Guest in the house

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Movie
Original title Guest in the house
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1944
length 120 minutes
Rod
Director John Brahm
script Ketti Frings
production Hunt Stromberg
music Werner Janssen
camera Lee Garmes
cut Walter Hannemann
occupation

Guest in the House is an American film drama in black and white from the year 1944. Directed by John Brahm . Ketti Frings wrote the screenplay based on the play of the same name by Hagar Wilde and Dale Eunson . The leading roles played Anne Baxter and Ralph Bellamy .

action

The fashion artist Douglas Proctor lives happily in the country with his wife Ann and daughter Lee and the servants Hilda and John. One day, when Aunt Martha Proctor, who lives in the neighborhood, Douglas' model Miriam Blake and Ernest Hackett are also present as house guests, his brother Dan, a doctor, brings along his lover Evelyn Heath. Evelyn, a patient with heart disease who had a difficult youth and never had a functioning family, is supposed to recover there. When Lee proudly shows Evelyn her bird, it turns out that Evelyn has a phobia against birds. To reassure her, Douglas tells the disturbed Evelyn how beautiful she is or can be when she has recovered, and draws a picture of her on a lampshade.

The next day Evelyn sends Dan back to the hospital where he works. Later she goes to Douglas, who is drawing Miriam in his study. This is how she learns that this also creates erotic images. She then tells Lee that Miriam wants to take her father away from her. Lee, sobbing, climbs up a tree to look into the studio himself and thus alerts first John and then Hilda. She wants to take a look herself and therefore gets into trouble with Ann. One afternoon Douglas has to go to the next church for a short while to get the turpentine he needs for painting . Miriam accompanies him. The two come back drunk in the middle of the night, which outrags Hilda. Ann remains calm at first, but when Evelyn speaks to her, she complains to Douglas and asks him if something is going on between him and Miriam. He reacts angrily and says she won't believe him anyway. When he tells Miriam about the accusation, Ann tries to calm down, but Ann slams the door in her face. Miriam then quits. Evelyn immediately grabs the job. With her as a model, Douglas wants to paint an image of a saint for the local church.

Two months later, Ernest Hackett comes to visit. Martha tells him that Douglas is not getting on with the picture and is in church with Evelyn. Ernest notices the bad mood in the house and above all the sad behavior of Lee, who used to be so happy. He makes it clear to Ann that it all started with Evelyn's arrival. When Evelyn comes back alone, Ann suggests, out of consideration for Lee, to stay with Aunt Martha for a few weeks. But Evelyn doesn't want to and accuses Ann of jealousy because Douglas prefers her. The indignant Ann wants to throw Evelyn out, but at this moment Douglas comes home. Evelyn immediately falls into his arms crying and complains that Ann hates her and says terrible things to her. Douglas takes Evelyn's side. Ann picks up Lee and leaves the house, but leaves a letter explaining everything. Evelyn finds the letter first. After reading it, she tears it up and throws it away. Douglas happily tells her that she had sent Dan away, and because Ann was gone too, they could now live happily together. Douglas is shocked and hurries after Ann. He finds her at the train station and makes up with her. They take Lee to Aunt Martha and suggest Evelyn take her to a nursing home. Evelyn Dan calls back that night. In the morning Aunt Martha comes with Lee. Lee's bird died that night; he is buried in the garden. Dan arrives later and Evelyn asks him to marry her immediately. He agrees and doesn't let Douglas talk him out of it either. He goes packing and Evelyn is left alone with Aunt Martha. She notices the empty birdcage and begins to fear the bird that she suspects may be flying around the house. She wants to hide, but Aunt Martha says he could be there too, and the first floor doesn't help either, because birds fly. So Evelyn runs out of the house. Aunt Martha points out the many birds outside, but does not let Evelyn back into the house. So Evelyn runs away screaming and falls down the cliff.

production

The story of Guest in the House was originally written by Katherine Albert . Her husband, Dale Eunson and Hagar Wilde turned the story into a stage play that ran successfully on Broadway in 1942 .

Guest in the House was produced by Hunt Stromberg Productions .

Cast and crew

When filming began, Lewis Milestone was the director. In May 1944, however, he developed appendicitis and collapsed while shooting. John Cromwell was supposed to take over, but he couldn't for contractual reasons. Hence, John Brahm became the director of the film. Joan Harrison was originally hired for the script . She should write it with Elliott Paul . However, after a misunderstanding with Hunt Stromberg , she was replaced by Ketti Frings .

For the costumes in Guest in the House was Natalie Visart responsible for the Design Nicolai Remisoff .

Filming

Filming for Guest in the House ran from 17 April to the end of June 1944 in the Providencia Ranch in Universal City ( California ). Background shots were taken on the Maine coast .

Premiere

Guest in the House premiered on December 8, 1944. A performance in the German-speaking area could not be proven. The film was distributed by United Artists .

reception

Reviews

Guest in the House has often received largely positive reviews. The film is a well-produced and intelligently staged psychological drama or an atmospheric, sometimes gripping melodrama, sensitive and well played. All in all extremely remarkable, also due to "the finesse of film noir cinema". In general, the direction, the script and the cast are praised. Marie McDonald shows plenty of class. Overall, Anne Baxter, Ruth Warrick, Ralph Bellamy and Marie McDonald fill the more important roles well.

Anne Baxter is credited with having a good performance, doing her best and being appropriately hateful, but sometimes exaggerating. Ralph Bellamy's performance is also rated as good, extraordinarily attractive or even first class, the latter together with Ruth Warrick. The role of Aline MacMahon is difficult, but she masters this role very well.

However, the film is quite long or too long and should be shortened.

Guest in the House was also harshly criticized. Bosley Crowther said in the New York Times that the story is cheap and synthetic and that Evelyn's nature is never adequately explained. In addition, the film is so overloaded with dialogues and poses that it is only progressing slowly. Anne Baxter is also criticized, and Ralph Bellamy is even described as ridiculous. Overall, the film runs the risk of being laughed at. Dennis Schwartz shares this assessment. It is an unsatisfactory, cumbersome and illogical melodrama that neither tingles nor convinces. The resolution in the end is also no good.

Award

At the Oscar ceremony in 1946 was Werner Janssen in the category Best Score (Drama / Comedy) nominated. However, the Oscar went to Miklós Rózsa for I fight for you .

Gross profit

Guest in the House grossed $ 1,450,000 in the US and Canada and made little profit.

Effects

On November 12, 1945, the Lux Radio Theater broadcast a radio version. Anne Baxter again took on the role of Evelyn Heath. Douglas Proctor was voiced by Robert Young .

Later (possibly 1952) the film was re-released in the United States under the title Satan in Skirts .

Guest in the House is public domain in the United States . The versions freely available on the Internet, like those on the Internet Archive , are mostly around 100 minutes long, in contrast to the original version, which is around 120 minutes long. According to the Internet Movie Database , a prologue in which Aunt Martha is standing on the cliff and looking down is missing in these versions. From the off she remembers the story so that the film becomes a retrospective. In fact, there is no such prologue in the Internet Archive version, but Bosley Crowther alludes to it in his contemporary critique of the film.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Guest in the House in the Internet Broadway Database , accessed January 6, 2019.
  2. ↑ Amnon Kabatchnik: Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection: an Annotated Repertoire . Scarecrow Press, Plymouth 2010, ISBN 978-0-8108-6963-9 , Guest in the House 1942 , pp. 635 (English, limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 6, 2019]).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Guest in the House (1944). In: American Film Institute . Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h “Guest in the House” with Anne Baxter, Ralph Bellamy and Ruth Warwick . In: Harrison's Reports . December 9, 1944, p.  199 ( online at Archive.org [accessed January 6, 2019]).
  5. ^ A b c Leonard Maltin: Leonard Maltin Ratings & Review. In: Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  6. ↑ a b c d Linda Rasmussen: Guest in the House (1945). In: AllMovie . Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g Guest in the House. In: the film noir. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  8. ↑ a b c d e f Guest in the House . In: Variety . December 6, 1944, p.  14 (English, online at Archive.org [accessed January 6, 2019]).
  9. ^ A b Bosley Crowther : The Screen . In: The New York Times . February 16, 1945 ( online on the New York Times pages [accessed January 6, 2019]).
  10. ^ Dennis Schwartz: Guest in the House. In: sover.net. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  11. ^ UA - Stromberg . In: Variety . January 29, 1947, p.  20 ( online in Archiv.org [accessed January 6, 2019]).
  12. ↑ lux radio theater (501) guest in the house. In: Old Time Radio Downloads. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  13. ^ Guest in the House (1944). In: tapatalk. Retrieved January 6, 2019 .
  14. ↑ a b c Guest in the House (1944). In: Archive.org. Internet Archive , accessed January 6, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Guest in the House (1944) Alternate Versions. In: Internet Movie Database . Retrieved January 6, 2019 .