Lady in the Lake
Director: Robert Montgomery
Year Released: 1947
Rating: 1.0
Adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel 'stars' Montgomery as the hardened detective Phillip Marlowe, who gets hired to investigate the disappearance of a magazine publisher's wife. The story is 'told' using first person perspective with the 'camera' acting as Marlowe's eyes - it's a daring attempt to redefine cinematic storytelling, but it is a total failure, reducing the actors who have to speak into the camera into marionettes. The approach does little to 'clarify' the already convoluted plot-line, although it's good to see someone tried the technique to ensure future filmmakers it doesn't really work. "Showing" the action from a first person POV works wonders in video games (made famous with Wolfenstein 3-D by iD Software), so it's nice to know another medium can utilize the technique much more effectively.
