The Woman in the Window
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| The Woman in the Window | |
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| Directed by | Fritz Lang |
| Produced by | Nunnally Johnson |
| Written by | Story: J. H. Wallis Screenplay: Nunnally Johnson |
| Starring | Edward G. Robinson Joan Bennett Raymond Massey Dan Duryea |
| Music by | Arthur Lange |
| Cinematography | Milton R. Krasner |
| Editing by | Gene Fowler Jr. Marjorie Johnson |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures Inc. |
| Release date(s) | November 3, 1944 |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United states |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Woman in the Window (1944), is a film noir directed by Fritz Lang that tells the story of psychology professor Richard Wanley (Edward G. Robinson) who meets and becomes enamored with a young femme fatale.[1]
Based on J. H. Wallis' novel Once Off Guard, the story features two surprise twists at the end. Scriptwriter Nunnally Johnson founded International Pictures Incorporated (his own independent production company) after writing successful films such as The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and other John Ford films, and chose The Woman in the Window as its premiere project. Director Fritz Lang substituted the film's dream ending in place of the originally scripted suicide ending, to conform with the moralistic Production Code of the time.
The term "film noir" originated as a genre description, in part, because of this movie. The term first was applied to American films in French film magazines in 1946, the year when The Maltese Falcon (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), Laura (1944), Murder, My Sweet (1944), and The Woman in the Window were released in France.[2]
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[edit] Plot
Wanley first sees the oil portrait of Alice Reed (Joan Bennett) in a store-front window, and then meets the woman herself on the street.
After killing for her in self-defense, she then is blackmailed by Heidt (Dan Duryea), a slick, criminal, ex-policeman who had been the dead man's body guard.
[edit] Background
As in Lang's Scarlet Street, released a year later, Edward G. Robinson plays the lonely middle-aged man and Duryea and Bennett co-star as the criminal elements. The Woman in the Window also features Raymond Massey as the District Attorney, a friend of Wanley.
[edit] Cast
- Edward G. Robinson as Professor Richard Wanley
- Joan Bennett as Alice Reed
- Raymond Massey as Dist. Atty. Frank Lalor
- Edmund Breon as Dr. Michael Barkstane
- Dan Duryea as Heidt/Tim, the Doorman
- Thomas E. Jackson as Inspector Jackson, Homicide Bureau
- Dorothy Peterson as Mrs. Wanley
- Arthur Loft as Claude Mazard/Frank Howard/Charlie the Hat check Man
- Frank Dawson as Collins, the Steward
[edit] Critical reception
When the film was released, the staff at Variety magazine lauded the film and wrote, "Nunnally Johnson whips up a strong and decidedly suspenseful murder melodrama in Woman in the Window. Producer, who also prepared the screenplay (from the novel Once off Guard by J.H. Wallis) continually punches across the suspense for constant and maximum audience reaction. Added are especially fine timing in the direction by Fritz Lang and outstanding performances by Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey and Dan Duryea."[3]
[edit] Notable quote
- Wanley (Robinson): There are only three ways to deal with a blackmailer. You can pay him and pay him and pay him until you’re penniless. Or you can call the police yourself and let your secret be known to the world. Or you can kill him.
[edit] References
- ^ The Woman in the Window at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Silver, Alain, and Elizabeth Ward, eds. Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, page 1, 3rd edition, 1992. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-479-5.
- ^ Variety. Film review, 1945. Last accessed: April 2, 2008.
[edit] External links
- The Woman in the Window at the Internet Movie Database.
- The Woman in the Window at Allmovie.
- The Woman in the Window at the TCM Movie Database.
- The Woman in the Window at Film Noir of the Week by Spencer Selby.
- The Woman in the Window at DVD Beaver (includes images).
- The Woman in the Window at Senses of Cinema.
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