The Chase - '46 Good film, but different from book!

Movie girl: I had seen The Chase when I was very young and recently acquired it from VHS to DVD. IT is a very engrossing story.

Sadly, some of the film is missing, as Chuck (Scotty in the book) has evidence that he did not kill Eddie Roman's wife. A friend seems to recall the part with the ceramic monkey covering his eyes - See No Evil he bought in a store for the wife enroute to Havana. Suddenly we don't see that scene and the story moves on. Yet it is important in the book too, for it is but one item in a chain of misunderstandings and coincidences that engulf our hero.

I don't want to create a spoiler, but the Cornell Woolrich novel takes the story to another dimension; Chuck (Scotty) was not dreaming in the book and some other interesting events transpire. He wants to go back to Florida to make the evil Eddie and his henchmen pay for their crimes, for he is fairly certain that they are at the bottom of the murder he is accused of.

The girl who hides underground and helps Scotty to hide has nothing to lose, as she had lost the love of her life to a police bullet unjustly. She is living for the day to day things and no longer cares. When Scotty goes to thank her he finds that he can't get over Eddie's wife, as the girl in hiding could not recover from losing her fiancee. The girl survives day to day selling things. She has interesting things to impart to him; her philosophby of life, etc. She is also young and idealistic, or had been.

I hope to rediscover the film again in a more complete format. I am not sure what else is missing, but am sure of the scene in the shop as well as the accused man's fruitless return to absolve himself of murder. THere is an atmosphere of fear and dislike surrounding him and noone can help him for the time being. More murders ensue.

Regardless of the changes or omissions, I still like the film very much. Robert, Michele, Steve Cochran and Peter Lorre are all outstanding in their roles, as the other actors' performances. (Steve Cochran is frighteningly realistic as the evil gangster who hires Robert Cummings' character as he had found his lost wallet. His equally evil henchman played by Peter Lorre is equally diabolical and cooly commits a murder toward the beginning of the film. Also, Lloyd Corrigan was wonderful as the first unsuspecting murder victim.