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The Dark Past

  • 1948
  • Approved
  • 1h 13m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
William Holden, Nina Foch, and Lee J. Cobb in The Dark Past (1948)
Film NoirSerial KillerCrimeThriller

An escaped psychopathic killer who takes the family and neighbors of police psychologist hostage reveals a recurring nightmare to the doctor.An escaped psychopathic killer who takes the family and neighbors of police psychologist hostage reveals a recurring nightmare to the doctor.An escaped psychopathic killer who takes the family and neighbors of police psychologist hostage reveals a recurring nightmare to the doctor.

  • Director
    • Rudolph Maté
  • Writers
    • Malvin Wald
    • Oscar Saul
    • Philip MacDonald
  • Stars
    • William Holden
    • Nina Foch
    • Lee J. Cobb
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    2.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Rudolph Maté
    • Writers
      • Malvin Wald
      • Oscar Saul
      • Philip MacDonald
    • Stars
      • William Holden
      • Nina Foch
      • Lee J. Cobb
    • 56User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins total

    Photos75

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    Top Cast39

    William Holden
    William Holden
    • Al Walker
    Nina Foch
    Nina Foch
    • Betty
    Lee J. Cobb
    Lee J. Cobb
    • Dr. Andrew Collins
    Adele Jergens
    Adele Jergens
    • Laura Stevens
    Stephen Dunne
    Stephen Dunne
    • Owen Talbot
    Lois Maxwell
    Lois Maxwell
    • Ruth Collins
    Berry Kroeger
    Berry Kroeger
    • Mike
    Steven Geray
    Steven Geray
    • Professor Fred Linder
    Wilton Graff
    Wilton Graff
    • Frank Stevens
    Robert Osterloh
    Robert Osterloh
    • Pete
    Kathryn Card
    Kathryn Card
    • Nora
    Charles Cane
    Charles Cane
    • Sheriff
    • (uncredited)
    Bill Cartledge
    • Arrested Man Leaving Wagon
    • (uncredited)
    Tom Coleman
    • Detective
    • (uncredited)
    G. Pat Collins
    G. Pat Collins
    • Al's Father
    • (uncredited)
    Ellen Corby
    Ellen Corby
    • Agnes
    • (uncredited)
    Lester Dorr
    Lester Dorr
    • First Man in Police Line-Up
    • (uncredited)
    Edward Earle
    Edward Earle
    • McCoy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Rudolph Maté
    • Writers
      • Malvin Wald
      • Oscar Saul
      • Philip MacDonald
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews56

    6.32.5K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'The Dark Past' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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    Related interests

    Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946)
    Film Noir
    Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Seven (1995)
    Serial Killer
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      The re-creation of Al's dream uses a few seconds of footage from Blind Alley (1939), the earlier film version of this story; specifically the shot approaching the saloon, panning to see the policemen following the narrator, and panning back to the saloon side entrance.
    • Goofs
      Al takes a book off of Andrew's book shelf and opens it around page 50 or 60, but in the next closeup, the page Al is looking at the start of Chapter 22. It's highly unlikely that a scholarly book about psychology would average under three pages per chapter.
    • Quotes
      • Betty: [referring to Stevens] How's the tough guy? Is he behaving?
      • Mike: He's talking business. He wants to make a deal. He thinks his life is worth money.
      • Betty: [contemptuously] How much did he offer... two bucks?
    • Connections
      Referenced in Discovering Film: William Holden (2015)
    • Soundtracks
      Air
      (uncredited)
      from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major
      by Johann Sebastian Bach

    Top picks

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    Details

    • Release date
      • April 25, 1949 (Sweden)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Streaming on "Chris T" YouTube Channel
      • Streaming on "DDF: Movie Collection" YouTube Channel
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Blind Alley
    • Filming locations
      • Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 1h 13m(73 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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