House by the River

"WOMEN SPOKE OF HER with Scorn...MEN THOUGHT OF HER with Longing!"

Mar 25 1950 Approved 1h 23m
Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

Wealthy writer Stephen Byrne tries to seduce the family maid, but when she resists, he kills her. Long jealous of his brother John, Stephen does his best to pin the blame for the murder on his sibling. Also affected by Stephen's arrogant dementia is his long-suffering wife Marjorie.

Plot

The unsuccessful writer Stephen Byrne tries to force his servant Emily Gaunt sexually while his wife Marjorie Byrne is visiting a friend and accidentally strangles her. His crippled brother John Byrne coincidently comes to his house in that moment, and Stephen asks him to help to get rid of the corpse and avoid an scandal, since his wife would be pregnant. The naive and good John helps his brother to dump the body in the river nearby his house. Stephen uses the disappearance of Emily to blame her and promote his book. When the body is found by the police, all the evidences points to John, and he becomes the prime suspect of the murder.

Written by

Mel Dinelli, A.P. Herbert

Directed by

Fritz Lang

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Fidelity Pictures Corporation, Republic Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
4,502
Average Rating
7 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA