Brilliantly portrayed by Edward Robison as a psychology professor Richard Wanley and Joan Bennett as fashion model Alice Reed, the story carries the viewers thorough the drama of intrigue and murder mystery. The screenplay was written by one of the most successful writers of Hollywood, Nunnally Johnson who also wrote for such classics as: The Three Faces of Eve. The Grapes of Wrath, We're not Married, How to Marry a Millionaire, and Dirty Dozen.
The story starts when Richard Wanley, after bidding goodbye to his wife and two children (Robert Blake stars as Dickey Wanley) for a two week vacation, becomes captivated by the portrait of a beautiful woman in the display window of a storefront. His friends, District Attorney Frank Lalor (Raymond Massey) and family physician Dr. Michael Barkstane (Edmond Breon) see him looking at the painting and kid him about his interest in the woman. Later that evening he meets the model who admits that she frequently comes to the spot to check out people's reactions to the painting. A friendly conversation leads the two to drink at the club next door followed by a visit to her apartment, where she shows Richard Wanley other sketches by her artist friend. During this private moment, enters the jealous lover of Alice, Claude Mazard (Arthur Loft) and attacks Wanley thinking he is her lover, when the struggle becomes too much for Wanley, Alice helps him with a scissor to attack him and this result in her lover's death. Both are baffled by the sudden change of events and they make a quick decision to dispose the body in a remote area of the town. By this time it is late in the night. The next day the two learn that the dead man, Claude Mazard is a famous in the field of finance and obviously the case becomes very prominent in the media, and also figure in the friendly conversation with his friends District Attorney Lalor and physician Barkstane. Soon Wanley learns the crime solving minds of Lalor and Police Inspector (Thomas E. Jackson) and realize that they are closing on him. Since the guilty mind doesn't rest, Wanley frequently gives clues to DA that he knows too much about the crime scene. Complicating matters for the worse, a con man and an extortionist named Tim, a.k.a Heidt (Dan Duryea) starts scaring Alice Reed that he will go to the police against her and her new lover who may have been involved in the murder. The movie has a strange ending where the extortionist is shot dead by the police in a shootout and they find some personal belongings of the murder victim which he retrieved from Alice Reed's apartment. DA is too smart to believe that Dan Duryea is the real killer but under circumstances he has to accept that theory since Richard Wanley, too scared by the worsening of events by the minute, commits suicide. The ending is somewhat strange and intriguing which the readers must learn by watching the movie.
The dialog between Wanley and Lalor is very interesting as Wanley self incriminates himself several times that demonstrates the quick mind of the DA played Raymond Massey. At one instance he says: "It's all right Richard, don't get excited. We rarely arrest people just for knowing where the body was". As always, Edward Robinson demonstrates that he is one of the finest actors of Hollywood and Joan Bennett plays as somewhat seductive young woman. She may be remembered for her another memorable performance in Louisa May Alcott's classic "Little Women," starring Kathryn Hepburn and Joan Bennett. "The woman in the window" is a great drama with plenty of mystery.
Reference: The Woman in the Window (MGM Film Noir), starring Edward G. Robinson
The story starts when Richard Wanley, after bidding goodbye to his wife and two children (Robert Blake stars as Dickey Wanley) for a two week vacation, becomes captivated by the portrait of a beautiful woman in the display window of a storefront. His friends, District Attorney Frank Lalor (Raymond Massey) and family physician Dr. Michael Barkstane (Edmond Breon) see him looking at the painting and kid him about his interest in the woman. Later that evening he meets the model who admits that she frequently comes to the spot to check out people's reactions to the painting. A friendly conversation leads the two to drink at the club next door followed by a visit to her apartment, where she shows Richard Wanley other sketches by her artist friend. During this private moment, enters the jealous lover of Alice, Claude Mazard (Arthur Loft) and attacks Wanley thinking he is her lover, when the struggle becomes too much for Wanley, Alice helps him with a scissor to attack him and this result in her lover's death. Both are baffled by the sudden change of events and they make a quick decision to dispose the body in a remote area of the town. By this time it is late in the night. The next day the two learn that the dead man, Claude Mazard is a famous in the field of finance and obviously the case becomes very prominent in the media, and also figure in the friendly conversation with his friends District Attorney Lalor and physician Barkstane. Soon Wanley learns the crime solving minds of Lalor and Police Inspector (Thomas E. Jackson) and realize that they are closing on him. Since the guilty mind doesn't rest, Wanley frequently gives clues to DA that he knows too much about the crime scene. Complicating matters for the worse, a con man and an extortionist named Tim, a.k.a Heidt (Dan Duryea) starts scaring Alice Reed that he will go to the police against her and her new lover who may have been involved in the murder. The movie has a strange ending where the extortionist is shot dead by the police in a shootout and they find some personal belongings of the murder victim which he retrieved from Alice Reed's apartment. DA is too smart to believe that Dan Duryea is the real killer but under circumstances he has to accept that theory since Richard Wanley, too scared by the worsening of events by the minute, commits suicide. The ending is somewhat strange and intriguing which the readers must learn by watching the movie.
The dialog between Wanley and Lalor is very interesting as Wanley self incriminates himself several times that demonstrates the quick mind of the DA played Raymond Massey. At one instance he says: "It's all right Richard, don't get excited. We rarely arrest people just for knowing where the body was". As always, Edward Robinson demonstrates that he is one of the finest actors of Hollywood and Joan Bennett plays as somewhat seductive young woman. She may be remembered for her another memorable performance in Louisa May Alcott's classic "Little Women," starring Kathryn Hepburn and Joan Bennett. "The woman in the window" is a great drama with plenty of mystery.
Reference: The Woman in the Window (MGM Film Noir), starring Edward G. Robinson
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