Lady in the Lake

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Montgomery directs. Paul Vogel behind the camera. David Snell scores. Gene Ruggiero cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
• 280 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 3Directed by Robert Montgomery, shot by Paul Vogel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by David Snell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Gene Ruggiero shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Robert Montgomery and Audrey Totter and Lloyd Nolan carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "You and Robert Montgomery Solve a Murder Mystery Together!".
• 8IMDB entry: tt0039545 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography

Paul Vogel

Original score

David Snell

Editing

Gene Ruggiero

Makeup / hair

Jack Dawn

Runtime

105 min · 1h 45m

Status

Released

Budget

$1,026,000

Box office

$2,657,000

Return

259% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

NR

IMDB

Lady in the Lake (1946) ↗

Also by

Robert Montgomery

• 
  Ride the Pink Horse

  1947 · ★ 7.2
• 
  The Gallant Hours

  1960 · ★ 6.7
• 
  Once More, My Darling

  1949 · ★ 6.5
• 
  Your Witness

  1950 · ★ 6.2

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Mick Garris on LADY IN THE LAKE

  Featurette
• 

  ▶
  Lady in the Lake

  Trailer

Community reviews

What people are saying

• John Chard2018-12-09
  ★ 7/10

  If I should die before I live! Lady in the Lake is directed by Robert Montgomery and adapted to the screen by Steve Fisher from the novel The Lady in the Lake written by Raymond Chandler. It stars Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully, Leon Ames and Jayne Meadows. Music is by David Snell and cinematography by Paul Vogel. It's the Christmas Holidays and private detective and part time writer Phillip Marlowe (Montgomery) strolls into Kingsby Publications to submit his latest novel. Although he didn't know it at the time, his reason for being there is for different matters, and soon he is involved in missing persons and dead bodies... Famous for being the film that used a first person gimmick (the camera is Marlowe for most of the picture), Lady in the Lake has a very divisive reputation for a number of reasons. Be it the gimmick or the portrayal of Marlowe (a much loved character to Chandler and film noir fans) by Montgomery, you will find for every person who likes the film greatly, the next person hates it. So with that you have to roll the dice and take your chance. I have an allergy against getting mixed up with tricky females who want to knock off the boss' wife and marry him for themselves. If able to leave aside Chandler's novel (and the writer's agitation about the film in general) , and to not let the camera as the active protagonist trick take you out of the story, then there's a good picture here. As is the Chandler way, there's a pot boiler at work as Marlowe tries to solve the cases at hand. He gets punched and slapped about, drops sarcasm quips a plenty, flirts roughly with Adrienne Fromsett (Totter) and jousts with the police as a course of nature. The mystery element is delightfully strong, suspicious behaviours and dubious motives are prominent, all of which reach a satisfying conclusion at pics end. When it comes to women, does anybody really want the facts? Montgomery's take on Marlowe isn't for everyone, and coming as it did just a year after Bogart had laid down a considerable marker in The Big Sleep, he was up against it. He actually does well in my book, stentorian like in delivery, wonderfully brusque of manner, and a filthy laugh to boot! His interactions with the yummy Totter and battle of wills with the cops are what make the picture worthwhile. Perhaps you'd better go home and play with your fingerprint collection. Unfortunately, with the gimmick in such loaded prominence, it does get a bit weary come the mid-point. The film also lacks some biting noir visuals, the story and its plotting screams out for dark shadow play and chilly chiaroscuro, but no joy in that department here. So some various irks for sure. It starts off with Christmas carols for the opening credits, and finishes on an u-noirish note, but everything in between - gimmick be damned - makes this an intriguing and entertaining Marlowe noir piece. 7/10

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

  US

Key crew

• ProducerGeorge Haight
• NovelRaymond Chandler
• EditorGene Ruggiero
• Unit ManagerRobert E. Barnes
• Assistant DirectorDolph Zimmer
• Set DecorationThomas Theuerkauf
• Sound DirectorDouglas Shearer
• Camera OperatorJ. Harper
• OrchestratorWally Heglin
• Stand InRobert Spencer
• Costume SupervisorIrene
• Makeup ArtistJack Dawn
• Hair DesignerSydney Guilaroff
• Set DecorationEdwin B. Willis
• Art DirectionCedric Gibbons
• Art DirectionE. Preston Ames
• Special EffectsA. Arnold Gillespie

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• detective
• press
• film noir
• whodunit

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical (limited)1947-01-23NR· New York City, New York
• Theatrical1947-01-24NR

Also known as

International titles

• La Dame du LacUS
• こちゅうのおんなJP