Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe was one of the most popular fictitious gumshoe detectives of the classic film-noir era. Great thespians like Humphrey Bogart, Elliot Gould, James Garner, Danny Glover, George Montgomery, and Robert Mitchum have played him. This time we look at an interesting film noir where the role of Marlowe is played by Robert Montgomery, well, sort of. I’ll elaborate on this statement shortly.

Based on Chandler’s book of the same name and with a screenplay by Steve Fisher, “Lady in the Lake” is a classic film noir directed by Robert Montgomery, who also stars as its main character, PI Phillip Marlowe.

However, while Montgomery’s voice is heard as part of the plot’s narrative, the movie is presented differently. The viewer, in effect, sees and hears the story unfold from Marlowe’s perspective. In effect, the viewer becomes Marlowe’s eyes and ears, experiencing the film’s universe as Marlowe.

Montgomery appears only for a few minutes on screen, which is when Marlowe steps before a mirror. When Marlowe interacts with other characters, they are in fact looking at the camera and talking to you. Think of it as a video conference on the go, with Marlowe doing all the thinking and talking on your behalf while you can only see and hear what he sees and hears.

Marlowe, apparently realizing that his work as a PI may not get him the lifestyle he chooses, decides to try his hand at writing. However, while he wants to change careers and become an author, crime seems to follow him like a jealous partner.

The movie begins with Marlowe (Montgomery) explaining how this movie works, similar to what I wrote earlier. He then talks about this particular case. Marlowe has completed the manuscript of his first book, a memoir of one of the cases he solved, and has submitted the manuscript to Kingsby Publications, a publishing company. Shortly before Christmas, he is invited by Adrienne Fromsett (Audrey Totter) to discuss the possibility of having his book published.

Marlowe soon discovers that the cunning Adrienne has used the meeting as a ruse to hire him personally for her own scheme. She wants Marlowe to locate Chrystal Kingsby, the wife of her boss, Derace (Leon Amis), who has absconded. Chrystal has recently sent Derace a telegram mentioning that she has eloped with Chris Lavery, a philanderer, to Mexico, whom she plans to marry after divorcing her husband.

Strangely enough, Chris is still in town, and Adrienne wants Marlowe to begin his investigation by paying Chris a visit. Marlowe deduces Adrienne’s motives and calls her out on them. He alleges to a furious Adrienne that she has hired him to find Chrystal so that she can verify that Chrystal has actually absconded, thereby clearing the path for herself to woo and marry her rich boss. He also deduces that Adrienne has had prior history with Lavery.

Marlowe visits Chris. Chris claims that he has not seen Chrystal in months, and as the conversation turns hostile, he sucker punches Marlowe and falsely implicates him, accusing Marlowe of starting trouble.

Marlowe regains consciousness in a prison cell at the local police station, questioned harshly by Captain Kane (Tom Tully) and Lieutenant DeGarmot (Lloyd Nolan), but then released. Soon he learns that the body of Muriel, the wife of Chess, a caretaker of Derace’s property, was recovered from a lake adjacent to it. Chess has been implicated in her murder.

Adrienne alleges that Chrystal was the actual murderer, as she hated Muriel. After visiting the crime scene, Marlowe examines Muriel’s corpse, which has decayed, leaving very little left of her. Further investigation reveals that Muriel was an alias taken on by Mildred Havelend, a fugitive from justice and a suspect in a prior homicide. The officer investigating the case is revealed to be DeGarmot.

Marlowe visits Lavery’s home once more, where he finds the latter dead and encounters Mrs. Falbrook(Jayne Meadows), Lavery’s landlord, brandishing a gun, claiming to have just discovered the body. A handkerchief with the initials A.F. is also found at the crime scene.

Marlowe goes to the publishing office, where Derace has thrown a Christmas party for his staff and supporters. He confronts Adrienne in the presence of Derace and accuses her of murdering Lavery. A furious Adrienne fires him, but Derace requests his service privately to find his missing wife.

Marlowe then reports Lavery’s death to the police, and tensions escalate between DeGarmot and Marlowe. As the plot proceeds, there is a notable scene where someone makes an attempt on Marlowe’s life by bumping his car off the road. Marlowe, who is now a suspect, must uncover the mystery and solve the case. In a strange turn of events, Marlowe begins an affair with the not-so-innocent Adrienne.

The plot of “Lady in the Lake” is convoluted and packs many twists and is perhaps not among the best. However, despite being made on a modest budget, its screenplay and cinematography make it an interesting watch.

Though the attempt at innovation failed to impress many critics, Robert Montgomery deserves credit for making a great attempt. With Montgomery appearing on screen only in a few short sequences, it is Audrey Totter who steals the show, playing the role of the Femme Fatale. The movie is an entertaining one-time watch.