The Woman in the Window

3/24/2020

I was warned of the siren call of adventure. The Woman in the Window is directed by Fritz Lang and adapted by Nunnally Johnson from the novel "Once off Guard" written by J.H. Wallis. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey & Dan Duryea. Music is by Arthur Lange and Milton R. Krasner is the cinematographer. After admiring a portrait of Alice Reed (Bennett) in the storefront window of the shop next to his Gentleman's Club, Professor Richard Wanley (Robinson) is shocked to actually meet her in person on the street. It's a meeting that leads to a killing, recrimination and blackmail. Time has shown The Woman in the Window to be one of the most significant movies in the film noir cycle. It was part of the original group identified by Cahiers du Cinéma that formed the

6/30/2022

Fritz Lang is at his mischievous best in this cracking noir murder mystery. Genteel professor Edward G. Robinson ("Wanley") retires most evenings to his club with two close friends then as he heads home, passes a gallery which has a women's portrait in the window. On one such evening, whilst admiring it, he meets the lady (Joan Bennett) herself and after a brief chat, ends up back in her apartment where he is discovered by her boyfriend. A fracas ensues and the boyfriend is accidentally killed. Rather stupidly, he agrees with the woman to dispose of the corpse and try to cover it all up. Of course that doesn't work - soon, the cops are getting very close to the truth and she is being blackmailed. He is helplessly trapped between his own basic integrity and the innate charms of this unscrup