Crossroads (1942 film)


Crossroads is a 1942 mystery film noir directed by Jack Conway and starring William Powell, Hedy Lamarr, Claire Trevor and Basil Rathbone. Powell plays a diplomat whose amnesia about his past comes back to trouble him. The film was inspired by the 1938 French film Crossroads which had also had a British remake Dead Man's Shoes in 1940.

Plot

In 1935, French Diplomat David Talbot and his bride Lucienne are enjoying their third month of marriage in Paris when Talbot is confronted by extortionist Carlos Le Duc who demands money in exchange for not turning him in to the police.
During a trial of the extortionist, whose defense is that he was seeking a repayment of debt by a former criminal comrade, Talbot is accused of being that notorious criminal. Henri Sarrou testifies that he is not. Talbot claims that amnesia prevents him from knowing the truth and his story is backed up by a psychologist, Dr. Tessier. Le Duc is convicted.
Sarrou then visits Talbot at his home where we learn that Sarrou deliberately testified falsely to set up his blackmail scheme. He demands a million francs, half the loot from an alleged scheme he and Talbot carried out.
Talbot subsequently struggles to discover the truth about his past, while keeping Sarrou at bay and his wife in the dark.

Cast

Box office

According to MGM records the film earned $1,523,000 in the US and Canada and $798,000 elsewhere, making the studio a profit of $739,000.

Critical response

When the film was released, the staff at Variety magazine praised the film, writing "This is a Grade A whodunit, with a superlative cast. The novel story line, which would do credit to an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, has the added potency of Hedy Lamarr and William Powell... It’s good, escapist drama, without a hint of the war despite its Parisian locale, circa 1935, and evidences excellent casting and good direction. The script likewise well turned out, though better pace would have put the film in the smash class. Its only fault is a perceptible slowness at times, although the running time is a reasonable 82 minutes, caused by a plenitude of talk."

Adaptation

The film was adapted for a Lux Radio Theatre broadcast on March 29, 1943, starring Jean-Pierre Aumont and Lana Turner.

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