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

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

At the end, after Richard has parked his car and is approaching where the wood pile is, the camera angle tilted to exaggerate the angle of the slope of the land. As a result, he walks tilted forward at an angle that would be physically impossible without immediately toppling forward on his face.

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Quotes

Kathryn Mason: I wouldn't tell Evelyn if I were you, I'm afraid she'd laugh at you too.
Richard Mason: I wish you hadn't said that.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

How Sweet You Are
(uncredited)
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Played after Richard leaves the phone booth, talks to the operator and Dr. Hamilton, and out on the terrace

User Reviews

not to be confused with The Two Mrs. Carrolls

This movie and the above named movie were both made in 1945 (though The Two Mrs. Carrolls was released two years later), both starred Humphrey Bogart and Alexis Smith, and both had a plot involving a man who had murdered his wife. In fact, they are so similar that I had mixed the two films together in my mind. However, I recently watched both films just a few nights apart and found Conflict to be the better of the two films, though neither are great films. However, considering that an okay Bogart film of the 1940s is still very watchable, this shouldn't discourage you from seeing the film. The problem, I'm sure, for many is that both films are so against type for Bogey that you may feel turned off by his character. Plus, the plot is awfully hard to believe. BUT, if you suspend belief and just watch it for its entertainment value, this is a good film--particularly for the fine supporting performance by Sidney Greenstreet.