Rent Pitfall (1948)
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- Synopsis:
Dick Powell plays a returning World War II veteran who at first blush would seem to have everything going his way - a good marriage with a beautiful and loving wife in Jane Wyatt and a healthy, energetic young son in Jimmy Hunt, along with a lovely home and a position as a Los Angeles insurance executive. Powell exhibits the restlessness that many returning servicemen experienced following the global military conflict. His penchant for excitement leads him into an extra-marital affair with sexy blonde model Lizabeth Scott. What propels "Pitfall" into the ranks of a chilling film noir drama is the appearance of a ruthless sociopath willing to destroy all in his path to secure his objective, which in this case is possessing Liz Scott, body and soul. Corrupt private detective Raymond Burr overlooks the unyielding rebuff of Scott, who detests him. Burr convinces himself that eventually her feelings will change. The element thrusting Powell into the combustible picture is Burr's selfish realization that Scott holds true feelings for the decent but fallible insurance executive. He believes that to have Scott all to himself he needs to destroy both Powell and her boyfriend (Byron Barr), who is about to be released from jail. If he can successfully play one man against the other, they will be removed from the picture, leaving him to take up romantically with Scott. "Pitfall" came along when post-World War II film noir was generating cash and artistic dividends.The French artistic wave led by the likes of Albert Camus and Jean Paul Sartre recognized the significance of voices interpreting a world comprised of creative voices interpreting life in Cold War society, the first to live in the new nuclear age. Mental toughness was needed and film noir was a vehicle that displayed that on screen quality. - Actors:
- Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt, Raymond Burr, John Litel, Byron Barr, Jimmy Hunt, Ann Doran, Selmer Jackson, Margaret Wells, Dick Wessel, Eddie Borden, Helen Dickson, Ben Erway, Don Haggerty, Sam Harris, Thomas Martin, David McMahon, Charles Sherlock, Cap Somers
- Directors:
- André De Toth
- Producers:
- Samuel Bischoff
- Writers:
- Jay Dratler, Karl Kamb, William Bowers, André De Toth
- Aka:
- La senda tentadora
- Studio:
- Film Chest
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
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Reviews (2) of Pitfall
Suburban Sin - Pitfall review by griggs
Noir works best in the shadows; Pitfall spends too much time in daylight. It’s a story of middle-class malaise, where a bored insurance man goes sniffing around for trouble and, inevitably, finds it. The “pitfall” isn’t crime or passion but the quiet rot of routine — and how a flicker of excitement can burn down an entire life.
Dick Powell does well as the weary everyman, and Lizabeth Scott brings more warmth than the script deserves. Raymond Burr, meanwhile, looms like a thundercloud that never quite breaks.
There’s style here — sleek direction, sharp dialogue, and a sense of moral hangover — but it never quite catches fire. What could’ve been a gripping descent into guilt and desire ends up feeling a little too neat, too tidy for noir. You can see the shape of a great film under the surface; it just never digs deep enough.
Classic Noir. - Pitfall review by Steve
Clever film noir about the midlife crisis of a comfortable insurance examiner (Dick Powell) who is stuck with everything he ever wanted. He has a big house, a beautiful wife (Jane Wyatt) and an adorable son, but it is no longer enough. His discontent brings him under the influence of Lizabeth Scott, a classy knockout whose latest sugar daddy is serving time for embezzlement.
The witty script offers a commentary on the wage slave’s disillusion with his usual routine. Ironically, while his affair gives him distraction, he still acts in a predictable pattern, because every man the luxury girl meets wants a taste of her glamour. Which includes the crazy PI (Raymond Burr) who stalks her.
Easy to see why. At first it seems the sultry, husky Liz is posting another Lauren Bacall impersonation. But soon enough I was also considering some reckless embezzlement. She is sensational as a femme fatale who is not actually bad. People just can't help destroying themselves to get her attention.
The story reflects on the taboo of adultery with a candour rare for the period. And tells us to beware what we wish for. The family man escapes from his prison of wealth and comfort for a brief affair with a chic lover, but he ruins them both. It's another film noir which finds sadness and frustration in the materialistic suburbs.