Lady in the Lake: Robert Montgomery

I can't in good conscience recommend Robert Montgomery's Lady in the Lake as a good movie. However, the film, based on Raymond Chandler's 1944 novel of the same name, is an exceedingly entertaining one. First, let's look at the film's biggest problem: its use of first-person perspective. Almost the entire film is shot from private detective Phillip Marlowe's point of view. At first, this gimmick is fascinating enough to hold our interest. But after about 20 minutes it really begins to wear thin. The plot is par for the course for private dick film noir: a woman has gone missing, Marlowe's been hired to find her, and things go absolutely bananas with the introduction of numerous red herrings, mistaken identities, and jagged femme fatales. This speaks to my main problem with the first-person perspective: nothing in the plot really justifies its use. There are some clever moments were its novelty is exploited, such as doors opening, the screen getting foggy whenever he's punched, and a particularly effective car chase. But these are all stylistic flourishes that are ultimately unnecessary. But again, Lady in the Lake is a delightful guilty pleasure. Why? Because the film borders on high camp. Robert Montgomery is a delightful sonuvabitch as Marlowe. And Audrey Totter's performance as Adrienne Fromsett, a curt blonde that Marlowe keeps running into, is equal parts exasperated, frenzied, and sarcastic. Whenever she shows up onscreen (which is often) you can't take your eyes off her. So, no, Lady in the Lake isn't technically a good movie. But everyone should see it!

6/10