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Human Desire

  • 1954
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
Human Desire (1954)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:59
1 Video
31 Photos
DramaFilm-NoirRomance

A Korean War vet returns to his job as a railroad engineer and becomes involved in an affair with a co-worker's wife following a murder on a train where they meet.A Korean War vet returns to his job as a railroad engineer and becomes involved in an affair with a co-worker's wife following a murder on a train where they meet.A Korean War vet returns to his job as a railroad engineer and becomes involved in an affair with a co-worker's wife following a murder on a train where they meet.

  • Director
    • Fritz Lang
  • Writers
    • Alfred Hayes
    • Émile Zola
  • Stars
    • Glenn Ford
    • Gloria Grahame
    • Broderick Crawford
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    5.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Fritz Lang
    • Writers
      • Alfred Hayes
      • Émile Zola
    • Stars
      • Glenn Ford
      • Gloria Grahame
      • Broderick Crawford
    • 72User reviews
    • 55Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:59
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos31

    "Human Desire" Fritz Lang 1954 Columbia  **I.V.
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)
    Human Desire (1954)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Glenn Ford
    Glenn Ford
    • Jeff Warren
    Gloria Grahame
    Gloria Grahame
    • Vicki Buckley
    Broderick Crawford
    Broderick Crawford
    • Carl Buckley
    Edgar Buchanan
    Edgar Buchanan
    • Alec Simmons
    Kathleen Case
    Kathleen Case
    • Ellen Simmons
    Peggy Maley
    Peggy Maley
    • Jean
    Diane DeLaire
    • Vera Simmons
    Grandon Rhodes
    Grandon Rhodes
    • John Owens
    Benjie Bancroft
    • Inquest Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Brinegar
    Paul Brinegar
    • Brakeman
    • (uncredited)
    Minta Durfee
    Minta Durfee
    • Inquest Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Jean Engstrom
    • Mr. Owen's secretary
    • (uncredited)
    Victor Hugo Greene
    • Davidson
    • (uncredited)
    Don C. Harvey
    Don C. Harvey
    • Yard Dispatcher
    • (uncredited)
    Carl Lee
    • John Thurston
    • (uncredited)
    John Maxwell
    John Maxwell
    • Chief of Police
    • (uncredited)
    Dorothy Phillips
    Dorothy Phillips
    • Society Matron
    • (uncredited)
    John Pickard
    John Pickard
    • Matt Henley
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Fritz Lang
    • Writers
      • Alfred Hayes
      • Émile Zola
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Fritz Lang did not like the title and thought it redundant. "What other kind of desire is there?" is his reported comment.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1hr 29 mins) While the film is set in California, the train passes over the Lower Trenton Bridge. The bridge with its distinctive "Trenton makes, the world takes" sign crosses the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey.
    • Quotes

      Jean: [Dressing for a date] Zip me up will you, Carl?

      Carl Buckley: [Impatiently] You dames, you spend more time gettin' dressed...

      Jean: Have to! It's much better to have good looks than brains because most of the men I know can see much better than they can think.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Thèmes et variations du cinéma (1967)

    User reviews72

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    A railroad worker falls for a married woman
    Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, and Broderick Crawford deal with "Human Desire" a 1954 film directed by Fritz Lang and based on Emile Zola's "La Bete Humaine." Fresh from Korea, Jeff Warren (Ford) is a railroad engineer currently staying with his friend (Edgar Buchanan) and his family, one of whom is a young woman interested in Jeff. And no wonder - remember, this is Glenn Ford. One of the railroad bosses, Carl Buckley (Crawford) loses his job in a fit of temper and asks his wife Vicki (Grahame) to appeal to a wealthy and powerful family friend to help him get his job back. Well, she does, but when she returns successful many hours later and wants to hit the shower, it doesn't take much to figure out just how she accomplished this feat. Blind with anger, Buckley makes her write a letter saying she will meet the man in his train compartment. Buckley kills him there and keeps the letter to hold over Vicki.

    As she was seen near the murder compartment, Vicki flirts with Ford to keep her out of the investigation and eventually they become involved. That's when Vicki starts hinting around that she needs the letter found and her husband dead - not necessarily in that order.

    Not being familiar with the source material, I can't comment on this film as well as some others here. The postwar era was not Lang's strongest; he seems to have fallen out of favor and not getting the budgets or the scripts he once did. That being said, this is a very absorbing noir with Gloria Grahame being completely hateful and Ford being Mr. Nice Guy who is in this woman's clutches. Crawford's character is an odd one; he's presented as a good guy and then suddenly he goes off and becomes a total madman.

    What makes this film is the sexual tension between Ford and Grahame. Ford was a wonderful movie star but with a limited range. What he had going for him beside good looks was major sex appeal, and while Grahame burns, he smolders. They make a hot team.

    Perhaps the story and characters could have been fleshed out more; as it is, it's entertaining with good directing, acting, and some interesting shots. Great for noir fans.
    helpful•10
    2
    • blanche-2
    • Jan 27, 2007

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 3, 1954 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Human Beast
    • Filming locations
      • Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, USA(shot of train crossing river outside tunnel)
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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