The Red House - Film Masters Archive Collection Limited Edition

So many wonderful, well-made film noirs have fallen by the wayside as time goes by, but thanks to boutique labels like Film Masters, many of them are being rescued, remastered, and presented in upgraded packaging that honors their place in Hollywood history. The Red House is one of those movies. Adapted and directed by Delmer Daves (more on him below) and featuring natural and nuanced performances from Edward G. Robinson, Judith Anderson, Lon McCallister, and newcomers Rory Calhoun and Julie London, this brooding, atmospheric, slow-burn tale crescendoes to an explosive climax.

The Red House was mounted under the auspices of Robinson's short-lived production company (the actor's ensuing entanglement with the House Un-American Activities Committee contributed to the venture's swift demise) and distributed by United Artists. As a result, it never got the high level of exposure afforded to major studio films and was quickly forgotten after its initial release. When rediscovered decades later, The Red House earned plaudits from noir aficionados and has grown in stature ever since. It holds up well, despite some overwrought moments, and includes some avant-garde touches and a refreshing sexual frankness that lend it some contemporary flair.

My colleague M. Enois Duarte reviewed The Red House upon its first Blu-ray release back in 2012. His feelings about the film mirror mine, so here's his excellent take on this cinematic diamond in the rough...

Director Delmer Daves, who later went on to make a name for himself with classic westerns 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Broken Arrow and The Hanging Tree, takes the film-noir out of the crooked, sleazy underbelly of the city and places it right in the middle of the heartland in this mostly-forgotten psychological thriller The Red House. The 1947 film goes through the standard motions of the genre with various gloomy shadows suggesting the sinister desires of men and women. What sets it apart, and makes it worth remembering, is that this murky story about secrets that eat away at the soul and a madness driven by crazed passion is set in the quiet, innocent community of Anywhere, U.S.A. The idea that even the most seemingly harmless towns can't escape the dark ambitions of the human heart raises the level of creepiness in this wonderfully entertaining motion picture.

Delmer Daves is not a name which quickly comes to mind when discussing classic Hollywood cinema, but he's a respected and appreciated filmmaker nonetheless with an unobtrusive yet striking style that allows an engaging narrative to be the predominant driving force of his movies. Based on the novel of the same name by George Agnew Chamberlain, The Red House is an excellent example of his approach, filling the screen with some amazing but beautifully subtle images which cast a looming shadow of apprehension, even when everything appears so hunky-dory and tranquil. The opening moments fashion a rather utopic sensibility about the peaceful town, but by the end of the first act, the howling winds of an eerie forest nearby hint at something much more sinister writhing beneath it all.

Adding to the darker side of the most perfect little country township ever is the acting of Edward G. Robinson as Pete Morgan. There was no character that brilliant actor couldn't touch without making it the most compelling and memorable personality on screen. And his performance here is no different, turning an ostensibly benign and gentle farmer into a man with terrifying secrets who is capable of horrible things in order to keep them hidden. Daves takes full advantage of Robinson's presence and unique facial expressions to further the plot's endless feel of gloom with amazing shots of the actor's frightful stares. Even our introduction to the character's grim temperament is gorgeously suggested early on with a shot of his cane looking a lot like a baseball bat and continues with a mystery of how he lost his leg in the woods.

Trouble starts brewing for Pete when newly hired hand Nath (Lon McCallister) wants to take a shortcut home through those same woods on a dark, windy night. He tries to steer the brave teen away from the area with warnings of screams and something evil roaming the forest linked to a creepy red house deep inside. Of course, as teenagers are known to do, curiosity gets the better of the kid, and he invites his girlfriend Tibby (Julie London) and Meg (Allene Roberts), whom Pete and his sister Ellen (Judith Anderson) have raised since infancy, to tag along. The melodrama that grows from that triangle insinuates, however mildly, some interesting notions of our base desires fomenting from an early age, especially in the restless sensuality of Tibby finding satisfaction in the overt masculinity of local huntsman Teller (Rory Calhoun).

The surprise reveal at the end is unfortunately not as shocking as filmmakers were hoping it would be, regrettably hampered by a standard narrative that starts to feel a bit overlong, pretty much giving away Pete's terrible secret before he's even ready to admit it to himself. Yet, The Red House remains a wildly intriguing and entertaining film about frustrated passions, stylishly captured in film-noir fashion thanks to the stunning photography of Bert Glennon (Stagecoach). Aided by a stirring musical score from legendary composer Miklós Rózsa (Ben-Hur, Spellbound, Double Indemnity), director Delmer Daves takes the dark, expressive visual style of the genre and transforms a conventional thriller set in the heartland into a beautifully evocative motion picture worth preserving.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray

The Film Masters release of The Red House arrives on Blu-ray packaged in a standard case inside a sleeve. A 12-page booklet with an essay by Chad Kennerk and several photos is tucked inside the front cover. Video codec is 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 and audio is DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. Once the disc is inserted into the player, the static menu without music immediately pops up; no previews or promos precede it.

Like its recently released film noir cousin Kansas City Confidential, The Red House is being touted as "newly restored," but the 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer looks very similar to the 2016 Film Detective Blu-ray. The same source seems to have been employed, as the print damage and image instability on both discs are strikingly similar. This transfer looks marginally sharper and more vibrant than its 2016 counterpart, but the improvements aren't noticeable enough to merit an upgrade, unless you're a diehard fan.

Like the 2016 Blu-ray, some nicks, scratches, overly bright sequences, and a few focus issues disrupt the viewing experience, but lengthy stretches feature pleasing levels of clarity and contrast and a solid grayscale. Grain levels fluctuate, as do the intensity of blacks and whites, but the picture always flaunts a lovely film-like feel. Day for night scenes come across particularly well, and many close-ups exhibit a beautiful lushness, showcasing the breathtaking glamor of Julie London, the fresh-faced purity of Allene Roberts, the studly ruggedness of Rory Calhoun, and the creases and puffiness of Robinson's endlessly interesting face. For a film that has languished in the public domain for decades, The Red House looks surprisingly good, and this edition edges out its predecessors in the quality department.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track supplies robust sound that adds immeasurably to the eerie atmosphere of the film. The bold, often bombastic music score by Mikós Rósza is the aural star of the show, and a wide dynamic scale embraces all of its soaring highs, swelling strings, and bellowing lows while keeping distortion at bay. Sonic accents like the howling wind, a police siren, and a ringing school bell are crisp, and subtleties like chirping birds help temper the melodramatic goings-on. All the dialogue is generally clear, but some lines during the early storm scene are tough to decipher due to the strong wind effects. A few pops and a bit of crackle afflict the track here and there, but the audio is otherwise clean. This track improves upon the one on the 2016 Film Detective Blu-ray, so if audio is important to you, an upgrade might be in order. 

An audio commentary by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry is the only extra on the disc.

As I wrote in 2016, "Rarely does the dirty world of film noir invade the tranquility of rural America, but that's what makes The Red House so unsettling. Delmer Daves' creepy tale of a crippled farmer's shameful secret and twisted obsession may be hampered by a predictable payoff, but the lead-up keeps us intrigued and engaged. Strong performances from Edward G. Robinson, Judith Anderson, and a cast of attractive up-and-comers, as well as Daves' assured direction, heighten the film's impact and help mask the story's deficiencies." This limited edition release from Film Masters features slick packaging, a glossy, illustrated 12-page booklet, a newly restored transfer that slightly improves on the 2016 Film Detective Blu-ray, and more balanced audio. An upgrade isn't essential if you own a previous Blu-ray version, but if you're an ardent fan or looking to purchase this absorbing film noir for the first time, this is definitely the edition to get. Recommended.