The Red House (film)

The Red House
Theatrical release poster (1947)
Directed by Delmer Daves
Produced by Sol Lesser
Screenplay by Delmer Daves
Based on the novel The Red House 
by George Agnew Chamberlain
Starring Edward G. Robinson
Lon McCallister
Judith Anderson
Rory Calhoun
Julie London
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Cinematography Bert Glennon
Edited by Merrill G. White
Production
company
Sol Lesser Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release dates
  • March 16, 1947 (New York City)
Running time
 100 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Red House is an American 1947 psychological thriller starring Edward G. Robinson. It is adapted from the novel The Red House by George Agnew Chamberlain, published in 1943 by Popular Library.[1]

Plot

Handicapped farmer Pete Morgan (Edward G. Robinson) and sister Ellen (Judith Anderson) have raised their niece Meg (Allene Roberts) as their own on a reclusive farm. Now a teenager, Meg, convinces her high school friend Nath Storm (Lon McCallister) to come help with chores on the farm. When Nath insists on using a shortcut home through the woods, Pete warns the young man of screams in the night and the terrors associated with the abandoned red house. Curious, Meg and Nath ignore his warnings and begin exploring and troubling secrets are revealed. Meg begins to fall in love with Nath, but his jealous and shrewd girlfriend Tibby (Julie London) has other plans for him. Meanwhile, Pete secretly employs local handyman and petty thug Teller (Rory Calhoun) to keep an eye on both Meg and Nath in order to keep them away from the mysterious "red house" in the woods near his farm.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Critic Dave Sindelar gives the film a positive review: "It's not perfect; it's a little too long, so you end up figuring some of the final revelations before you should, and it gets a little repetitive at times, but the strong acting and some memorable images make it worth the investment."[2]

The film is also praised as a "Murky psychological thriller with resonant settings and an emotive Rózsa score.[3]

Copyright status

Chamberlain’s 1943 novel has no copyright registration at the Library of Congress. The five issues of The Saturday Evening Post in which the story was serialized were registered for copyright by The Curtis Publishing Co.; the copyrights of all five issues were renewed in 1973 by The Saturday Evening Post Company.[4]

The movie was registered for copyright by Thalia Productions (LP864; 7 February 1947); that copyright was not renewed.[5]

Home media

The Red House was released on Blu-ray on April 24, 2012 in the US and other countries from Film Chest and HD Cinema Classics. Digitally restored in high definition and transferred from original 35mm elements, this DVD/Blu-ray combo pack includes original 35mm trailer, before-and-after restoration demo and an original movie art postcard.[6]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The Red House at the American Film Institute Catalog.
  2. ↑ Sindelar, Dave. Movie of the Day Archives, film review, June 21, 2004. Accessed: August 17, 013.
  3. ↑ Selby, Spencer. Dark City: The Film Noir. McFarland & Company (1997). ISBN 0-7864-0478-7.
  4. ↑ Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940 - 1949), page 665.
  5. ↑ Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1940 - 1949), page 637.
  6. ↑ Harley Lond (2012-04-24). "New on DVD and Blu-ray Week of April 24". FilmCrave. Retrieved 2012-04-24.

Additional references

  1. ^ Spencer Selby (1984). Dark City: The Film Noir. McFarland Classic. ISBN 0-7864-0478-7.

External links

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