner party; and the sinister appearance of Bogart as he steps out of the shadows to murder his wife."
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
suspense film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
made by Warner Brothers. It was directed by Curtis Bernhardt
Curtis Bernhardt
Curtis Bernhardt was a German film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. Some of his American films were called "woman's films" including the Joan Crawford film Possessed . Bernhardt trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film...
, produced by William Jacobs with Jack L. Warner as executive producer from a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Arthur T. Horman and Dwight Taylor
Dwight Taylor
Dwight Taylor can refer to:*Dwight Taylor , former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Kansas City Royals*Dwight Taylor , film and television writer; works including Top Hat and Follow the Fleet. He was the son of actress Laurette Taylor.*Dwight Willard Taylor , malacologist...
, based on the story The Pentacle by Alfred Neumann
Alfred Neumann (writer)
Alfred Neumann was a German writer of novels, stories, poems, plays, and films, as well as a translator into German. He was a recipient of the Kleist Prize in 1926 and his writings were banned during the Third Reich. He became a US citizen after moving to Los Angeles in 1941 where he stayed until...
and Robert Siodmak
Robert Siodmak
Robert Siodmak was a German born American film director. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for the series of Hollywood film noirs he made in the 1940s.-Early life:...
. It starred Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, Alexis Smith
Alexis Smith
Alexis Smith was a Canadian-born stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in several major Hollywood movies in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Award in 1972.-Life and career:...
and Sydney Greenstreet
Sydney Greenstreet
Sydney Hughes Greenstreet was an English actor. He is best known for his Warner Bros. films with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, which include The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca .-Biography:...
. The film is the only one which Bogart and Greenstreet co-starred and Bogart, not Greenstreet, was the villain or corrupt character.
Plot
On the surface, Richard (Humphrey Bogart) and Kathryn Mason (Rose HobartRose Hobart
Rose Hobart was an American actress.-Career:Born in New York City, her father was a cellist in the New York Symphony...
) appear to be a happily married couple. But on their fifth wedding anniversary, Kathryn accuses Richard of having fallen in love with her younger sister, Evelyn Turner (Alexis Smith), who is visiting them. He does not deny it, but has resigned himself to leaving things as they are, since he is certain Kathryn would not give him a divorce. At a party celebrating the couple's anniversary hosted by family friend and psychologist Dr. Mark Hamilton (Sydney Greenstreet), Evelyn meets with Mark's handsome young colleague, Professor Norman Holdsworth (Charles Drake
Charles Drake
Charles Drake was an American actor.-Biography:Drake was born as Charles Ruppert in New York City. He graduated from Nichols College and became a salesman. In 1939, he turned to acting and signed a contract with Warner Brothers. He wasn't immediately successful...
). On the way home, Kathryn suggests to Evelyn that their mother is lonely, so Evelyn decides to move home. Distracted by this unwelcome news, Richard crashes their car and suffers a broken leg. He then decides to take desperate action.
Richard pretends to require a wheelchair, even after his leg has healed; his puzzled physician, Doctor Grant (Grant Mitchell
Grant Mitchell (actor)
Grant Mitchell was an American stage actor on Broadway and character actor in many Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s...
), diagnoses the problem as psychological, not physical. He suggests exercise, so a car trip to a mountain resort is arranged. At the last minute, Richard has to stay home to do some work; he has Kathryn go on ahead by herself. She is blocked on a narrow deserted mountain road by a parked car. Richard walks unexpectedly out of the fog and kills her. Afterward, he pushes her car down a steep slope; it dislodges some logs which crash down and hide the automobile. He returns home in time to set up an alibi by meeting with employees he had summoned. He then notifies the police that she is missing.
However, things happen to make Richard wonder if Kathryn somehow survived. First, a hobo is picked up by the police; when Richard and Evelyn identify a cameo ring found in his possession as belonging to the missing woman, the tramp admits to having stolen it from a woman matching Kathryn's description after her disappearance. Then Richard smells Kathryn's perfume in their bedroom. He later finds her key to a home safe; when he opens the safe, her wedding ring is inside.
Mark suggests Richard and Evelyn join him on a fishing vacation to relieve the strain. Mark also invites Holdsworth, who takes the opportunity to ask Evelyn to marry him. She is undecided. When she tells Richard, he believes her hesitation is because of him. He tells her he loves her, and that she must feel the same about him, but she strongly denies it. Realizing his mistake, he encourages Holdsworth to try again.
Then a pawn shop claim ticket is mailed to Richard, addressed in what appears to be his wife's handwriting. When he goes to the pawn shop, he finds Kathryn's locket. Finally, a woman looking and dressed like his wife passes by on the street while he is in a shop. He follows her to an apartment, but when he has the owner show him the place a few minutes later, there is no one there.
It turns out that it was all designed to make Richard incriminate himself. He had given himself away to Mark when he told detectives she was wearing a rose the last time he saw her. Mark gave Kathryn the rose after she had left her husband, something Richard should have had no way of knowing. Kathryn's corpse was found, but Richard was not told. The ploy works. Richard returns to the murder scene to see if her body is there; the police and Mark Hamilton are there waiting to arrest him.
Cast
- Humphrey BogartHumphrey BogartHumphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
as Richard Mason - Alexis SmithAlexis SmithAlexis Smith was a Canadian-born stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in several major Hollywood movies in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Award in 1972.-Life and career:...
as Evelyn Turner - Sydney GreenstreetSydney GreenstreetSydney Hughes Greenstreet was an English actor. He is best known for his Warner Bros. films with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, which include The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca .-Biography:...
as Dr. Mark Hamilton - Rose HobartRose HobartRose Hobart was an American actress.-Career:Born in New York City, her father was a cellist in the New York Symphony...
as Kathryn Mason - Charles DrakeCharles DrakeCharles Drake was an American actor.-Biography:Drake was born as Charles Ruppert in New York City. He graduated from Nichols College and became a salesman. In 1939, he turned to acting and signed a contract with Warner Brothers. He wasn't immediately successful...
as Prof. Norman Holsworth - Grant MitchellGrant Mitchell (actor)Grant Mitchell was an American stage actor on Broadway and character actor in many Hollywood films of the 1930s and 1940s...
as Dr. Grant - Patrick O'Moore as Det. Lt. Egan
- Ann Shoemaker as Nora Grant
- Edwin StanleyEdwin StanleyEdwin Stanley , was an American film actor. He appeared in over 230 films between 1916 and 1946.He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Phillips
Critical reaction
Film historians Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward comment, "The film is particularly memorable for the use of the song 'Tango of Love' as leitmotifLeitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
to indicate the putative reappearance of Katherine, with the background strings translating the scent of perfume; the opening trucking shot through the rain-soaked night up to the window of the Mason house, which allows the audience to eavesdrop on the dinner party; and the sinister appearance of Bogart as he steps out of the shadows to murder his wife."