Curtis Bernhardt - High Wall (1947)

Former army pilot Robert Taylor is accused, on the basis of strong circumstantial evidence, of his wife's murder. Suffering from periodic blackouts, Taylor isn't so certain of his innocence himself. When offered a brain operation, Taylor refuses, knowing that if he is proven sane he will be executed for murder. Instead, he opts for confinement in a high-walled veteran's mental institution. A compassionate lady doctor (Audrey Totter) falls in love with Taylor, convincing him to have the operation. Even after emerging from the ether, Taylor cannot remember any of the details concerning his wife's death--but he does recall that the dead woman had recently taken a job with a publisher (Herbert Marshall) of religious books...





The High Wall gives Robert Taylor a chance to demonstrate that he was a very capable actor and much more than just a pretty face. Audrey Totter, as a psychiatrist who decides to help him prove he did not kill his wife, makes a strong impression opposite him. And Herbert Marshall is quietly effective as a mysterious man who knows the truth. All of it is directed in brisk film noir fashion by Curtis Bernhardt with the accent on dark shadows and rainy streets to give it the proper noir atmosphere.

Rather than tell the plot, I'll just say that the story moves swiftly and keeps the viewer absorbed from start to finish. It's a well-paced thriller that makes use of psychiatric trends that may date the film today--but it's all done with such authority that whatever script contrivances are present don't really matter. It's intense and absorbing all the way in true film noir style. Taylor has seldom been more convincing as the distraught bomber pilot trying to find out whether he killed his wife or not. (IMDB user comment)







Muro de tinieblas
Un ex piloto del ejército, Robert Taylor, es acusado del asesinato de su esposa. Taylor sufre apagones mentales periódicos que confunden a su memoria, y no está tan seguro de su propia inocencia. Cuando se le ofrece una operación de cerebro, Taylor se niega, sabiendo que si se demuestra su sano juicio será ejecutado por asesinato. En su lugar, opta por el confinamiento en una institución psiquiátrica de alta seguridad. Una doctora compasiva (Audrey Totter) se enamora de Taylor, convenciéndolo de la operación. Incluso después de salir de la misma, Taylor no puede recordar nada de los detalles relativos a la muerte de su esposa, pero sí recuerda que ella había comenzado a trabajar recientemente para un editor (Herbert Marshall) de libros religiosos...








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