Out of the Past

This article is about the 1947 film. For other uses, see Out of the Past (disambiguation).
Out of the Past
Theatrical release poster by William Rose
Directed byJacques Tourneur
Screenplay byDaniel Mainwaring
Based onBuild My Gallows High
1946 novel
by Daniel Mainwaring
Produced byWarren Duff
Starring
CinematographyNicholas Musuraca
Edited bySamuel E. Beetley
Music byRoy Webb
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • November 25, 1947 (1947-11-25) (USA)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Out of the Past (billed in the United Kingdom as Build My Gallows High) is a 1947 American film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring (using the pseudonym Geoffrey Homes) from his 1946 novel Build My Gallows High (also written as Homes),[1] with uncredited revisions by Frank Fenton and James M. Cain.[2]

Its complex, fatalistic storyline, dark cinematography, and classic femme fatale garnered the film critical acclaim and cult status.[1] In 1991, the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress added Out of the Past to the United States National Film Registry of “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” films.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ a b Handler, David (13 August 2019). "The Unsung Godfather of Film Noir". CrimeReads. Literary Hub. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grdn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nfr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  5. ^ "Out of the Past" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved January 2, 2024.