|
laughing at the truth: existential choice in edgar ulmer's "detour" (1945) by tracy taylor According to Robert G. Porfirio in his article, "No Way Out: Existential Motifs in the Film Noir" there are several existential motifs which recur in this genre. One of these is the concept of existential choice. (Porfirio 83) Existential choice may be defined as the choice between "being and nothingness", between living the "authentic" and the "inauthentic" life. On
the surface, Al Roberts, the non-heroic hero of Edgar Ulmer's 1945
Detour, appears to be ruled by fate. He is driven by nihilistic,
self-defeating forces. Early in the film Roberts, the house pianist
in a sleazy nightclub, dismisses his girlfriend's blithe prediction
that he will one day appear at Carnegie Hall with a flippant, "Sure.
As the janitor. I'll make my debut in the basement." The fatal flaw that traps Roberts in this nihilistic world is his "outmoded" belief system that he cannot break free of. Accordingly, Roberts is unable to recognize the choice he makes between "being" and "nothingness" at the major turning point in the film; i.e., when he discovers Mr. Haskell is dead. Roberts stands over Haskell's body in the downpour, paralyzed by his dilemma. What should he do? Should he run, leaving the car and Haskell behind? Should he flag down a passing car and summon the police and tell the truth? Or should he assume Haskell's identity and make Al Roberts the dead man? Roberts chooses the latter because he believes he has no choice, that there is no other road open to him, that "they'll laugh at the truth." In so doing, Roberts has chosen the dark road to "nothingness", the road where Vera waits just a little further along. (Most articles referenced appear in Silver, Alain, ed. Film Noir Reader. Limelight Editions, 1996) Copyright © 2003 The Write Word, Inc. All rights reserved. |
