JohnHowardReid In his only venture behind the cameras (he was executive producer), charismatic Edward G. Robinson has done himself proud in the grisly, hauntingly atmospheric The Red House (1947). Surrounding himself with an almost equally talented cast of players led by Judith Anderson and Allene Roberts, Robinson has not spared his cash on creative personnel as well. The movie features one of Miklos Rozsa's most haunting music scores (a pity it doesn't come across with the utmost clarity in the otherwise very good Grapevine disc) ably joined by Bert Glennon's noirish camerawork and the nightmarish sets designed by McClure Capps. Lovely Julie London is a stand-out in the support cast in this utterly fascinating film noir, while Lon McCallister plays the lead hero with his usual most welcome bravura.

clanciai Edward G. Robinson generally excelled in making interesting roles and particularly border line cases. This is one of the most extreme ones. Together with Judith Anderson, his sister in this film who pities him and has taken care of him all his life, they have brought up an adopted daughter and concealed her true origin from her. The film is bristling with mysteries and secrets from the start. How did he get his wooden leg? Why is he so terrified of his own forest? The question marks keep towering until the first blow is dealt and the first shot is fired, and then the weird but logical consequences of a natural development keep assembling into a constantly more eerie plot of hidden traumas that ultimately must burst out into the open. Robinson's acting is of particular interest here, and the director specializes all the way in catching the silent language of expressions, furtive glances, worried looks, especially in the young girl (Allene Roberts) who looks worried from the start and has reasons to be. There is a secondary plot as well with a loose woman finding herself in the wrong company of an unwilling villain, who is paid to add to the scariness, so the film is replenished indeed with intriguing drama, gradually towering into a very appropriate finale in a passionate burst of confusion.Well, well, the film is a perfect example of how a petty rustic story of farmers and small folk by the cinema can be turned into a towering drama of both tragedy and release. Miklos Rosza with his music completes the stamp of perfection, and a film like this could not have found more suitable music of more spellbinding kind.

Dunham16 The novel is a classic thriller made several times into a film. In this outing Judith Anderson, Edward G, Robinson, Rory Calhoun and Julie London are familiar today performers of the period who certainly shine in their roles yet the unusual Hollywood morality of the forties colors this project. The thriller scenes have excellent sound, camera work and editing. Much of it the movie Hollywood gold yet the forties mentality of the whole piece seems dated today and therefore in my viewpoint not a keeper. This perhaps ranks with the Hammer films later in time featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee more enjoyable to fans of this unusual take on thrillers than to general audiences.

Panamint "This is the way it could always be Jeanie"... then you hear the mysterious theramin music cue up. There are some excellent moments in this film. But such moments are widely separated by ...well.... lots of country roads, fields, trees, rocks.Certified acting heavyweights Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson are in fine form and masterful as usual. The four younger actors Lon Mcallister, Rory Calhoun, Allene Roberts and steamy country vixen Julie London also provide fine acting performances. The acting is the main reason for you to view this.Wind in the woods punctuated by overly loud music is neither exciting enough nor scary, nor is the frequent plot device of folks running around looking concerned and threatening each other with guns. The bucolic countryside is almost too passive as a setting for the goings-on here. The whole thing is just too long and stretched out with all the woods and countryside and general lack of editing.However, Robinson's character is interesting and he plays it to perfection. The ending of this movie involving Robinson's fate provides the most unique piece of concept and film-making skill in the picture, but the scene is very brief.So, you might say "The Red House" succeeds in spite of itself. Overall it is a recommend for me, especially for Robinson completists.