Conflict (1945)

An engineer trapped in an unhappy marriage murders his wife in the hope of marrying her younger sister.

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Arthur T. Horman (screenplay), Dwight Taylor (screenplay)

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Richard Mason
Alexis Smith	...	Evelyn Turner
Sydney Greenstreet	...	Dr. Mark Hamilton
Rose Hobart	...	Kathryn Mason
Charles Drake	...	Prof. Norman Holsworth
Grant Mitchell	...	Dr. Grant
Patrick O'Moore	...	Det. Lt. Egan (as Pat O'Moore)
Ann Shoemaker	...	Nora Grant
Edwin Stanley	...	Phillips (as Ed Stanley)

Storyline

Richard Mason is slightly hurt in a car accident but pretends that his injuries are worse so that he cannot accompany his wife, Kathryn on a trip to the mountains. He does, however, kill her on a lonely mountain road. Or did he? He smells her perfume, finds her jewelry, sees an envelope addressed in her handwriting. He goes back to the scene of the crime to find ... what?

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Plot Keywords:

murder of wife | sister in law | pawn shop | rose | broken leg | 

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Taglines:

SUSPENSE...SUSPICION...MAN-WOMAN DESIRES! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Pentacle

Filming Locations:

Angeles Crest Highway, Angeles National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$774,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,635

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies, this film was made in 1943. It is shown as being released in June 1945. Edwin Stanley who played Phillips passed away in December 1944 prior to it being released.

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Goofs

Bogey shines his torch through the wrecked car onto Greenstreet. The light is still on him even though Bogey has turned and aimed it at the officers,

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Quotes

Richard Mason: [after he thinks he's seen his dead wife entering a deserted apartment] She's supposed to be dead, you understand. She's supposed to be murdered.
Landlady: Murdered?
[the landlady starts becoming increasingly more fearful of his tone]
Richard Mason: [He becomes increasingly maniacal] Yes, murdered. You know what that means?
Landlady: Yes, sir.
Richard Mason: You don't like that, do you?
Landlady: No, sir.
Richard Mason: [His eyes now have a wild look to them] Yes, sir - no, sir - yes, sir! Cats come back sometimes, but women don't. You put cats in a bag and thriow them in...
[...]

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Connections

Edited into Tales from the Crypt: You, Murderer (1995)

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Soundtracks

Tango Jalousie
(uncredited)
Written by Jacob Gade

User Reviews

a little "Gaslight," a little "Two Mrs. Carrolls," a whole lotta Bogie

This is an obvious though very entertaining film with a cast that includes the radiant Alexis Smith, Sydney Greenstreet, and of course, the star, Humphrey Bogart at his sinister best. He plays an unhappily married man who is in love with his wife's sister (Smith). Greenstreet is a friend of the family.

Considering the circumstances of his death, it's always disturbing to see Humphrey Bogart with cigarettes, and if he's not smoking in this, he's lining them up in his cigarette case.

Mystery loving audiences will pick up the all-important clue immediately. Whether you do or don't, it's hard not to enjoy the most standard of films with a cast like this. As an added kick, the film has a psychological feature to it, which started to become all the rage toward the end of WWII.