As the emotions run higher and higher, Pete begins to confound Meg with her mother. The crucial aspect is that said protection is not necessarily from any ordinary physical dangers, but rather from the very past Pete refuses to divulge. This something is a blinding passion for Meg’s long-deceased mother that bleeds into the protection he wishes to afford Meg. When it becomes apparent that Pete is fighting the urge to embrace his past, one that resulted in the murder of the woman he loved, Meg’s natural mother no less, something in him snaps. Quite the contrary, the skin-crawling nature of Pete’s obsession with protecting the secret only he and sister Ellen (Judith Anderson) are privy to (his sister not being nearly as draconian in how said secret is protected, however) is bold and unexpected. While the latter argument is justifiable and, it should be noted, a disappointing aspect to Daves’ picture, the former is not. Perhaps it is the fact that, sadly, as the plot moves forward and characters, most notably Meg and Nath, probe Pete for answers to his irregular behaviour, the secret of the nearby woods is spelled out in clear cut fashion (or as close as possible) before Nathan and Meg finally reach their mysterious destination amongst the towering trees in the film’s final minutes. Perhaps it is just that, the controversial subject matter that rears its ugly head as the story reaches its climax, that scares people off. So much so does the picture take a sharp turn into some less than savoury topics in the second half that one wonders how is it that the movie is not more regularly cited when discussing the actor’s oeuvre in the modern conversation. Nath and Meg are smart kids however and rightfully suspect Pete to be hiding something in the woods, but what?ĭelmer Daves, who both wrote and directed The Red House, blends some terrific ingredients into the movie, pushing some boundaries of what people sought after in their stories back in 1947 all the while playing to the strengths of his leading man, the legendary Edward G. Pete’s warnings turn out to be true, as the odd wind howls and treacherous paths force Nath to head back and spend the night at the Morgan’s. Nath insists on taking a short cut through the woods, something Pete strongly urges against, claiming it as dangerous with some rather opaque threats. Whilst the first day goes swimmingly, that evening proves the fire starter that complicates each of their lives. Meg introduces Nath to Pete, the latter reluctantly agreeing to give the youth a job. Enter young Nath Storm (Lon McCallister), a boy from school that Pete’s shy adopted daughter, Meg (Allene Roberts) befriends and fancies. Robinson), slightly handicapped by a wooden leg resulting from an incident many years ago, remains hard at work but evidently could use some assistance. Sequestered away from most of the town they live in, the Morgan’s operate a modest but efficient little farm. * It should be noted that in order to properly analyze the heart of the picture’s themes, certain important plot points are divulged in the review below.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |