In A Lonely Place: An Autobiography

 First things first, I just have to get it out of the way… I love Dixon’s apartment location. I’m not going to spend the entire journal spewing about the production design of this film, because between the use of props, set dress, and wardrobe I’d have six pages of babble that doesn’t even get at the heart of what I liked about this film. I will however spend just a little time on the apartment.
      There are so many different places that I can see a story like this taking place. This was not the location I would have chosen. I can’t however say that my choice would have been the best one. At first, when I saw his apartment I thought, “how contrived, how bland, and overly obvious.”  Then I let myself sit back and enjoy the film and was shocked at how fitting and interesting the location became. From the entryway to the final shot of Dixon Steele walking away, I fell in love with the simplistic sophistication that created Dixon’s space. The minimal art work, the rooms that never seemed to have closed doors, the spacious separation that gave this character control and separation amazed me in shot after shot. Each aspect of his place represented a piece of his personality and I developed an appreciation after just one viewing. I watched the film a second time and then I started reading some of the other projects Robert Peterson had art directed and I have to say I’m a fan.
      On to things that are more geared to Ray’s direction… This film was heartbreaking for so many reasons and I think some of the reasons are lost on a modern audience. In a world now full of super (or sub, depending on how you look at it) human entrepreneurs who know how to be so many different people on any given day, it’s hard to follow a character who considers himself and is considered by others to be have a specialty. Dixon Steele is a writer (not a filmmaker, not a businessman, not a combination of both) and his devotion to his work, his disposition, and the pain it causes him are singular in a way that modern film students aren’t often exposed to. With that in mind, Ray’s direction was captivating and left me at a loss for words.
      This was a story about Dixon Steele. In They Live by Night I appreciated and wanted to see development in the other characters but in this film I couldn’t care less. It’s not a negative thing. Gloria Grahame did a fantastic job as Laurel Gray, but for the purpose of this film it could have been any other decent looking actress of the day. Seeing Humphrey Bogart in this role was awe inspiring. In this film it’s hard to pick apart what was an acting choice from what was a directing choice, but in any event I would consider the collaboration epic. There is one moment that is and will forever be one of my favorite moments in film. When Dixon is sitting at the table in the restaurant after he proposed to Laurel and she walks over to the table, he knows something is wrong. His vulnerability in this moment, that one look, stopped me. It actually hurt to watch and I felt something I’ve never felt in the movies before. It’s unexplainable after that, but I would say it’s one of the most breathtaking scenes I’ve ever seen.