HIGH
WALL
1947.....99
minutes
Robert Taylor, Audrey Totter, Herbert
Marshall
Former
army pilot Robert Taylor is accused, on the basis of strong
circumstantial evidence, of his wife's murder. Suffering from
periodic blackouts, Taylor isn't so certain of his innocence
himself. When offered a brain operation, Taylor refuses, knowing
that if he is proven sane he will be executed for murder. Instead,
he opts for confinement in a high-walled veteran's mental institution.
A compassionate lady doctor (Audrey Totter) falls in love with
Taylor, convincing him to have the operation. Even after emerging
from the ether, Taylor cannot remember any of the details concerning
his wife's death--but he does recall that the dead woman had
recently taken a job with a publisher (Herbert Marshall) of
religious books. While the killer's identity is tipped off by
this revelation, the audience is never certain that Robert Taylor
isn't a murderer--especially since he'd previously appeared
as a homicidal maniac in the 1946 film Undercurrent. The best
moment in High Wall is the casual disposal of the sole witness
to the murder, via a long, dark elevator shaft.
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