Conflict (1945 film)
| Conflict | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Curtis Bernhardt |
| Produced by | William Jacobs |
| Screenplay by |
Arthur T. Horman Dwight Taylor |
| Based on | The story "The Pentacle" by Robert Siodmak Alfred Neumann |
| Starring |
Humphrey Bogart Alexis Smith Sydney Greenstreet |
| Music by | Frederick Hollander |
| Cinematography | Merritt B. Gerstad |
| Edited by | David Weisbart |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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June 15, 1945 |
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Running time
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86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Conflict is a 1945 black-and-white suspense film noir made by Warner Brothers. It was directed by Curtis Bernhardt, produced by William Jacobs with Jack L. Warner as executive producer from a screenplay by Arthur T. Horman and Dwight Taylor, based on the story The Pentacle by Alfred Neumann and Robert Siodmak. It starred Humphrey Bogart, Alexis Smith, and Sydney Greenstreet. The film is the only one in which Bogart and Greenstreet co-starred where Bogart, not Greenstreet, is the villain or corrupt character.
On the surface, Richard (Humphrey Bogart) and Kathryn Mason (Rose Hobart) appear to be a happily married couple. But on their fifth wedding anniversary, Kathryn accuses Richard of having fallen in love with her younger sister, Evelyn Turner (Alexis Smith), who is visiting them. He does not deny it, but has resigned himself to leaving things as they are, since Kathryn certainly would not give him a divorce. At a party celebrating the couple's anniversary, hosted by family friend and psychologist Dr. Mark Hamilton (Sydney Greenstreet), Evelyn meets with Mark's handsome young colleague, Professor Norman Holdsworth (Charles Drake). On the way home, Kathryn suggests to Evelyn that their mother is lonely, so Evelyn decides to move back home. Distracted by this unwelcome news, Richard crashes their car and suffers a broken leg.
Richard then decides to take desperate action. He pretends to require a wheelchair, even after his leg has healed. His puzzled physician, Dr. Grant (Grant Mitchell), diagnoses the problem as psychological, not physical, and suggests exercise, so a car trip to a mountain resort is arranged. At the last minute, Richard contrives to have to stay home for one night and finish some work. Going on ahead, Kathryn is blocked on a narrow, deserted mountain road by a parked car. Unexpectedly, Richard walks threateningly out of the fog. The audience is left to imagine him killing her. Next he pushes her car down a steep slope; it dislodges some logs which crash down and hide it. He returns home in time to set up an alibi by meeting with employees he had summoned. In their presence he twice phones the resort to be told she has not arrived; he then notifies the police that she is missing.
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Wikipedia