Dovetailing nicely with another recent Blu-ray I reviewed called Scarlet Street, The Red House is another great non-crime role for Robinson. As Pete, a handicapped farmer who manages to keep the homestead running with the help of his sister and adopted ward Meg (Allene Roberts), Robinson maintains a nice slow-burn throughout this picture. He’s clearly tormented by some event in his past that he can’t share with anyone.
Meg brings home her friend Nath (Lon McCallister) to help out with some of the physical labor at the farm and we quickly learn that Pete doesn’t want anyone to venture into the nearby woods. He warns Nath of strange cries in the night emanating from the Red House. As Nath and Meg begin to delve into the mysteries surrounding the woods, several things become clear. Not only are the pair falling for each other despite Nath’s upwardly mobile girlfriend Tibby (Julie London), but the Red House itself has something to do with Pete ‘s – and possibly Meg’s – past.
Based on a 1943 novel, this film definitely evokes that kind of feel you get from a small town mystery novel. Everyone knows each other and has something to do with everyone else’s life, local poachers roam the countryside doing unsavory things for their own gain, and we get a whole lot of the classic “Madonna/whore” treatment of the female characters. Pete’s sister Ellen (Judith Anderson) is a saint who gave up her own happiness to stay on with Pete and run the farm. Meg is a doe-eyed innocent who simply wants to be happy with Nath. Tibby is a two-timing mover and shaker who wants any man who can get her blood pumping. If the film has a main weakness it’s probably the fact that it tries to push the supernatural angle where there’s really just an Americana love story gone wrong.
On the whole it’s an entertaining affair, though I couldn’t help feeling that Pete’s dilemma about keeping the mystery of the Red House secret started getting repetitious about two-thirds of the way through the movie. Not only that, it felt a little too easy to figure out what the forest, the Red House, and Pete’s past were all about. It’s hard to blame the script; they likely had to cram a lot of plot from the novel into a feature film running time and they did the best they could. I guess despite Edward G. Robinson’s excellent turn as Pete, one wishes they’d found a way to condense some of his scenes and perhaps even say a bit less about the mystery until the final act.
Despite these reservations, I certainly recommend The Red House. All of the performances are excellent and the film maintains a great atmosphere of tension throughout, thanks in no small part to Miklos Rozsa’s powerful score. I won’t give anything away about the ending but I will say that it’s a satisfying, memorable conclusion that pulls no punches.
Both the audio and visual elements of this Blu-ray are adequate. The Digital Noise Reduction has improved some of the contrast, as evidenced by a small featurette, but unfortunately it’s robbed the film of some detail. Additionally, Rozsa’s score lacks clarity in some sections. But when you compare this presentation to the many old VHS and DVD copies, there’s no contest. HD Cinema Classics has done us all a favor with their work on this release. Supplements include little more than a commentary track by Film Noir historian William Hare. A postcard is also included in the case.
