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Joan Bennett, Michael Redgrave, Anne Revere, Barbara O'Neil, Natalie Schafer ... see more see more... , Anabel Shaw , Rosa Rey , James Seay , Mark Dennis , Virginia Brissac , Paul Cavanagh , Tom Chatterton , David Cota , Frank Dae , Danny Duncan , Virginia Farmer , Paul Fierro , Jesse Graves , Donald Kerr , Nolan Leary , Donna Martell , Kay Morley , Pedro Regas , Julian Rivero , Paul Scardon , Houseley Stevenson Sr. , Lucio Villegas , Eddy Waller , Crane Whitley , Marie Harmon , Ralph Littlefield , Harry Denny , Watson Downs , Robert Espinosa , Peggy Remington , Wayne Treadway

Even star Joan Bennett and director Fritz Lang regarded The Secret Beyond the Door as the weakest of their collaborative efforts. Bennett plays spoiled socialite Celia, who falls recklessly in love wi... read more read more...th the handsome but emotionally complex Mark Lamphere (Michael Redgrave, in his first American film). After their wedding, Celia becomes uncomfortably aware that Mark's mild distrust of women is actually a deep-set, and potentially dangerous, hatred. Even when facing the possibility that she'll be murdered in her sleep, Celia remains loyal to her unbalanced husband. The slowly mounting tension is enhanced by the mood-drenched cinematography of Stanley Cortez and the feverish musical score by Miklos Rozsa. But when it's all over, The Secret Beyond the Door fails to linger in the memory in the manner of such earlier Lang-Bennett efforts as The Woman in the Window and Scarlet Street. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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62% liked it

562 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Fritz Lang

Release Date: January 1, 1949

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DVD Release Date: April 22, 2006

Stats: 52 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (52)

  • RCCLBC
    October 11, 2010
    RCCLBC
    Considering the year it was made, it is quite a perverse film.
    Some great visuals and a very interesting (if not overly complex) premise.
    Part of both it's charm and short coming is the horribly dated dialog, but the potential is there for a great film.
  • mjgildea
    September 22, 2010
    mjgildea
    From a story standpoint, Secret Beyond the Door is nothing special. Actually, its pretty damn dull. It's the story of an impetuous marriage where the woman (the beautiful Joan Bennett in this case) gets more than she bargained for. By today's standards it comes off as silly and e... read moreven predictable. And on top of it all, there are so many elements that could've added to the story so well but instead leaving you needing more. But since Fritz Lang directed Secret Beyond the Door and his visual style makes up for the story's numerous shortcomings, I forgave a lot. So much in the last act was a work of art that by the time you get to the end of this movie with its convenient ending you're just left with torn feelings because you saw something magnificent but had to endure this mundane story to see it. I don't know. See it yourself, make your own call...

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Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce
January 6, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Poetry of architecture, rejection of Freud Full Review

Michael E. Grost
August 13, 2005
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television

Strange, weirdly inventive thriller Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
April 21, 2003
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Even Lang himself thought this was a poor film. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
April 4, 2011
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

April 4, 2011
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

April 4, 2011
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

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