Hollow Triumph
| Hollow Triumph | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release lobby card
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| Directed by | Steve Sekely |
| Produced by | Paul Henreid |
| Screenplay by | Daniel Fuchs |
| Based on | the novel by Murray Forbes |
| Starring |
Paul Henreid Joan Bennett |
| Music by | Sol Kaplan |
| Cinematography | John Alton |
| Edited by | Fred Allen |
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Production
company |
Bryan Foy Productions
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| Distributed by | Eagle-Lion Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Hollow Triumph (reissued as The Scar) is a 1948 American film noir crime film directed by Steve Sekely starring Paul Henreid and Joan Bennett. It was released by Eagle-Lion Films, based on the 1946 novel of the same title written by Murray Forbes.
Just released from prison, John Muller (Paul Henreid) masterminds a holdup at an illegal casino run by Rocky Stansyck. The robbery goes bad, and the mobsters capture some of Muller's men and force them to identify the rest before killing them. Stansyck has a reputation for tracking down and killing his enemies, no matter how long it takes, so Muller decides to leave town and hide. He takes an office job recommended by his law-abiding brother, Frederick (Eduard Franz), but quickly decides that working for a living is not for him.
A chance encounter with dentist Dr. Swangron (John Qualen) reveals that Muller looks exactly like a psychoanalyst who works in the same building, Dr. Bartok, the only difference being a large scar on the left side of the doctor's face. Seizing the opportunity, he begins researching Bartok, even slipping into his office to examine his records. He is discovered by the doctor's secretary, Evelyn Hahn (Joan Bennett). She mistakes him for her employer and kisses him, but quickly realizes he is someone else. He persuades her to go out with him, though she has become embittered and claims to have given up any dreams of finding love.
Muller sets out to impersonate Bartok, aided by the fact he studied psychoanalysis in medical school before dropping out. He takes a photograph of the doctor and uses it as a guide to cut an identical scar on his own face. Unfortunately, the developers of the photograph reversed the negative, so now Muller has the scar on the wrong side. He discovers the mistake only after he has already murdered Bartok and is preparing to dump the body in the river. He has no choice but to go through with the plan anyway. Luckily, no one (except the office cleaning lady, whose suspicions he manages to lull) notices the difference, not even Evelyn or Bartok's patients.
Muller discovers "he" has a girlfriend, Virginia Taylor (Leslie Brooks), and that they frequent Maxwell's, a high class casino. It also turns out Bartok has been losing heavily.
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Wikipedia