House by the River
1950 · Movie · NR · 88 min · ★ 6.8 · 62% critics
A vain writer living by a river commits a violent crime after an unwanted advance goes wrong, then pulls his loyal brother into the cover-up. As suspicion grows, guilt, ambition, and fear turn the household into a tense battle of conscience and self-preservation.
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Details
- Years
- 1950
- Release date
- 1950-03-23
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Critic score
- 62/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (114 votes)
About
You may like this if you enjoy moody, old-fashioned crime stories with guilty secrets, a gothic feel, and escalating tension, especially if Witness to Murder or The Blue Gardenia worked for you; Not for you if you need tight logic and fast pacing.
Pros: eerie river atmosphere; tense moral conflict; strong villainous lead | Cons: obvious plot turns; shaky story logic; courtroom stretch drags
Themes
- river
- film noir
- murder
- killer
Cast & crew
Louis Hayward
as Stephen Byrne
Jane Wyatt
as Marjorie Byrne
Lee Bowman
as John Byrne
Dorothy Patrick
as Emily Gaunt
Ann Shoemaker
as Mrs. Ambrose - Stephen's houseeper
Jody Gilbert
as Flora Bantam - John's housekeeper
Sarah Padden
as Mrs. Beach - Stephen's elderly cook
Peter Brocco
as Harry - coroner chairing inquest
Howland Chamberlain
as D.A.-prosecutor at inquest
- LK
Leslie Kimmell
as Mr. Gaunt
Directed by Fritz Lang