The Secret of Convict Lake (1951)

★ 6.6 1h 23m IMDb

After a group of convicts escapes from prison, they take refuge in the wilderness. While most of the crew are ruthless sociopaths, Jim Canfield is an innocent man who was jailed under false pretenses. When Canfield and his fellow fugitives reach an isolated farming settlement where the men are all away, it creates tension with the local women. Things get direr when rumors of hidden money arise, and Canfield discovers that the man who framed him is part of the community.

The Secret of Convict Lake

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Cast

Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford as Jim Canfield Died 2006 · Quebec City, Quebec, Canada Glenn Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era, with a career that spanned seven decades. Despite his versatility, Ford was best known for pl...
Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney as Marcia Stoddard Died 1991 · Brooklyn, New York, USA Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best-remembered for her performance in the t...
Zachary Scott
Zachary Scott as Johnny Greer Died 1965 · Austin, Texas, USA Zachary Scott (21 February 1914 – 3 October 1965) was an American actor, most notable for his roles as villains and "mystery men"..
Ann Dvorak
Ann Dvorak as Rachel Schaeffer Died 1979 · New York City, New York, USA Ann Dvorak (born Anna McKim; August 2, 1911 – December 10, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. Asked how to pronounce her adopted surname, she told The Literary Digest: "My fake name is prop...
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore as Granny Died 1959 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Ethel Barrymore was the second of three children seemingly destined for the actor's life of their parents Maurice and Georgiana. Maurice Barrymore had emigrated from England in 1875, and after gradu...
Cyril Cusack
Cyril Cusack as Edward "Limey" Cockerell Died 1993 · Durban, Natal, South Africa From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Cyr...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 7/10 Jul 13, 2018
The Convict Conundrum.

The Secret of Convict Lake is directed by Michael Gordon and collectively written by Anna Hunger, Jack Pollexfen, Oscar Saul and Victor Trivas. It stars Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney, Ethel Barrymore, Zachary Scott, Ann Dvorak, Barbara Bates, Cyril Cusack, Richard Hylton, Helen Westcott, and Jeanette Nolan. Music is by Sol Kaplan and cinematography by Leo Tover.

I came here to kill one man. I don't mind killing a couple of others if I have to.

It's winter time here at Diablo Lake, and the five convicts who have survived the escape find themselves holed up in a remote village. Their reasons for being there differ, more notable though is that the men of the village are away prospecting, meaning the village is only currently populated by women.

It's a fine bubbling broth of scenarios, each convict is different, ranging from unstable psycho type, alpha male, twitchy youngster, simpleton and on to the calm likeable one who doesn't appear to belong in this company. So with the reasons for the men being here established, narrative then jostles with the inner fighting of the convicts, and the various emotional strands of the women folk. Suffice to say there is sexual tensions, mistrust, misrule, macho posturing and of course secrets to be born out.

Violence is sporadic but potent upon arrivals (one instance especially grabs you by the throat), and with the mystery of the men's crimes a constant question, intrigue makes for an enjoyable companion. Tech credits are uneven. The studio bound feel of the village sequences which fill out 90% of the pic are an itch, making you hanker for the more expansive snowy terrains that greeted us at story beginning. However, Tover's monochrome photography is suitably mood compliant, even if Kaplan's score isn't, while the lead actors are giving good value to offset some of the histrionics elsewhere.

Perhaps not the firecracker it could have been, given all the elements involved - particularly annoying that a strong feminist bent subsides into token play - this is none the less a most interesting piece that holds attention throughout. 7/10
CinemaSerf 7/10 Feb 17, 2024
Zachary Scott is quite menacing in this chilly tale of half a dozen escaped convicts who find themselves caught up in the wintery weather on the look out for shelter - and for $40,000! When they arrive at a remote village they discover that the men are all away and that under the imperious guidance of "Granny" (Ethel Barrymorre) it's the wives and children who are left. Not that they'd expect much danger in the middle of winter with the snow knee high everywhere around, but they have weapons and know how to use them. The dissolute looking men wander into town and beg for food and shelter, which grudgingly the women give them. "Greer" (Scott) is aware of the rumoured fortune, though, and pretty soon he and the gang are looking to take the cash - and anything else they can get. The one exception amongst this motley crew might be "Cranfield" (Glenn Ford) convicted but adamant he was framed, and by a man from this small community too! A fire seriously dents their stores and the courageous intervention of the men redraws their boundaries and that ends up making things more perilous and just a little more romantic for "Cranfield" too. The alpine atmosphere helps sustain the tension quite well as does the nasty Scott and though it does descend a little into a sentimental sludge at times thanks to an unremarkable effort from the usually stronger Gene Tierney, there's still enough of the threatening criminal mentality to keep it edgy until the rather rushed but fitting denouement. One of Ford's more robust efforts too.

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