It’s interesting to consider what this film would be like without the flashback. Certainly, the story could be told linearly, with Ann only showing up halfway through the movie (introduced, perhaps, through some sort of meet-cute at Marny’s Café). In this movie, Jeff would start out as a detective, get in too deep, flee to Bridgeport, meet Ann, eventually get dragged back, and die. It *could* work (the middle section would be the most challenging to get right — how do you set up Jeff’s new life and love without making it feel rushed, but also without letting the story drag?). However, the result would be a very different movie and not for the better. Jeff Markham is a character who is haunted by his past. It’s informed his decisions leading
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Now Kathie’s angry and worried, and she places a call to Joe. When he isn’t there, Jeff finally makes his entrance. Her immediate reaction is very telling: she tries to run away. Jeff forces her back and she falls down on the couch. She’s terrified now, properly terrified. It seems genuine and it likely is. Kathie is someone who likes to be in control; losing control scares her. But she’s clever enough to use her fear to her advantage. That’s how she played Jeff when she was an outlaw from Whit, and now she tries it again. When Jeff tells her that Eels survived, she suddenly becomes ‘relieved’ and ‘grateful’. Jeff asks: ”Didn’t you want him to be \[all right]?” She replies: “Yes. Yes, because if he dies, they’ll say you did it.” It’s a beautifully executed conversational pirouette, and Jeff says as much. It’s becoming more and more apparent who Kathie really is. The placement of the actors helps with this too: they’re standing close to one another, echoing the staging and composition of earlier scenes seen in the flashback. But this feel nothing like those scenes. The romantic flashback scenes at night were lit softly, with lightness and darkness being comfortable bedfellows. Here, the contrast is significantly starker. Both Jeff and Kathie are in harsh bright light, making the interplay with shadows even more pronounced. They are staring at each other in the cold light of night and Jeff sees who Kathie truly is (as does the
Now Kathie’s angry and worried, and she places a call to Joe. When he isn’t there, Jeff finally makes his entrance. Her immediate reaction is very telling: she tries to run away. Jeff forces her back and she falls down on the couch. She’s terrified now, properly terrified. It seems genuine and it likely is. Kathie is someone who likes to be in control; losing control scares her. But she’s clever enough to use her fear to her advantage. That’s how she played Jeff when she was an outlaw from Whit, and now she tries it again. When Jeff tells her that Eels survived, she suddenly becomes ‘relieved’ and ‘grateful’. Jeff asks: ”Didn’t you want him to be \[all right]?” She replies: “Yes. Yes, because if he dies, they’ll say you did it.” It’s a beautifully executed conversational pirouette, and Jeff says as much. It’s becoming more and more apparent who Kathie really is. The placement of the actors helps with this too: they’re standing close to one another, echoing the staging and composition of earlier scenes seen in the flashback. But this feel nothing like those scenes. The romantic flashback scenes at night were lit softly, with lightness and darkness being comfortable bedfellows. Here, the contrast is significantly starker. Both Jeff and Kathie are in harsh bright light, making the interplay with shadows even more pronounced. They are staring at each other in the cold light of night and Jeff sees who Kathie truly is (as does the