Pitfall

"A man can be as strong as steel...but somewhere there's a woman who'll break him!"

1948 1h 26m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

80%

FRESH

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 91🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes★7.1IMDB · 4,707

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An insurance man wishing for a more exciting life becomes wrapped up in the affairs of an imprisoned embezzler, his model girlfriend, and a violent private investigator.

“A man can be as strong as steel...but somewhere there's a woman who'll break him!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Dick Powell
John Forbes
Lizabeth Scott
Mona Stevens
Jane Wyatt
Sue Forbes
Raymond Burr
MacDonald
John Litel
District Attorney
Byron Barr
Bill Smiley
Jimmy Hunt
Tommy Forbes
Ann Doran
Maggie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: André de Toth
Writers: Karl Kamb, William Bowers, André de Toth
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

78 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by André de Toth, shot by Harry J. Wild. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Louis Forbes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Walter Thompson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dick Powell and Lizabeth Scott and Jane Wyatt carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A man can be as strong as steel...but somewhere there's a woman who'll break him!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0040695 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

André de Toth directs. Harry J. Wild behind the camera. Louis Forbes scores. Walter Thompson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
278 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by André de Toth, shot by Harry J. Wild. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Louis Forbes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Walter Thompson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Dick Powell and Lizabeth Scott and Jane Wyatt carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A man can be as strong as steel...but somewhere there's a woman who'll break him!".
8IMDB entry: tt0040695 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 91 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Harry J. Wild
Original score: Louis Forbes
Editing: Walter Thompson
Costume design: Elois Jenssen
Makeup / hair: Robert Cowan
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Pitfall (1948)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 4,707 votes
MPAA: Approved

Also by

André de Toth

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-05-19
★ 7/10
In a rut and it's six feet deep. Pitfall is directed by Andre De Toth and adapted to screenplay by Karl Kamb and William Bowers from the novel written by Jay Dratler. It stars Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt and Raymond Burr. Music is by Louis Forbes and cinematography by Harry Wild. Married insurance adjuster John Forbes (Powell) falls for femme fatale model Mona Stevens (Scott) while her boyfriend (Byron Barr) is in jail. And with Private Investigator J.B. MacDonald (Burr) fiercely attracted to Mona the consequences for everyone could well be critical. The reluctant fatales! Not for the fist time I wandered into a film directed by Andre De Toth and came out feeling invigorated by the under valued director. Pitfall falls under the film noir banner but actually subverts what we know as film noir conventions. Mona Stevens is a femme fatale of sorts, but not maliciously so, the key fatale role falls to John Forbes, who is bored with his comfortable life and becomes our homme fatale. But again, this is not malicious or scheming, though since this is noirville it has knock on effects of dire consequence. What makes a dream? - The mind is a camera. As our two central adulterers go about their confused passion filled way, the characters it affects become prominent in the story's ultimate resolutions. MacDonald is a brute (Burr in his element), and an unrealistically stupid lech into the bargain but his constant menace throws us a classic noir characterisation. Out there in prison is Mona's boyfriend, who is being made aware of his loved one's indiscretion and counting down the hours till his release. While back at the Forbes home is John's adoring wife (Wyatt enjoying a feisty role) and son (Jimmy Hunt), the innocents who we wonder will suffer from the actions of others? Dialogue is often sharp, witty and rapid-fire, you instantly know that Bowers (Criss Cross/Split Second) had pen in hand and it was red hot. There's some nice photography on show, with Wild (Cornered/They Won't Believe Me) treating us to shadows and light tactics. However, I lament that there wasn't someone like Krasker or Musuraca on photographic duties, for this cries out for some chiaroscuro wonders. Elsewhere It's sad to report that Byron Barr as the outraged convict is simply not menacing enough, one has to hanker for a McGraw, Brand or Brodie in the role. As for the finale? Well the makers have their cake and eat it. Having baited the Hays Code with crafty glee, pic leaves things open ended - baiting us the viewers in the process, and it works. Smartly performed by the principal players, waspishly written by Bowers and astutely steered by De Toth, this may not be in hidden gem territory, but it definitely has to be recommended to lovers of the noir form. 7.5/10
CinemaSerf2025-03-12
★ 7/10
So, first there’s insurance man “Forbes” (Dick Powell) who occasionally hires private investigator “Mac” (Raymond Burr) when he needs some prying done. It’s this latter fellow who discovers that “Mona” (Lizabeth Scott) has received a load of gifts from her now incarcerated boyfriend “Bill” (Byron Barr) and so he sets off to reclaim their property. When he arrives, though, he takes quite a shine to “Mona” and despite being happily, if maybe a bit stagnantly, married to “Sue” (Jane Wyatt) they begin to have a bit of a dalliance. This is all to the chagrin of the envious PI, who is also a bit keen on her and, of course, to the locked up boyfriend who is a bit narked that he did all of this for a woman who will jump ship quite so readily whilst he is behind bars. Next thing, relationships become strained and tempers flare to the point that it’s only going to be a matter of time before there’s a body! But when and whose will it be? This is quite a well crafted crime thriller that manages to keep the story interesting for ninety minutes of crossing and double crossing all whilst presented with a bunch of characters that it’s really quite easy not to like! Scott always makes me think of Lauren Bacall, only without the glint - but she acquits herself quite well here as her character has plenty of meat on it’s bones for a change. Burr also delivers quite well as the odious snoop and there’s enough intricacy in the plot to sustain it, almost, until the end. There, well I felt the wheels came off a little as that was maybe just a little too damp a squib. Still, it’s very much at the better end of the genre and might make you think twice before you file that harmless insurance claim!