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(aka 'Floodtide')
Exiled to Republic Pictures, Fritz Lang (Metropolis, Scarlet Street) created House by the River, a shocking and mordant low-budget thriller. Like fellow cinema giants Orson Welles and John Ford, Lang enjoyed a freedom at Republic that allowed him to make a truly unique and personal film. Regarding House by the River, Cahiers du Cinéma declared, “Lang’s main erotic obsession is displayed more clearly than in any of his other films.” Victorian ne’er-do-well Stephen Byrne (Louis Hayward, And Then There Were None) assaults and accidentally murders his wife’s virginal housekeeper. With the reluctant assistance of loyal brother John (Lee Bowman, Bataan), Stephen remorselessly consigns the girl’s corpse to the river. But as John’s affection for Stephen’s wife Marjorie (Jane Wyatt, Pitfall), police suspicion about the girl’s disappearance, and the depths of Stephen’s depravity all escalate, the river itself provokes a horrifying reunion between victim and murderer. Boasting an ingenious script by The Spiral Staircase scribe Mel Dinelli and evocative photography by seven-time Oscar® nominee Edward Cronjager (Heaven Can Wait), House by the River is a criminally underrated American film, both a work of art and a moral nightmare. *** This film has been neglected, partly because prints are hard to come by, and those existing accentuate the gloominess of the period events and the atmospheric photography. More significantly the second-rung cast respond to the spirit but not the tone of the story about a writer (Hayward) who murders his servant and then implicates his brother (Bowman) in the crime. Adapted by Dinelli - a master of small-scale terror - from a novel, it stays in the house and on the weed-clogged river where the body is disposed of. It tumbles into melodrama after its opening nightmare, but that's not unusual in Lang's films. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: March 25th, 1950
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Kino - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Wild Side Video (2-disc) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
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Distribution | Kino - Region 1 - NTSC | Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL | Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:24:39 | 1:24:39 (4% PAL speedup) | 1:28:29.012 |
Video |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.21 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.89 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
1. 37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 29,502,101,208 bytesFeature: 27,722,004,480 bytes Video Bitrate: 37.91 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Kino: |
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Bitrate: |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) | English (Dolby Digital 2.0) |
DTS-HD Master
Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 /
48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
Subtitles | None | French, none | English, none |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • Interview
with Pierre Rissient (7:39)
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Release Information: Edition Details: • Conversation with Fritz Lang and William Friedkin (47:32 in English) • Interview with Pierre Rissient (26:08 in French - no subtitles)
• Interview with Patrick Brion (25:38 in
French - no subtitles) |
Release Information: Studio: Kino
1. 37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 29,502,101,208 bytesFeature: 27,722,004,480 bytes Video Bitrate: 37.91 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 44 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track (16-bit) in the original
English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio
(consistent and clear dialogue) plus the wonderful score by
George Antheil
Kino include a new audio commentary by Film
Historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (author of
Rape-Revenge Films: A
Critical Study) and her focus in the beginning centers around
gender politics and gendered violence, how the 'failed seduction' is
really 'sexual assault' and more of that - later she is quite
informative mentioning the HUAC (House Un-American Activities
Committee), effectiveness of costume design in House By the River,
a lot on Fritz Lang as well as reading quotes from other reviewers about
the film. Kino include the same 8-minute interview with historian Pierre
Rissient - a longtime admirer of Fritz Lang's work, filmmaker and
cineaste Rissient helped rescue House by the River from
obscurity. There are also trailers for other, related, films.
House by the River
has been out of the conversation and unjustly so. The French have
embraced this 'dark cinema' as a hidden classic and it is! Kino add the
valuable commentary and give the film a 2K-restoration Blu-ray
transfer plus lossless audio. This is a must-own, imo.
Gary Tooze
ON THE DVDs: Wild Side Region 2 - PAL -
June 07': Well it wouldn't be hard to better the 3.51 Gig
single-layered Kino... and the new Wild Side have done just that. The
pronounced green tint of the Kino transfer is exemplified when
sitting next to the Wild Side and its superior contrast. The Kino
'combing' (from interlaced source and/or unconverted PAL) is rife. I
can't be positive that the Wild Side is not a culprit of standard
conversion as there is a bit combing evident as well (alchemist
transfer?) but overall it is vastly superior with less visible damage
but it's is also single-layered (4.73 Gig). The Wild Side is in English
with OPTIONAL French subtitles. Framing tends to have the French DVD
show a shade more information - mostly on the left edge.
I loved the, almost 50 minute, Fritz Lang - William
Friedkin discussion on disc 2 of the Wild Side. In English with optional
French subtitles. Fabulous stuff - worth the disc price alone. There are
two other interviews but they are in French only (no subtitles).
Classic Lang - the definitive SD transfer
of the film and a great supplement interview. SOLD!
NOTE: Claude tells us in email "I
bought the Wild side release of Lang's 'House by the
River''. The one I received from an aftermarket seller
is not the custom digipack release as shown on dvd
beaver but it comes in a plastic standard keepcase (also
2 discs collector's edition). Pictures on top side of
DVDs are different. This is an original Wild Side that I
believe was released later. The menu on the discs is
exactly the same as pictured on your screen captures.
The problem is that I can not remove the French
subtitles contrary to what you mentioned and I just hate
that. Could it be my player? Usually this Oppo is good
at removing them using the remote control. I wrote to
Wild Side exposing this issue and asked if it there
could be a difference between the 2 releases, but
frankly as I know the French, I'm pretty sure they won't
answer me."
***
On the Kino
DVD (2005): I'm getting a little tired of Kino Video -
Shoddy transfers, no subtitle options, prints with prevalent damage
showing and available at higher-than-average prices.
You can
see various degrees of combing in captures # 4 and 8, proving this again
to be non-progressive - in fact - its not even dual layered - it takes
up only 3.51 Gig of disc space. This looks to possibly be from a PAL
source and there are scratches and damage marks showing throughout. This
is definitely overpriced and I am sick of lining Kino's pockets with my
money. No thanks.
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Kino - Region 1 - NTSC
Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL
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Package - Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL
Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample - Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
1) Kino - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Kino - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Kino - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Kino - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
1) Kino - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
Box Cover |
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Distribution | Kino - Region 1 - NTSC | Wild Side Video - Region 2 - PAL | Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
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