The House on Carroll Street (1988)

Director:

Peter Yates

Writer:

Walter Bernstein (written by)

Release Date:

4 March 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Emily Crane is fired after refusing to give names to a 1951 House Un-American Activities Committee,...

Plot Keywords:

FBI | 1950s | War Criminal | Nazi | Lingerie Slip

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kelly McGillis	...	Emily
Jeff Daniels	...	Cochran
Mandy Patinkin	...	Salwen
Jessica Tandy	...	Miss Venable
Jonathan Hogan	...	Alan
Remak Ramsay	...	Senator Byington
Kenneth Welsh	...	Hackett (as Ken Welsh)
Christopher Buchholz	...	Stefan (as Christopher Rhode)
Charles McCaughan	...	Salwen Aide 1
Randle Mell	...	Salwen Aide 2
Michael Flanagan	...	Senator
Paul Sparer	...	Randolph Slote
Brian Davies	...	Warren
Mary Diveny	...	Maid
Bill Moor	...	Teperson

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:PG | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Cherry Lane Theatre - 38 Commerce Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In one scene, Emily overhears The Women in the House character (who is off-screen) speaking to one of the Russians through an interpreter. The Woman is telling the Russian that they will leave for Chicago "tomorrow." The interpreter mistakenly says "tomorrow" in English and then corrects himself mid-word to the correct Russian word "zaftra."

Quotes:

Emily: We're oil and water, Cochran.
Cochran: Not last night we weren't.

Soundtrack:

BECAUSE OF YOU

Government shenanigans

Many of us are too young to remember the McCarthy era, but that doesn't mean we should not be aware of it because many of the actions occurring during that time have been going on the last seven years.

Kelly McGillis, who did a great job in Witness with Harrison Ford, is Emily, a woman caught up in the witch hunt that occurred during that era. Quite by accident, she stumbles on a plot by these same people in power to smuggle Nazi war criminals into the country, using the names of dead Jews, if you can believe that.

Mandy Patinkin plays a great evildoer in the government, and he even looks like the former President that made his reputation during this time.

Jeff Daniels (The Squid and the Whale , Good Night and Good Luck) is very good a a farm-boy turned FBI agent who falls for Emily and helps her uncover the plot.

In the absence of CGI and FX, it was great acting that really made this an enjoyable movie.