High Wall
High Wall
NR | 17 December 1947 (USA)
High Wall Trailers

Steven Kenet, suffering from a recurring brain injury, appears to have strangled his wife. Having confessed, he's committed to an understaffed county asylum full of pathetic inmates. There, Dr. Ann Lorrison is initially skeptical about Kenet's story and reluctance to undergo treatment. But against her better judgement, she begins to doubt his guilt.

Reviews
Scanialara

You won't be disappointed!

... View More
Lucybespro

It is a performances centric movie

... View More
Janae Milner

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

... View More
Janis

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

... View More
Martha Wilcox

I can see why this film didn't stand the test of time because it's not that good. Here we have Robert Taylor accused of murdering his wife and sent to an asylum. Until we discover that he is innocent, we believe that Taylor is guilty because he has darkness in him. He appears unshaven at the start, and with his one-dimensional acting of limited expressions, he looks more at home as an antagonist rather than a protagonist. He does perform like a machine sometimes, and needs a good actor to play against.Funnily, in 'Ivanhoe', we were more sympathetic towards George Sanders as the antagonist rather than Taylor as the protagonist. He was saved by a good script which gave him some good dialogue. This is what is missing from this film: a good script with some crisp dialogue.

... View More
MartinHafer

The film begins with a woman being murdered and her husband (Robert Taylor) being held for it. However, they can't just put him in jail for this, as he has emotional problems that were exacerbated by a head injury. So instead he's sent to a psychiatric hospital. His therapist is played by Audrey Totter, who like Ingrid Bergman in SPELLBOUND, seems to ignore the boundary between patient and therapist. Eventually she comes to think that he might be innocent and investigates the case to find out who the true killer is--though she never takes the same risk or goes as deeply into the case as Bergman. This new-found belief in Taylor's innocence follows his undergoing "narcosynthesis"--using drugs to facilitate hypnosis--a highly dubious means for getting to the truth (this method has not proved successful over the years). And, it's very dubious in these sort of films that female therapists ALWAYS seem to ignore professional ethics and boundaries with their handsome male patients!This is a very interesting film that, as mentioned above, is very similar to SPELLBOUND. The difference is that this film, though on shaky psychological ground, is still far more possible than SPELLBOUND--which, though a classic, is all psychological mumbo-jumbo. Here, at least, the film has some believability and is quite interesting. Plus, it has a dandy performance by the always understated Herbert Marshall.By the way, how could Robert Taylor's character have gotten brain surgery yet not even have a bandaged head or scars immediately after this?! An odd mistake, surely.

... View More
edwagreen

Something different for Robert Taylor. He stars as a possible insane killer who tries to prove his innocence.The film also showcases the acting talent of Audrey Totter. For a change, she is in a major role and not relegated to the many supporting roles she did in films.Much of the action takes place in an asylum where Taylor is committed after allegedly strangling his wife.Marshall Thompson is wonderful as the sinister boss who is the killer.The black and white photography depict the trouble that Taylor is in as he tries to prove his innocence. At first, Taylor did not want any help thinking that he was guilty. He thought that he could use his brain disorder on his behalf. When his mother suddenly dies, he needs to raise his 6 year old son.Totter is the compassionate psychologist who takes the child in and gradually comes to realize that Taylor is an innocent victim.This is a very interesting psychological thriller.

... View More
jxm4687

Robert Taylor grapples valiantly with an offbeat role that may be too much for his limited range. He has some good scenes as a World War II vet who sustained head injuries and whose return to civilian life is plagued by headaches--and worse, incarceration in a county mental hospital after he is suspected of murdering his wife. Did he do it? No way, this guy was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, loves his young son whom he hasn't seen for two years (while flying charter places in Burma to earn bucks for an ambitious wife), and really wants to take a research fellowship (for a measly $200 bucks a month. Besides, the movie tips its hand as to the murderer's true identity before Taylor even appears.That first glimpse of Taylor is a stunner--he's at the wheel of a car speeding out of control, an apparently dead blonde female (his wife as it turns out) at his side, his face full of madness and anguish. Unfortunately, the movie gets bogged down in dated (and superficial) psychiatry and trite glimpses of life in a mental ward. The relationship between Taylor and his psychiatrist (Audrey Totter) strains credibility, though it does push the plot forward to a fairly exciting, if not believable, conclusion. Totter is a disappointment, drab and too serious--her performance needs more of the sharp, tart personality you get from many of her other roles. Director Curtis Bernhardt gets in a few good film noir licks here. The rain during the extended climax is effective, and the scene where hospital staff visits Taylor's mother--only to find her dead--is extraordinary.Do a few terrific moments make this a worthwhile 98 minutes? Maybe.

... View More