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Human Desire ()

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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.
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173 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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Jeff Warren
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Vicki Buckley
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Carl Buckley
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Alec Simmons
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Ellen Simmons
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Jean
Diane DeLaire ...
Vera Simmons
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John Owens
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Benjie Bancroft ...
Inquest Spectator (uncredited)
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Brakeman (uncredited)
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Inquest Spectator (uncredited)
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Mr. Owen's Secretary (uncredited)
Victor Hugo Greene ...
Davidson (uncredited)
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Yard Dispatcher (uncredited)
Carl Lee ...
John Thurston (uncredited)
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Chief of Police (uncredited)
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Society Matron (uncredited)
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Matt Henley (uncredited)
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Prosecutor Gruber (uncredited)
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Juror (uncredited)
Allen D. Sewall ...
Juror (uncredited)
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Duggan (uncredited)
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Lewis (uncredited)
Hal Taggart ...
Gruber's Assistant at Inquest (uncredited)
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'Russ' Russell (uncredited)

Directed by

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Fritz Lang

Written by

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Alfred Hayes ... (screen play)
 
Émile Zola ... (novel) (as Emile Zola)

Produced by

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Lewis J. Rachmil ... producer

Music by

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Daniele Amfitheatrof

Cinematography by

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Burnett Guffey ... director of photography

Editing by

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Aaron Stell

Art Direction by

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Robert Peterson

Set Decoration by

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William Kiernan

Costume Design by

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Jean Louis ... (gowns)

Makeup Department

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Clay Campbell ... makeup artist
Helen Hunt ... hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Milton Feldman ... assistant director

Sound Department

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John P. Livadary ... recording supervisor (as John Livadary)

Music Department

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Morris Stoloff ... conductor
Maurice De Packh ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Jeff Warren, a Korean War vet just returning to his railroad engineer's job, boards at the home of co-worker Alec Simmons and is charmed by Alec's beautiful daughter. Vicki Buckley is the sultry wife of brutish railroad supervisor Carl Buckley, an alcoholic wife beater with a hair trigger temper and penchant for explosive violence. After Buckley is fired for insubordination, he begs Vicki to intercede on his behalf with John Owens, a rich and powerful businessman, for whom Vicki's mother used to keep house and whose influence can get him reinstated. When Buckley suspects she has used sexual favors to persuade Owens, he beats Vicki and develops a plan to meet Owens on the train and stabs him to death in a jealous rage in his compartment. Jeff, who is deadheading after a trip, is on the train and meets Vicki without knowing who she is, when Buckley needs her to get him out of the way so he can get back to their compartment without being seen as he is covered in blood. Jeff is a potential witness to the homicide and becomes an accessory after the fact due to his attraction for Vicki. Jeff and Vicki begin an affair, while Vicki plots to get away from her abusive husband and recover the evidence that links her to the murder. Written by duke1029

Plot Keywords
Taglines A rarity on the screen... a RAW slice of life! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • The Human Beast (United States)
  • Désirs humains (France)
  • Lebensgier (Germany)
  • Deseos humanos (Spain)
  • 人之欲 (China, Mandarin title)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 91 min
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Language
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Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia Fritz Lang did not like the title and thought it redundant. "What other kind of desire is there?" is his reported comment. See more »
Goofs When Jeff Warren is shown operating the throttle, three quick shots show the throttle in widely different positions with the middle footage being a shot of a trainman-operated throttle. In reality, no throttle would ever be moved between positions that quickly, as it would make for a violent ride, if it did not pull the cars apart at their couplings. See more »
Movie Connections Edited into Gli ultimi giorni dell'umanità (2022). See more »
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.
See more »
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