''A Lady Without Passport'' is a 1950 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

film directed by

Joseph H. Lewis Joseph H. Lewis (April 6, 1907 – August 30, 2000) was an American B-movie film director whose stylish flourishes came to be appreciated by auteur theory-espousing film critics in the years following his retirement in 1966. In a 30-year direc ...

and starring

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. A film star during Hollywood's golden age, Lamarr has been described as one of the greatest movie actress ...

and John Hodiak. Written by Howard Dimsdale, the film is about a beautiful concentration-camp refugee who has taken up residence in Cuba while awaiting permission to enter the United States. An undercover immigration agent decides to use her as an informant to entrap the leader of an alien-smuggling ring. This film marked the feature film debut of actor

Steven Hill Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

Plot

After World War II, immigrants in Cuba who are refused visas for various reasons try to sneak into the U.S. illegally with the help of a human smuggling ring run by Palinov (

George Macready George Peabody Macready Jr. (August 29, 1899 – July 2, 1973) was an American stage, film, and television actor often cast in roles as polished villains. Early life Macready was born in Providence, Rhode Island on August 29, 1899. He graduate ...

), a Levantine café owner. Following the death of one immigrant, U.S. Immigration operative Pete Karczag ( John Hodiak) is sent to Havana, where he poses as a Hungarian in need of Palinov's services. During his dangerous undercover investigation, Pete meets Marianne Lorress (

), a penniless Austrian refugee of the

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

who is waiting to be smuggled into the United States by Palinov. He decides to use her to obtain the place and time of Palinov's next operation. However Pete falls in love with Marianne, and deducing that she must give herself to Palinov in trade for the trip, talks her into staying in Cuba. Palinov discovers Karczag's true purpose and decides to use his own services. He exposes Pete to Marianne, who angrily decides to go ahead with the smuggling trip. Palinov tries to have Pete killed but the agent overcomes his would-be killer, gets the information from him, and reports it to his superior, Frank Westlake ( James Craig). Palinov flies to the United States with Marianne and the other smuggled passengers. However, the airplane is being tracked by U.S. Immigration and is unable to refuel in Florida. Palinov and his pilot crash-land in the Florida Everglades in a desperate attempt to elude capture. Palinov forces Marianne to accompany him and his pilot, seeking a boat hidden on a river. He kills one of the passengers trying to board their small raft; the rest flee into the glades. Pete and Westlake take up pursuit but split up when Westlake decides that saving the lives of the remaining immigrants takes priority over arresting Palinov. Pete continues after the fugitives and Marianne. The pilot is bitten by a poisonous snake and is left behind. Pete finds the hidden boat and gives it to Palinov in exchange for Marianne, although Palinov treacherously tries but fails to shoot them during his escape. Pete reassures her that Palinov won't get far—Pete emptied the boat's fuel tank before giving it up.

Cast

as Marianne Lorress * John Hodiak as Peter Karczag * James Craig as Frank Westlake *

as Palinov * Steven Geray as Frenchman *

Bruce Cowling Bruce Cowling (October 30, 1919 – August 22, 1986) was a film and television actor in the 1940s and 1950s. The Oklahoma-born actor appeared in twenty films including ''Song of the Thin Man'' (1947), '' Battleground'' (1949), ''Ambush'' (1950 ...

as Archer Delby James *

Nedrick Young Nedrick Young (March 23, 1914 – September 16, 1968), also known by the pseudonym Nathan E. Douglas, was an American actor and screenwriter often blacklisted during the 1950s and 1960s for refusing to confirm or deny membership of the Comm ...

as Harry Nordell *

as Jack *

Robert Osterloh Robert Osterloh (May 31, 1918 – April 16, 2001) was an American actor. His career spanned 20 years, appearing in films such as '' The Dark Past'' (1948), '' The Wild One'' (1953), '' I Bury the Living'' (1958) and '' Young Dillinger'' (1965). ...

as Lt. Lannahan *

Trevor Bardette Trevor Bardette (born Terva Gaston Hubbard; November 19, 1902 – November 28, 1977) was an American film and television actor. Among many other roles in his long and prolific career, Bardette appeared in several episodes of '' Adventures of S ...

as Lt. Carfagno * Charles Wagenheim as Ramon Santez *

Renzo Cesana Renzo Cesana (30 October 1907, Rome – 8 November 1970, Hollywood, California) was an actor, writer, composer, and songwriter most famed for his title role on the American television show ''The Continental''. He was also known as Renato Cesana. ...

as A. Sestina * Esther Zeitlin as Beryl Sandring * Carlo Tricoli as Mr. Sandring * Marta Mitrovich as Elizaveth Alonescu * Don Garner as Dmitri Matthias * Richard Crane as Navy Flyer *

Nita Bieber Nita Gale Bieber (July 18, 1926 – February 4, 2019) was an American actress and dancer. Early years Bieber was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Callie Mae (Robbins) and William Carl Bieber. She was one of five siblings who st ...

as Dancer

Production

The working title of this film was ''Visa'' and the production dates were early January through late February 1950.

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $668,000 in the US and Canada and $336,000 elsewhere, leading to a loss of $444,000.

Critical response

Despite the fact that the film was made on a small budget, most reviews find the ''

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

''-like film entertaining. When the film was released, the staff at ''Variety'' praised the film, writing "Beginning is a bit too cryptic for quick understanding, but when plotline dapted by Cyril Hume from a suggested story by Lawrence Taylordoes take shape, the story builds and holds attention. Joseph H. Lewis' direction spins it along expertly, neatly pacing the suspenseful sequences." In the 21st century, ''Time Out Film Guide'' praised director Lewis. "A tight little script and economically etched characters provide a strong foundation, but it is Lewis' evocative visuals that really turn this into a poverty row gem." In 2003, Dennis Schwartz gave the film a mixed review, writing: "Joseph H. Lewis (''

Gun Crazy ''Gun Crazy'' (also known as ''Deadly Is the Female'') is a 1950 American crime film noir starring Peggy Cummins and John Dall in a story about the crime-spree of a gun-toting husband and wife. It was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, and produced ...

''/''

The Big Combo ''The Big Combo'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Bri ...

'') does his best to make this tightly but uninspiring clichéd film noir work. But even though he adds zest and style by his solid visual directing effort, this low-budget Casablanca wannabe still lacks force. Though this is one of the much praised poverty row director's poorer films, it still is an interesting watch due to the strange effects of the visuals and the surreal atmospheric location shots."Schwartz, Dennis
. ''Ozus' World Movie Reviews'', film review, October 8, 2003. Accessed: July 14, 2013.

Music

The dramatic score for the film, an ethnic Caribbean motif, was composed by

David Raksin David Raksin (August 4, 1912 – August 9, 2004) was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music ...

and conducted by

Johnny Green John Waldo Green (October 10, 1908 – May 15, 1989) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earl ...

. A suite of Raksin's music that survives on the film's master tape was issued on CD in 2009 on ''

Film Score Monthly ''Film Score Monthly'' is an online magazine (and former print magazine) founded by editor-in-chief and executive producer Lukas Kendall in June 1990 in music, 1990 as ''The Soundtrack Correspondence List''. It is dedicated to the art of Film sco ...

'' records.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Without Passport, A 1950 films 1950 crime drama films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films Film noir Films based on short fiction Films directed by Joseph H. Lewis Films scored by David Raksin Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films set in Havana Films set in Florida American crime drama films Films about illegal immigration to the United States 1950s American films