By most accounts, the 1948 crime film, Hollow Triumph, is as Film Noir as they come. A gangster pulling off a final job against a rival is mistaken for his double, a psychologist.
Plot twists. A secretary in love. Suspense. What’s not to love?
Paul Henreid, the late consummate director and actor, headlined and produced the film, playing dual roles while Joan Bennett kept a watchful eye. The endeavor is a class act and the way Monika Henreid sees it, her father’s film would be a highlight in any Film Noir festival.
Coincidentally, Hollow Triumph leads off this year’s Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival at 7:30 p.m. May 11, at Camelot Theatres with a restored 35mm print. And Henreid will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A.
Alan K. Rode, who embarks on his 10th year as the festival’s producer, says the decision to include Hollow Triumph and Monika Henreid was “a confluence of things.” For starters, he knew a friend at the UCLA Film and Television Archives, which restored the 35mm print.
“To have a guest who was closely associated with the film really made me think that there was no better film and no better guest to open the annual festival,” Rode says.
Black Angel starred (from left) Broderick Crawford, June Vincent, and Dan Duryea. The film will be screened May 12.
Others notables this year include: Black Angel (7:30 p.m. May 12) — Richard Duryea, former manager for The Beach Boys and whose late father, Dan, starred in the film, will be on hand; Meet Danny Wilson, a pre-From Here to Eternity Frank Sinatra romp with Shelley Winters and Raymond Burr (4 p.m. May 13). But take note of this Neo Noir twist: The 1973 heist film, Charlie Varrick, directed by Don Siegel. Created in the film noir tradition, it stars Walter Matthau. The film’s costar, Andy Robinson, is the evening’s guest.
When asked about her father’s career and the film that continues to draw so much attention, Monika Henreid was candid with Palm Springs Life.
PSL: Let’s talk about the allure of Hollow Triumph.
Monika Henreid: It’s just a good movie. It has all the suspense and intrigue — how’s he going to get caught and when is he going get caught? There’s good writing and it’s spot on. It wasn’t crazy-famous in its time, but the cinematography is remarkable and it really makes good use of L.A.
PSL: For you, what stands out the most professionally about your father?
MH: What I know of him from all the research I have done, because I am making a documentary about him, is his passion. He wanted to be the best if not the greatest, actor in the German-speaking theater. He worked in the best theaters in Austria but because of time and wars and circumstance, it took him other places. I don’t think he ever thought in terms of coming to Hollywood and becoming a movie star. He just wanted to do really good work. He wasn’t interested in the glitz and glamour of it.
PSL: What sparked your decision to embark on a documentary?
MH: Because no one else had done it. It’s as simple as that. Every one of the major celebrities at Warner Bros. and most of the other studios, somehow, somewhere, there is a documentary about their “celebrity.” It never got done about my father. I can tell a story nobody else can tell. I lived with him for the first 21 years of my life. I worked with him as an assistant director. There are a lot of layers to our relationship.
PSL: He’s unique, both as an actor and a director.
MH: The good news is that his being a director, he knew what it was like being the actor. I think he was very relatable. I think that’s why people like Bette Davis loved working with him. That’s why Alfred Hitchcock loved having him there. He directed 29 episodes for him [Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]. Hitch knew he would bring quality and quality actors to the show. He could talk to an actor on an actor’s level. He did his homework. He knew the backstory. He knew everybody’s lines. He was fastidious.
PSL: Why do you feel Film Noir festivals are so important, especially now?
MH: There’s a phrase: “We need kids of our own age to play with.” And by extension, we need a family sensibility about the things that we are passionate about. So when you go to a Film Noir festival, people who have this deep, common thread surround you. You don’t have to explain yourself. You can talk about the films, the performances, and the storyline. You’re already with your comrades, even though you have only met them a minute before. And you can bring a spouse, or a friend, or your child, and turn another generation on to the passion of film and filmmaking.
Arthur Lyons Film Festival, May 11-14, Camelot Theatres, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs; http://arthurlyonsfilmnoir.ning.com.