HOUSE BY THE RIVER (DVD/B&W/1949) DVD

The House by the River
Fritz Lang was the guiding hand of this laudable Republic Studios melodrama. Louis Hayward stars as a wealthy wastrel who tries to seduce the family maid. She resists, and he kills her. Long jealous of his brother Lee Bowman, Hayward does his best to pin the blame for the murder on his sibling. Also affected by Hayward's arrogant dementia is his long-suffering wife Jane Wyatt. Originally, director Lang had proposed that the unfortunate maid be a black woman, and that the killing take place accidentally during some harmless flirtation on Hayward's part. He was vetoed by the timorous Republic staff (even the slightest hint of miscegenation was taboo in 1950), but House by the River turned out pretty well all the same. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Louis Hayward as Stephen Byrne Lee Bowman as John Byrne Jane Wyatt as Marjorie Byrne Dorothy Patrick as Emily Gaunt Ann Shoemaker as Mrs. Ambrose Jo Gilbert as Flora Bantam Peter Brocco as Coroner Howland Chamberlain as District Attorney Margaret Seddon as Mrs. Whittaker Sarah Padden as Mrs. Beach Kathleen Freeman as Effie Ferguson Will Wright as Inspector Sarten Leslie Kimmell as Mr. Gaunt Effie Laird as Mrs. Gaunt

Crew Bert Leven - Art Director Adele Palmer - Costume Designer Fritz Lang - Director Arthur D. Hilton - Editor George Antheil - Composer (Music Score) Edward J. Cronjager - Cinematographer Howard Welsch - Producer Charles Thompson - Set Designer John McCarthy - Set Designer Theodore Lydecker - Special Effects Howard Lydecker - Special Effects Mel Dinelli - Screenwriter A.P. Herbert - Book Author

The House by the River
Louis Hayward oozes haughty, amoral creepiness in director Fritz Lang's sole foray into the Victorian Gothic mode. Hayward's Stephen Byrne is an unsuccessful writer who nonetheless leads a comfortable life in a beautiful riverfront home due to his wife's fortune. After accidentally strangling the maid in a fit of perverse desire, he dumps her body in the river with the help of his brother John (Lee Bowman). Far from feeling guilty, he turns the maid's disappearance into a promotional campaign for his latest book, begins writing a new novel based on the crime, and even does his best to frame his brother for the murder. But the maid's body literally comes back to haunt him thanks to the river's uncooperative tides and his brother's accumulating sense of guilt. Lang beautifully evokes the Victorian era with his customary attention to detail. Cinematographer Edward J. Cronjager's low-key lighting fills the Byrnes mansion with appropriately gloomy shadows, and the moonlit river scenes make it seem as if nature itself is offended by the crime. Avant-garde composer George Antheil's haunting score is the perfect accompaniment to this chilling and unconventional exercise in suspense. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DD2: Dolby Digital Stereo Additional Features: Mastered from rare archival material at the national film and television archive, London Interview with celebrated producer and cineaste Pierre Rissient Gallery of images MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 85 min   DVD Chapters: Disc #1 -- House By the River 1. Opening Titles [:09] 2. Hot Water [5:46] 3. Unwilling Accomplice [5:21] 4. Hiding the Evidence [3:07] 5. Marjorie [6:01] 6. Cause for Celebration [2:58] 7. Maid Missing [2:47] 8. The Prominent Author [4:51] 9. Coming Unmoored [5:24] 10. Flotsam [10:42] 11. The Inquest [5:32] 12. Lingering Doubts [11:43] 13. The Ruse [7:38] 14. Death on the River [4:29] 15. The Final Chapter [3:56]