House by the River (1950)

Truly Dreadful Film

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

An unscrupulous writer murders his comely maid, then shifts blame onto his crippled brother, all under the watchful glow of a river that seemingly never forgets.Republic goes noir! Well, it is 1949, and the genre is at its Hollywood peak. Still, pairing Republic with dark shadows is almost like pairing Roy Rogers with Sam Spade. But the studio was clearly serious, hiring one of the masters of noir, Fritz Lang. In fact, those shots of a darkly glistening river stretching out to infinity made me re-think the whole idea of swimming. And what about a slimy Louis Hayward as the unscrupulous Stephen. He's the kind of guy who would pat your back, smile, and then slip a letter opener into your gut. He's sure a long way from his usual swashbuckling hero. But my money's on portly Jody Gilbert who steals the movie as the truculent housekeeper. Gilbert's usually a comedic figure, but you'd never know it here. Frankly, though, the lengthy courtroom scene breaks up the noirish spell of the river and the shadowy bankside mansion. It should have been re-thought. Then there's the symbolism of the rippling gown and a flowing river, suggesting that justice and time, respectively, never forget. These shots are some of the most striking b&w photography I've seen. Of course, the producers couldn't have known at the time, but the wholesome Jane Wyatt made me think Robert Young and the kids would arrive any moment. Nonetheless, she's right for the sweet wife's part. Overall, the narrative may be flawed, but some truly memorable scenes remain. Maybe that's why the film's only occasionally included among Lang's best.

I enjoyed this thriller about a psychopathic writer who accidentally kills his sexy maid and then tries to pin it on his crippled brother.Louis Hayward overacts a bit as Stephen, the failed scribe who rejects his attractive and classy wife, Marjorie (Jane Wyatt), in favor of his tease of a housekeeper.I enjoyed the performance of Lee Bowman as Stephen's brother John, who, out of family loyalty, allows himself to be dangerously manipulated. He too harbors a forbidden love -- for his brother's wife -- but has the integrity not to act on it. Descending into alcoholism, he'd rather flee than make love with his sister-in-law.In a film that is much less ambitious than a classic such as "M," Fritz Lang creates scenes of satisfying creepiness on a river that is central to the plot. In addition, a courtroom scene is quite entertaining.My only quibble with this movie is its facile ending. It all ties up just a little too neatly. I expected more from this famed director.

A deranged writer (Louis Hayward) murders a maid (Dorothy Patrick) after she resists his advances. The writer engages his brother (Lee Bowman) to help in hiding the body...Richard Brody wrote, "Every detail of the film, from its opening shots of the nearby river and the wind in the trees, has moral resonance. Stephen promises to change, but from the moment that he listens lasciviously to Emily's bathwater sluicing down a drainpipe his bad end is already foretold —- and the elements of nature, the wind and the water, are the ultimate agents of his doom." How can I argue with such a poetic interpretation of this film? Whether intended by Lang to be so symbolic or not, Brody nails it and gives the film a new lease on life. While this may not be Fritz Lang's best work, or even his best noir, it is a fine piece of cinema with all sorts of moral ambiguity that deserves recognition.I watched the film on Netflix. It was not completely restored and the picture was full-screen. Perhaps a better version exists out there or could be made?

...is one of the creepiest lines I have heard from a movie. That single name, uttered snidely in the dark by Louis Hayward will make your skin crawl.I've seen House by the River at least 6 times. I don't know why I like it so much. It's a wonderfully well-done film but it creeps the heck out of me every time I watch it. Louis Hayward in the performance of his life plays a psychopathic wastrel of a writer in the late 1800's who tries to rape the housemaid while his wife is away, but accidentally strangles her. He cons his brother into helping him get rid of the body. He gets inspiration from this for a book, and his book is a success. But when certain people get in the way of his success, he turns the whole thing around in the most diabolical way possible.Out of all Fritz Lang's sound films, yes, even M, House by the River is my favorite. The Gothic atmosphere is so intense... the photography, the music, and acting all fit together perfectly. It might not be Lang's best American film but I think it's one of his most unique.