“Beyond man’s dreams lurk the furies, the three sisters of evil who lie in wait for those who live dangerously without gods.”
The screen opens to this 1934 movie, “Crime without Passion.” The creepy intro sets the tone while pulling you into the film.
Lee Gentry, played by Claude Rains, is the antagonist. As the movie begins, we see Lee gazing out his office window. He sees people on the streets. They are ants to him, as he looks down on them in his cyclical, arrogant, and narcissistic voice. He, as an attorney, is about to prevent a murderer from facing execution.
Rains’ character thinks he is invincible. He uses his courtroom skills to leave one of his girlfriends. Her name is Carman, a singer/dancer played by the talented Margo Albert. Lee has pledged his allegiance to another woman. In leaving Carman, Lee is clever, while projecting, and accusing her of having an affair. His last words to Carman, “Goodbye Cheat.” But Carman gets the last words. “I’ll fix him.”
The film appears to be predictable. No one can outsmart Lee as he covers his tracts in a terrible accident. He has pulled off the perfect alibi, or so he thinks. What he sees is not what he sees.
A stunning conclusion where predictability explodes into unpredictability, like a time bomb.
The directors, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, used Rains for duplicating his tone in the movie “The Invisible Man.” His character has an alto ego, appearing as his strength. Other times, it’s a ghost haunting him towards destruction.
In “Crime without Passion,” There are many sides to Rains’ character. Clearly, he shows his versatility as an actor playing many roles in one.
The quality of this film on YouTube is terrible, but I highly recommend watching this movie. Claude Rains will not let you down. I’m J.R. Miller with High Note Reviews, witnessing a “Crime without Passion.”
