THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (1944) B/W 100m dir: Fritz Lang

w/Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey, Dan Duryea, Edmond Breon, Thomas E. Jackson, Arthur Loft, Dorothy Peterson, Frank Dawson, Carol Cameron, Robert Blake

His family on holiday, a professor has a chance acquaintance with a beautiful woman and becomes involved in murder. This is a superbly thrilling, tense melodrama with fine direction from Lang and good performances. The ending's a shocker!

From Variety's review of the film: "Nunnally Johnson whips up a strong and decidedly suspenseful murder melodrama in Woman in the Window. Producer, who also prepared the screenplay [from the novel Once off Guard by J.H. Wallis] continually punches across the suspense for constant and maximum audience reaction. Added are especially fine timing in the direction by Fritz Lang and outstanding performances by Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey and Dan Duryea."

From Georges Sadoul's Dictionary of Films: "One of Fritz Lang's better American films, with a fine performance by Edward G. Robinson, a la Emil Jannings [the reference here is to THE BLUE ANGEL], as a middle-aged philanderer trapped by his own emotional weakness."

From The Movie Guide: "With its terse pacing and elegant camera work, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW was a great box-office success and one of the most praised films noir of its time. Robinson, in a role different from his standard gangster part, shines and holds the film's credibility together by turning in a convincing portrayal of a good man who is caught off guard just once (to paraphrase the title of the novel, Once Off Guard, on which the film is based). Bennett, in her second Lang film after 1941's MAN HUNT, is dazzlingly alluring as the fantasy girl who comes to life for Robinson. The collaboration between Bennett and Lang was so amiable that they would work together two more times, in SCARLET STREET with Robinson again as costar, and in SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR, both produced by her and husband Walter Wanger's own Diana Productions. Although many people feel cheated by the film's ending, Lang always felt (in later interviews) that his decision was justified. Either way, it's still a fine film."

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW was nominated for an Oscar for Best Score (Hugo Friedhofer, Arthur Lange).