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

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

Jack L. Warner had Joan Crawford, who had just joined Warner Bros. and was looking for her first role at the studio, in mind for the role of Kathryn Mason, and sent the script for the film to her. However, after reading the script, Crawford told her agent to tell Warner that "Joan Crawford never dies in her movies, and she never ever loses her man to anyone".

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Goofs

When Richard sees the empty apartment, the owner tells him that the sink has a double draining board, yet there is no sink. Furthermore, it could not even be in the obscured alcove or it would be obscuring the light from the window on the wall.

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Quotes

Kathryn Mason: Really, Dick, you might put your things away, just look at that bed. If I've told you once, I've told you...
Richard Mason: Thousand times.
Kathryn Mason: And you insist on doing it.
Richard Mason: Listen Kathryn, I don't insist on anything. I don't know what's come over you lately. You find fault in everything I do and everything I say. What's the matter with you?
Kathryn Mason: Don't stand there and play the innocent with me. You know perfectly well what the matter is.
Richard Mason: What're you talking about?
Kathryn Mason: Your ridiculous infatuation with Evelyn. Oh you thought ...

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Connections

Featured in Pulp Cinema (2001)

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Soundtracks

Tango Jalousie
(uncredited)
Written by Jacob Gade

User Reviews

Bogart and Greenstreet...You Can't Beat 'Em

This may not be one of Bogart's best, in fact not even close to his best....but his pairing with Sidney Greenstreet makes it worth watching. There is something magical about the manner in which these two actors mesh that is seldom seen in film. Bogart is Bogart, always the tight lipped hero or villain with the clipped speech and slight chip on his shoulder. Greenstreet is the jolly fat man who hides behind that facade, either evil or cunning or both. Two actors with different personas which play perfectly against each other. They are seldom on the same side and although initially, in this film, they appear to be, the tables turn as the film progresses. The story is not a new one....man kills wife...or so he thinks....is she dead or isn't she? The ending is fairly predictable but it still holds your interest. Alexis Smith, as the target of Bogart's affections, is tall, coldly beautiful and rather detached....she does not seem vulnerable enough and can't seem to make up her mind about her feelings for Bogart's character. Watch this film for the exchanges between Bogart and Greenstreet...that's what it is all about. They make the rest of it worthwhile.