Classic Hollywood was not known for bold experiments, and a rare occurrence when major stylistic innovations were more likely with certain genres like film noir, since they were more related to real life and, therefore, less expensive and less risky. One of the most unusual films of the era was Lady in the Lake, the 1946 crime film directed by Robert Montgomery.

The film is based on the 1943 novel The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler, the fourth in the cycle about Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe. The plot begins when Marlowe (played by Montgomery), tired of his low-paid work, tries to switch careers to crime writing and submits a story to a publishing house owned by Derace Kingsby (played by Leon Ames). His assistant, Adrienne Fromsett (played by Audrey Totter), however, actually uses the opportunity to hire him to locate Chrystal Kingsby, his boss' wife who has gone missing. Marlowe accepts, partly because he is attracted to Adrienne, although she obviously has romantic designs on her boss. His investigation leads him to various locations in California where he encounters gigolos, corrupt police detectives, and multiple cases of murder.

The film is based on Montgomery's relatively simple but revolutionary idea. He wanted to mimic the first-person narrative of Chandler's novels not only by the protagonist's narration but by having the entire plot shown from the protagonist's point of view. This technique, advertised by MGM as the biggest technical innovation since the introduction of talking pictures, is applied with the help of innovative dolly moves. Montgomery, who narrates the film and plays the protagonist, is almost never seen in the film, except when Marlowe sees himself reflected in the mirror.

MGM, however, was not bold enough to take this approach in its entirety. The studio forced Montgomery to record an introductory scene in which he addresses the viewers and explains what they are going to see, and later he breaks the fourth wall again to explain some plot points. This, in many ways, compromises the original idea and breaks the proper rhythm of the plot.

The script by prolific pulp writer Steve Fisher has made many changes in the original screen adaptation by Raymond Chandler. The idea was to shorten and simplify the plot, but it nevertheless remained convoluted and often overshadowed by the film's technical novelty.

Montgomery was solid but unremarkable in his role, apparently paying more attention to his work behind the camera. Audrey Totter was much more impressive in the role of the archetypal film noir anti-heroine who acts like a femme fatale but whose ultimate moral alignment remains a mystery until the end.

Montgomery directed the film well, but much of his work was wasted by having the plot unnecessarily revolve around Christmas, and even more importantly, by David Snell's music soundtrack, which is more akin to a classical oratorio than something you might discover in a film noir.

Lady in the Lake is, despite some of the experiments not working, mostly successful and could be recommended to fans of film noir and less usual works of Classic Hollywood.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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