Tension
Directed by John Berry
Written by Allen Rivkin based on the story by John D. Klorer
1949/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Film Noir Classics Vol. 4 DVD
[box] Police Lt. Collier Bonnabel: I work on people – suspects. Play up to their strengths, pour it on their weaknesses. You know, I only know one way, one thing that breaks ’em wide open – tension.[/box]
This is a nice little story with a good performance by noir queen Audrey Totter as the femme fatale.
Lt. Collier Bonnibel (Barry Sullivan) tells the story about the murder of a liquor distributor and how he caught the culprit.
Humble pharmacist Warren Quimby (Richard Basehart) works the night shift at an all-night pharmacy to save to buy his selfish wife Claire (Totter) a house in the suburbs. She treats him like dirt and flaunts her infidelity, letting customers pick her up right in the pharmacy.  She turns her nose up at the house too.  Finally, she leaves him for the liquor distributor.  When Warren goes to his Malibu beach house to confront him and get her back, the boyfriend beats him up.  Humiliated, he plans revenge.
When he goes to get his glasses repaired after they were broken in the fight, he notices a sign saying that contact lenses will make you a new man.  (It is early enough that these are referred to as “special lenses” and appear to have unseen magical properties).  He gets the lenses and works on establishing a new identity, that of “Paul”.  Amazingly, the lenses not only totally change his appearance (not to the audience, just to the other characters) but, more importantly, give him a new confidence that changes his personality.
As part of Warren’s planning of the perfect crime, “Paul” rents an apartment where he spends the weekends.  The newly manly Paul attracts his beautiful good-girl neighbor Mary Chanler (Cyd Charisse).  All of a sudden Claire isn’t looking so good to Warren, but when her boyfriend turns up murdered, he has her on his hands again.   The rest of the story follows Lt. Bonnibel as he ratchets up the tension.  With William Conrad as Bonnibel’s sidekick.
This is a slight but enjoyable film highlighted by the beautiful cinematography of Oscar-winner Harry Stradling, Jr. (The Picture of Dorian Grey, My Fair Lady). Â It’s always fun seeing Audrey Totter, who died last year at age 95, do her thing as a tough-talking bad girl.
Clip – Audrey Totter being bad – cinematography by Harry Stradling Jr.
