Review of Secret Beyond the Door (1947) by Private U — 15 Sep 2008
A dark, complex and atmospheric film about love and death. Lang plays with the expressionist atmosphere of the film to better evoke the deep psychology of the two main characters. It's impossible not to recall Hitchcock's 'Rebecca' while watching this film, right through the creepy 'secretary' and ghostly presence of the dead wife.
Bennett plays her character as self-sufficient, dedicated, and powerful as she seeks to unravel her husband's tortured pathology in an attempt to save him (and herself). Some genuinely suspenseful moments give way to a slightly strange denouement that nonetheless fulfills the film's complex psychological trajectory.
My one objection must be the pervasive voiceover that runs through too much of the film, limiting some of the power of the actors (both the leads are superb) by describing and characterizing too much of the scene.
It was as though Lang did not trust the strength of his visuals to adequately convey the film's narrational complexity. But a completely enjoyable film, very satisfying, with a lot more going on under the surface than even the film itself acknowledges.
This review of Secret Beyond the Door (1947) was written by Private U on 15 Sep 2008.
Secret Beyond the Door has generally received positive reviews.
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