CrimeThriller

High Wall

- So tense! So taut! It closes in on you like a high wall!

Steven Kenet, suffering from a recurring brain injury, appears to have strangled his wife. Having confessed, he's committed to an understaffed county asylum full of pathetic inmates. There, Dr. Ann Lorrison is initially skeptical about Kenet's story and reluctance to undergo treatment. But against her better judgement, she begins to doubt his guilt.

Release Date : 1947-12-17

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Steven Kenet

Original Name : Robert Taylor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Ann Lorrison

Original Name : Audrey Totter

Gender : Female

Character Name : Willard I. Whitcombe

Original Name : Herbert Marshall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Helen Kenet

Original Name : Dorothy Patrick

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Slocum

Original Name : H.B. Warner

Gender : Male

Character Name : r. George Poward

Original Name : Warner Anderson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Philip Dunlap

Original Name : Moroni Olsen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Assistant District Attorney David Wallace (as John Ridgeley)

Original Name : John Ridgely

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Stanley Griffin

Original Name : Morris Ankrum

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Kenet

Original Name : Elisabeth Risdon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Henry Cronner

Original Name : Vince Barnett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Emory Garrison

Original Name : Jonathan Hale

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sidney X. Hackle

Original Name : Charles Arnt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tom Delaney

Original Name : Ray Mayer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Richard Kenet (as Bobby Hyatt)

Original Name : Robert Hyatt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Patient Awaiting Discharge Hearing (uncredited)

Original Name : Russell Arms

Gender : Male

Character Name : Patient (uncredited)

Original Name : John Beck

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Vera Mercer (uncredited)

Original Name : Eula Guy

Gender : Female

Character Name : Police Surgeon (uncredited)

Original Name : John Hamilton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Insp. Harding (uncredited)

Original Name : Selmer Jackson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pinky (uncredited)

Original Name : Frank Jenks

Gender : Male

Character Name : Counterman (uncredited)

Original Name : Milton Kibbee

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Miller (uncredited)

Original Name : Dorothy Neumann

Gender : Female

Character Name : Police Lieutenant (uncredited)

Original Name : Ray Teal

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jim Hale (uncredited)

Original Name : Dick Wessel

Gender : Male

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

Murders and Medicinal Mania. High Wall is directed by Curtis Bernhardt and adapted to screenplay by Sydney Boehm and Lester Cole from the play by Alan R. Clark and Bradbury Foote. It stars Robert Taylor, Audrey Totter, Herbert Marshall, Dorothy Patrick and H.B. Warner. Music is by Bronislau Kaper and cinematography by Paul Vogel. Suffering from a brain injury sustained during the war, Steven Kenet (Taylor) is further rocked by the realisation that he may have strangled his wife during one of his blackout episodes. Committed to a county asylum, Steven responds to treatment by Dr. Ann Lorrison (Totter) and comes to believe he just might be innocent of his wife’s murder. But can he convince the authorities? Can he in fact get out of the asylum to find proof? By 1947 film noir had firmly encompassed the plot strand involving returning veterans from the war. Plot would find them struggling to readjust into society, they would be battle scarred, emotionally torn or suffering some form of injury, such as a popular favourite of film makers of the time, the amnesia sufferer. High Wall is one of the better pictures from the original film noir cycle to deal with this premise. Where except for a daft method used to bring the story to its conclusion, it’s a well thought out and intelligent picture. The pairing of Taylor and Totter is one of the film’s strengths, they are helped no end by having parts that requires them to veer away from roles that they were accustomed to. Bernhardt and Vogel dress the picture up superbly, the camera glides eerily around the asylum, throwing impressive shadows across the drama, and the camera technique used for Kenet’s flashback sequences proves mood magnificent. Out of the asylum the visuals still remain beautiful whilst still exuding a bleakness befitting the unfolding story, with rain drenched streets the order of the night. While Kaper drifts a suitably haunting musical score across proceedings. It’s unhurried and cares about attention to details, and even though some of the ethics involved in story are dubious, this is a smart entry in the psychological film noir canon. 7.5/10