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The Red House

The Red House

List Price: $9.98
Your Price: $9.98
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sol Lessor,s Work!
Review: "The Red House" is a fine thiller with an excellent cast headed by Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson. A house in the woods holds a sinister secret and the arrival of Lon McAllister starts the revelation in motion. a youthful Rory Calhoun and Julie London are seen in this film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sol Lessor,s Work!
Review: "The Red House" is a fine thiller with an excellent cast headed by Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson. A house in the woods holds a sinister secret and the arrival of Lon McAllister starts the revelation in motion. a youthful Rory Calhoun and Julie London are seen in this film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Worth seeing for all kinds of reasons.
Review: (Revised)
Ooh, fun! Like film noir? Don't miss this, if only because of Edward G., and just so you can say you saw it. If Disney could make a good film noir back in the 40's, this might have been it. And that's a compliment. Hitchcock wouldn't have done this: it's too moody and down-home. It lacks his big-city sophistication. It has too many homey, down on the farm details. It's different. Ma and Pa Kettle quit foolin' around, lose a few years, and go out to find a few corpses.

1. See if you can guess my favorite shot ( shows Aileen Roberts, alone)

2. See Judith Anderson in something besides REBECCA: "Every living soul has their Oxhead Woods..."

3. See Edward G. in a lesser known film, and still doing an excellent job ("...it can still be you and me, Jeannie...")

4. See Julie London. Sassy and delinquent here: "A fine swimming date we had, I don't think!" "I'm not gonna give you any kisses...I want you to miss 'em..." Gorgeous and talented, you could also sense the Hollywood ambition exuding from her during this film...no?

5. Rory Calhoun. A good job. Not given TOO much to do here except drink, hunt, beat up Lon McAllister and grab Julie London, he does it well: "Because it'll be a prettier bond if you buy it for me..."

If this is a piece of American candy, it's still a good piece--and more complex than you'd expect. (Probably moreso than I am capable of revealing here.)

Don't just leave it for the kids. In fact, it may scare the hell out of them. Ultimately, I believe there are aspects of this film that are of more than average, 'happy-day' depth.

Buy it. A true noir fan, you'll watch it more than once.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: See this with the lights off
Review: An underrated psychological mood piece directed with great skill by Delmer Daves, it is best watched in the dark with no interruptions so that its full power can be realised. I did not go down in the woods for quite a while after watching this film and gained an added appreciation for the work of Edward G. Robinson and that great actor Judith Anderson (see also Hitchcock's REBECCA). From one of the greatest periods of Hollywood movie making.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Should be restored but...
Review: As with many of Delmer Daves' films, The Red House shows originality, flair, and an intense weaving of landscape, theme, and character (rare among American directors working in the studios). He consistently achieves moments of great subtlety. In addition, Lon McCallister and Allene Roberts deliver striking performances under Daves' sensitive direction. It's no surprise that Scorcese noted this film in his "Personal Journey Through American Movies". Unfortunately, the print of the film used for the DVD is HORRIBLE -- there have to be better prints out there of this film!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Brilliant Offbeat Daves Film, Horrible Print for DVD
Review: As with many of Delmer Daves' films, The Red House shows originality, flair, and an intense weaving of landscape, theme, and character (rare among American directors working in the studios). He consistently achieves moments of great subtlety. In addition, Lon McCallister and Allene Roberts deliver striking performances under Daves' sensitive direction. It's no surprise that Scorcese noted this film in his "Personal Journey Through American Movies". Unfortunately, the print of the film used for the DVD is HORRIBLE -- there have to be better prints out there of this film!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A gripping drama still waits for adequate restoration
Review: Delmer Daves' movie about a family mystery, filmed outside, is as compelling as it was fifty years ago, with stunning performances by Edward G. Robinson and Judith Anderson, a superb music score by Miklos Rozsa and thoroughly rising tension. Unfortunately, all existing tapes have been awful experiences because of the rotten sound and picture quality. The new DVD has Dolby Digital, so the dialogues fare somewhat better, while still aren't acceptable. A complete restoration appears to be very expensive, so one now has to stay with this best version. Finally, the movie counts.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Long Lost Classic!!
Review: Edward G. Robinson is fantastic as the man with the dark secret, in this excellent thriller! I bought it expecting to be either bored or amused. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised! The Red House is actually pretty creepy. Robinson plays a farmer who is not what he appears to be. There's a red house in the woods where something terrible happened many years earlier. His daughter (Arlene Roberts), and his sister (the magnificent Judith "Mrs. Danvers" Anderson) live with him. A boy comes to help out on the farm and the web of mystery slowly unravels. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves thrillers, chillers, or just plain good movies...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: overrated
Review: I bought this DVD based strictly on the excellent reviews it's gotten on Amazon. I was disappointed. There is nothing scary, eerie, creepy, or vaguely frightening about this film. It's actually pretty silly. The acting by Edward G. Robinson is okay, but not one of his better performances. The other actors are largely unknowns for a reason. The photography is uneven and terrible. The scenes jump from high-contrast to bleached-out to underexposed to so-scratched-up that it looks like it's snowing. The musical soundtrack is jarring and detracts from whatever atmosphere might have otherwise been there. I would guess that this was shot on an extremely low budget. My wife was shocked that this was shot in 1947. It looks like an early 1930s movie. The story is not as engaging as other reviewers have stated. At least I didn't think so. I got bored with it quickly and my wife fell asleep.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: worth watching
Review: I bought this movie from a bargain bin, thinking that it looked interesting. My 2$ investment paid off. However, I recommend purchasing a version of a bit higher quality- my copy
shut off about ten minutes before the end, so I'm still in the dark as to the secret of the red house! It's the kind of movie where missing the ending isn't just an annoyance that you can forget about. It's incredibly engaging, and despite the often crummy picture quality, it'll take you in and make you insanely curious about the red house's secret, too. There are a few cheesy parts, but that just adds to it, I think. If you're a fan of film noir willing to put up with a little eye strain, definitely pick this one up.


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