Plot Synopsis: In rural America, Nathan Storm is persuaded by his friend Meg to work on her family's farm, which is run by Meg's uncle Pete & his sister Ellen. Pete agrees on having Nathan work there, but insists that he is never to enter the woods adjoining the property. Nathan secretly tries to enter, but is scared off by a stranger armed with a rifle. He hears of an old red house which is supposed to be in the woods & is reputed to be haunted. Nathan makes every attempt to enter the woods in order to find the red house.
Film Review: The Red House is a minor psychological thriller from the mid-1950s, starring Edward G. Robinson (who rose to fame with the likes of LITTLE CAESAR). For the uninitiated, Robinson (born Emmanuel Goldenberg) was an actor who became something of a legend for playing sinister gangsters throughout most of the 1930s. Following his career-defining role in Little Caesar, Robinson spent the next decade making up for it by playing various good-natured characters. The Red House saw a melding of the two roles he was used to playing, with his portrayal of a farmer who has a dark side.
To be honest, despite Robinson's good acting, I wasn't much impressed with the film. The plot is simple but the script is melodramatic to say the least. Not to mention the fact that the film is so slow that it becomes a real chore to watch – if you are quite impatient, I'd recommend skipping this film. Delmer Daves takes his sweet time in getting to the point – only to defer it with muddled writing. There are also some plot points that are really unnecessary – the plot line involving Rory Calhoun & his attempts to buy a government bond with three-quarters-of-a-grand have no dramatic place here & could have been written out with no impact to the film.
Having said that, the film does have its moments, including a suitably macabre ending, the characters are well-drawn & the acting is very good. Only thing is that if the script was written with more care, the film would have been an enjoyable time-waster. As it stands, The Red House is just plain dramatically flat.
Film Review: The Red House is a minor psychological thriller from the mid-1950s, starring Edward G. Robinson (who rose to fame with the likes of LITTLE CAESAR). For the uninitiated, Robinson (born Emmanuel Goldenberg) was an actor who became something of a legend for playing sinister gangsters throughout most of the 1930s. Following his career-defining role in Little Caesar, Robinson spent the next decade making up for it by playing various good-natured characters. The Red House saw a melding of the two roles he was used to playing, with his portrayal of a farmer who has a dark side.
To be honest, despite Robinson's good acting, I wasn't much impressed with the film. The plot is simple but the script is melodramatic to say the least. Not to mention the fact that the film is so slow that it becomes a real chore to watch – if you are quite impatient, I'd recommend skipping this film. Delmer Daves takes his sweet time in getting to the point – only to defer it with muddled writing. There are also some plot points that are really unnecessary – the plot line involving Rory Calhoun & his attempts to buy a government bond with three-quarters-of-a-grand have no dramatic place here & could have been written out with no impact to the film.
Having said that, the film does have its moments, including a suitably macabre ending, the characters are well-drawn & the acting is very good. Only thing is that if the script was written with more care, the film would have been an enjoyable time-waster. As it stands, The Red House is just plain dramatically flat.