So Dark The Night (1946)

A police detective (Steven Geray, GILDA) from Paris takes a much needed vacation in a small country village. It is there he falls in love with the much younger daughter (Micheline Cheirel) of the innkeeper (Eugene Borden) even though she is betrothed to a young farmer (Paul Marion). But tragedy strikes when she is murdered. Directed by Joseph H. Lewis (GUN CRAZY), this is a combination Agatha Christie mystery and film noir. The identity of the murderer is fairly easy to figure out, at least it was for me. However, it's the psychological aspect of the detective that takes this crime film out of the pedestrian. The film may lack star power (Geray was a character actor) but a sympathetic performance by Geray, Newman's solid direction, a sharp screenplay, striking B&W cinematography courtesy of Burnett Guffey (BONNIE AND CLYDE) and an effective underscore by Hugo Friedhofer (BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES) all contribute to the movie's strengths. Although set in France, it was filmed in Hollywood but the casting of French actors lends it some authenticity. A minor entry in the noir canon but a fine one, a real sleeper. With Ann Codee and Helen Freeman.