House by the River

"WOMEN SPOKE OF HER with Scorn...MEN THOUGHT OF HER with Longing!"

1950 1h 28m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🍅

60%

FRESH

⭐

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 122🍅60%Rotten Tomatoes★7IMDB · 4,361

ThrillerCrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Wealthy writer Stephen Byrne tries to seduce the family maid, but when she resists, he kills her. Long jealous of his brother John, Stephen does his best to pin the blame for the murder on his sibling. Also affected by Stephen's arrogant dementia is his long-suffering wife Marjorie.

“WOMEN SPOKE OF HER with Scorn...MEN THOUGHT OF HER with Longing!”

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Cast

Louis Hayward
Stephen Byrne
Jane Wyatt
Marjorie Byrne
Lee Bowman
John Byrne
Dorothy Patrick
Emily Gaunt
Ann Shoemaker
Mrs. Ambrose
Jody Gilbert
Flora Bantam - John's housekeeper
Sarah Padden
Mrs. Beach - Stephen's elderly cook
Peter Brocco
Harry - coroner chairing inquest

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fritz Lang
Writers: Mel Dinelli
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

76 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fritz Lang, shot by Edward Cronjager. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Antheil. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Arthur Hilton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Louis Hayward and Jane Wyatt and Lee Bowman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "WOMEN SPOKE OF HER with Scorn...MEN THOUGHT OF HER with Longing!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fritz Lang directs. Edward Cronjager behind the camera. George Antheil scores. Arthur Hilton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
276 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Fritz Lang, shot by Edward Cronjager. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by George Antheil. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Arthur Hilton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Louis Hayward and Jane Wyatt and Lee Bowman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "WOMEN SPOKE OF HER with Scorn...MEN THOUGHT OF HER with Longing!".
9IMDB entry: tt0042579 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.