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jc-osms Reduced to making pictures with Republic with a limited budget and B-list actors didn't stop Fritz Lang producing this dark turn-of-the-century thriller. In Louis Hayward's Stephen Byrne, an aspiring writer with a devoted wife and faithful brother, Lang creates a memorably dastardly villain. When he makes a spurned pass at the household's pretty new maid as she descends the stairs in a dressing gown showing, for the time, a daring amount of bare leg, he unthinkingly strangles her and involves his over-loyal brother in covering up his tracks.However, the river where they dump the body has a habit of returning abandoned items from whence they came and it's not too long before the sack containing the dead girl's body drifts back into view and a spiralling sequence of events ensue including a murder trial, accusations of an affair between wife and brother-in-law, two more attempted murders and a dramatic death-scene just before the final curtain.I noticed Republic's supposedly cheap background sets less than usual, a tribute to Lang and his crew's imaginative use of the established noir elements of dark, expressionistic shadows, tracking shots and using framing devices, such as doors, (very apt, considering Stephen's setting up of his brother for murder). I was impressed by the acting of the three lead players, Louis Hayward, in particular is superb as the borderline psychopath Stephen, a threatening leer never far from his face while Jane Wyatt is also very good as the loving wife whose eyes gradually open to her husband's true nature and Lee Bowman is redoubtable as the limping brother who puts sibling duty before adherence to the law.Most of all though it's Lang's mean and moody direction which gradually brings the whole affair to the boil, even if the final haunting of Stephen before his demise seems to have wandered in from grand opera.Nevertheless this fine little film noir is another notable entry in director Lang's distinguished list of works.

Michael O'Keefe Fritz Lang directs this suspenseful Fidelity Pictures drama. Stephen Byrne(Louis Hayward)is a somewhat depressed writer due to a rash of rejection notices. While his wife Marjorie(Jane Wyatt)is away for the day, Stephen makes advances toward the pretty newly hired maid Emily(Dorothy Patrick)and when she tries to fight him off he kills her. The rattled writer, with the help of his brother John(Lee Bowman), manages to stuff Emily in a bag and dumps her body in the river. Byrne gets the inspiration he has seemed to be lacking of late and will start writing a book about the disappearance of the servant and also attempt to frame his brother for the murder. Very good sets and atmosphere. As Stephen goes out on the river and starts coming unhinged you can almost feel his desperation. Hayward and Bowman are the only actors that gets a chance to show their talent. Miss Wyatt is certainly attractive with little effort. Other players: Ann Shoemaker, Kathleen Freeman, Will Wright and Howland Chamberlain.

Spikeopath House by the River is directed by Fritz Lang and adapted by Mel Dinelli from A.P. Herbert's novel The House on the River. It stars Louis Hayward, Jane Wyatt, Lee Bowman & Dorothy Patrick. Music is by George Antheil and photography by Edward J. Cronjager.Novelist Stephen Byrne (Hayward) makes a play for the house maid and unwittingly kills her when she repels his advances. Enlisting the help of his disabled brother, John (Bowman), to dispose of the body in the river, Stephen suddenly finds that the publicity surrounding the maid's disappearance has put him in vogue again. In fact he finds his muse sufficiently stoked enough to craft another novel. But as easy as Stephen finds it easy to have no conscience, the opposite is the case with John, and with the river refusing to hold its secrets, something is going to give.Working out of Republic pictures, Lang refused to let the low budget production hamper his vision of a bleak Cain & Abel like Gothic-noir-melodrama. He did, however, meet some resistance when requesting that the maid be played by a black woman, which was quickly shot down by nervous executives at the famed "B" movie studio. House by the River is far from being among the best of Lang's work, but the final product is still a triumph considering it's basically a three character piece set virtually in just two locations. It scores high on eerie atmosphere and finds Lang dealing in moral bankruptcy/responsibility and the eye for an eye mentality. Ushered into the narrative, too, is a Lang fave of people irked by loving someone they can't have. These themes allow the director to gloss over the simple script and dally in some truly arresting visuals.Aided considerably by Cronjager's (Desert Fury/CanyonPassage) chiaroscuro photography, Lang's film is a lesson in how to maximise effect from limited sets. The actual house on the river, and that of the neighbour (resplendent with creepy scarecrow in garden), has a very disquiet feel to it, fronted by shimmering water that carries the dead carcass' of animals, it's a most haunting setting. And the eerie atmosphere continues inside the house, where shadows work their wonders and Antheil's music sticks rigidly (and rightly) to the creaky house formula. The cast don't pull up any trees, but they don't need to. Hayward is perhaps too animated for a study in snide villainy, but it works and he has a nice line in visual mocking. The rest fall in line for what is required, with the best of the bunch being Ann Shoemaker as nosey neighbour Mrs. Ambrose.Once a hard to find film, House by the River is now easily accessible after gaining a DVD release (the print is fine, some age spotting and crackles, but completely watchable). It's a film that is easily recommended to Lang and Gothic house based movie purists. Driven by a despicable protagonist and cloaked in a creepy noirish vibe, it deserves to now gain a better and more appreciative audience. 7.5/10

kenjha A writer inadvertently kills his maid and convinces his brother to help him dispose of the body. Dark and brooding, this one drips with film noir atmosphere, helped by the Gothic setting (house by the river!). It is masterfully directed by Lang, who it seems was incapable of making an uninteresting film. It is fascinating watching the tension grow between the self-absorbed writer, his caring wife, and his crippled brother. Hayward makes a good villain. Wyatt, who's rarely looked as attractive, is fine as his wife. Bowman is excellent in the sympathetic role of the crippled brother. The ending is somewhat abrupt, but the film is quite absorbing.