Les commandes de la page sont traduites. Les titres des films restent tels qu’ils figurent au catalogue. Les textes éditoriaux et les descriptions des sources sont en anglais.

← Retour aux films

Film noir

The Blue Dahlia

Durée
Non établie Sources des versions ↓

A returning serviceman becomes the prime suspect in his estranged wife’s murder and enters a nocturnal search for the truth.

Rechercher un exemplaire ↓ Avant de regarder le film ↓

Recherche sur Amazon.com · lien d’affiliation rémunéré. Vérifiez l’édition et la région avant d’acheter.

MysteryTense Idéal pour commencer · Modéré Film noir

Édité par Monocurator

THE BLUE DAHLIA in large ultramarine serif lettering on ice-blue paper, beside a layered blue dahlia bloom. 1946.

Image: Monocurator · source · Original Monocurator artwork

The Blue Dahlia: characters and ending

Johnny Morrison comes home from the war and becomes a suspect when his wife, Helen, is murdered. Three relationships help orient the mystery.

Johnny Morrison Alan Ladd
The returning veteran and Helen’s husband.
Joyce Harwood Veronica Lake
The woman Johnny meets after leaving home.
Buzz Wanchek William Bendix
Johnny’s fellow veteran, troubled by gaps in his memory.

Follow who trusts whom as closely as who looks suspicious. A friend’s fear and a stranger’s confidence can pull your attention in different directions; the mystery makes that difference useful.

Who killed Helen, and what does Buzz remember? · Ending spoilers

Who killed Helen?

The released film identifies house detective Dad Newell. He killed Helen after she refused his attempt to blackmail her over her affair. The police captain shoots him as he tries to escape.

What clears Buzz?

At Johnny’s suggestion, Joyce turns up the music. Buzz remembers leaving Helen alive. That recollection changes the meaning of his earlier uncertainty about what happened in her bungalow.

The AFI Catalog records these events and Chandler’s later complaint that the Navy Department made him change the murderer. Watch the resolution through Johnny’s loyalty as well as the clues: his trust in Buzz gives the confrontation a personal stake beyond identifying a culprit.

À quoi s’attendre

Raymond Chandler’s original screenplay joins Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in a noir shaped by war trauma, damaged friendship, and uncertainty about returning home.

Comment aborder le film

Keep the veterans’ relationships at the centre. The murder mystery supplies momentum, but loyalty and post-war dislocation explain why every accusation lands so heavily.

À savoir

Une brève note non exhaustive Includes murder, firearms, alcohol, domestic conflict, war trauma, disability stigma, and psychological distress.
Momo's Note Peut contenir des révélations sur l’intrigue Qui est Momo ? → (S’ouvre en anglais)
Ouvrir la note ↓ Fermer la note ↑

Homecoming should close a dangerous chapter, yet noir opens another one at the front door. I watch friendship become the only map these veterans still trust.

— Momo

Momo thinking about this film

Générique et versions

Générique
Distribution
Alan Ladd · Veronica Lake · William Bendix
Scénario
Raymond Chandler
Production
John Houseman · Paramount Pictures, Inc.
Photographie
Lionel Lindon

Sources des données

Pour poursuivre la découverte

Envie d’un prochain film plus doux, plus court ou plus étrange ? Demandez à Momo un film dans le même esprit → (S’ouvre en anglais)
Momo est de service. Visiter Momo Cinema → (S’ouvre en anglais)

D’autres films de 1946 → (S’ouvre en anglais) D’autres films de George Marshall → (S’ouvre en anglais)

Poursuivre la découverte du catalogue →