A wife searches for her estranged husband when he flees after witnessing a
murder.
Directed by: Norman Foster
Starring: Ann Sheridan, Dennis O'Keefe, Robert Keith, Ross
Elliott
Here is a case of a 'lost' film noir, newly restored against all the
odds. The only existing American print of director Norman Foster's
Woman on the Run was destroyed in a
2008 fire at Universal Studios, but luckily noir buff extraordinaire Eddie
Muller had previously made a digital copy, a unique case of piracy working
in a movie's favour. Combining this with a print from the British Film
Institute, the movie has been lovingly restored to its former glory.
Woman on the Run's title is somewhat deceptive, as it's really the story of a man evading
capture. After witnessing a mob related murder, Frank (Ross Elliott) decides his best chance of self preservation is to disappear into the
San Francisco night rather than take his chances relying on police
protection. Inspector Ferris (Robert Keith) is none too happy with
this member of the public's failure to aid his investigation, and notifies
Frank's wife, Eleanor (Ann Sheridan), of her hubby's disappearance.
Surprisingly, she's not the least bit upset; it seems the marriage was on
its last legs and Eleanor assumes Frank took this as an opportunity to
finally run out on her. Out of what seems like stubborn pride, Eleanor
decides to elude the police and track down Frank herself.
Accompanying Eleanor is reporter Daniel (Dennis O'Keefe), a
classic fast-talking 'newspaper man' of the era. Try as she might, Eleanor
fails to shake off the unwanted attention of Daniel, but ultimately
decides his investigative skills may make him a useful ally. But is Daniel
everything he claims to be?
Think of Hitchcock's early British chase films like
The 39 Steps and
Young & Innocent, minus the standout
visual set-pieces but with the addition of the sort of rapid fire, witty
dialogue American screenwriters of the 1940s excelled in, and you'll have
some idea of what to expect from this lesser known film noir. That's a
vastly encompassing genre, and while Woman on the Run ticks enough boxes - shadowy inner city locales, a 'tough broad',
mysterious men in overcoats - it stands out from the crowd by just how
comedic it is. The dialogue by Ross Hunter is some of the wittiest
you'll find in noir, and Sheridan is the perfect vessel for this
particular brand of snark.
As Eleanor searches for her husband, she discovers aspects of his
character she had long forgotten, and hearing his friends and associates
declare their affection for Frank causes her to reevaluate her attitude
towards their relationship. Eleanor's initially tough facade drops, and a
character we assumed to be a femme fatale type becomes the film's hero in
a nicely handled narrative that plays as fresh today as it must have in
1950.
The location shooting gives us a gritty view of San Francisco closer to
that seen in the Dirty Harry films
than the classy, colourful Bay Area of
Vertigo. Cinematographer
Hal Mohr renders the city in lush monochrome, and director Foster
keeps things moving energetically with tracking shots and Dutch angles
betraying his past as a protege of Orson Welles. A climactic set-piece at
a carnival is a little underwhelming and feels like a second rate version
of similar sequences in better thrillers, but this movie is all about the
chase, and it's well worth catching up with
Woman on the Run in its newly restored presentation.
Woman on the Run is on Amazon Prime
Video UK now.
