This 1948 film-noir has one big advantage
and one slight disadvantage. The advantage is that it was directed by Fritz Lang. And everyone only mildly interested in cinema knows that this man was responsible for some of the most mesmerizing milestones of early cinema. 'M', 'Metropolis' or 'Dr. Mabuse' are titles that can easily be considered masterpieces and I'm sure that I'm not the only person who watched 'Secret Beyond the Door' mostly because Lang directed it. The disadvantage is that
.it was directed by Fritz Lang! For all the above stated reasons, you automatically have high expectations and this film even though an intelligent and professionally elaborated movie simply can't redeem them. * * * spoilers * * * After the sudden death of her beloved brother, Celia (Joan Bennett) goes on a vacation to Mexico where she falls head over heels in love with the handsome Mark (Michael Redgrave). Without giving it much consideration, the couple gets married. Shortly after, Mark becomes rude, more distant and sometimes even disrespectful towards Celia. When Mark all of sudden has to leave for business matters, Celia even discovers an entire past of Mark. He was married before, has a son and keeps several secrets for everyone! The most intriguing one is a forbidden room in his mansion
* * * end spoilers * * *
'Secret beyond the Door' has a great basic plot and that's not coincidentally because it's a variation on the magnificent 'Bluebeard' tale. Unfortunately, the film is a bit long; it suffers from too many tedious parts and there's little excitement at first. Also, even though she sounds gorgeous, Bennett's voice-over is a bit annoying from time to time. The final half hour is very compelling and loaded with atmosphere and tension. Lang works his way up to a terrific finale but the actual 'secret' is very very disappointing! That's really too bad because the story deserved a more credible climax. That's why I initially mentioned that maybe the secret was better left unrevealed. But enough with the negative aspects! The film, with its stylish photography, is beautiful to look at and the acting is nearly perfect. Joan Bennett gives away a touching performance as the insecure, but devoted Celia. Lang's directing is solid as always and lifts the entire production up to a higher level. I picked up somewhere that Lang himself didn't like how 'Secret beyond the Door' looked. This only shows he was a remarkable director Even when he doesn't fully support what he's making, he still delivers a quality product.
'Secret beyond the Door' has a great basic plot and that's not coincidentally because it's a variation on the magnificent 'Bluebeard' tale. Unfortunately, the film is a bit long; it suffers from too many tedious parts and there's little excitement at first. Also, even though she sounds gorgeous, Bennett's voice-over is a bit annoying from time to time. The final half hour is very compelling and loaded with atmosphere and tension. Lang works his way up to a terrific finale but the actual 'secret' is very very disappointing! That's really too bad because the story deserved a more credible climax. That's why I initially mentioned that maybe the secret was better left unrevealed. But enough with the negative aspects! The film, with its stylish photography, is beautiful to look at and the acting is nearly perfect. Joan Bennett gives away a touching performance as the insecure, but devoted Celia. Lang's directing is solid as always and lifts the entire production up to a higher level. I picked up somewhere that Lang himself didn't like how 'Secret beyond the Door' looked. This only shows he was a remarkable director Even when he doesn't fully support what he's making, he still delivers a quality product.