Directed by:
Fritz LangScreenplay:
Silvia RichardsCinematography:
Stanley CortezComposer:
Miklós RózsaCast:
Joan Bennett, Michael Redgrave, Anne Revere, Barbara O'Neil, Natalie Schafer, Paul Cavanagh, Anabel Shaw, Rosa Rey, James Seay, Donald Kerr, Ralph Brooks (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
In this Freudian version of the Bluebeard tale, a young, trust-funded New Yorker goes to Mexico on vacation before marrying an old friend whom she considers a safe choice for a husband. However, there she finds her dream man - a handsome, mysterious stranger who spots her in a crowd. In a matter of days they marry, honeymoon and move to his mansion, to which he has added a wing full of rooms where famous murders took place. She discovers many secrets about the house and her husband, but what she really wants to know is what is in the room her husband always keeps locked. (Arrow Films)
(more)Reviews (2)
Did Fritz Lang really have to so blatantly steal from Hitchcock? This is no homage or tribute to Rebecca; it is merely a less successful copy in every way. Secret Beyond the Door is further marred by its lack of gothic set designs to give it the necessary mysterious atmosphere and by the main male character without the necessary charisma. The potentially most interesting character of his son is criminally underdeveloped and the final revelation is unsatisfactory and banal.
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I'll admit a bit disappointingly that I expected more from Fritz Lang. Musically, the film is overly grandiose and excessively emphasizes that this is something terrifying. The story is incredibly suspenseful, but the finale definitely doesn't contribute significantly to it and does it no favors. I could imagine the psychological scenes being more effectively portrayed.
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