One of the great films noir
Fritz Lang's The Woman in the Window (1944) is one of the great films noir. When I first saw it and saw that ending, I was surprised but not unhappy, as some of the posters here seem to be.
Then, years later, when I saw it for the second time, the whole thing fell into place beautifully... and my admiration for Lang, Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea soared, that they could create such a beautiful motion picture.
Oh, I don't mean beautiful as in star-studded with color, marquee names, or a cast of thousands. I mean it is a beautiful film in the way it is constructed. Like a jigsaw puzzle that looks impossible to finish at first, but in the end you find that all the pieces fit together perfectly.
Don't want to make this post too lengthy. Just let me say that, if you've seen The Woman in the Window only once, you've had an enjoyable experience; but if you've seen it TWICE, the experience will leave you breathless.
How does a director -- Lang, in this case -- fit the pieces together so perfectly? From the opening scene, we find Robinson, as Professor Wanley, lecturing his class on the degrees of criminality involved in a murder. The points he makes come in very handy later, in his unexpected adventure. Also: The man (Arthur Loft) that Wanley supposedly kills halfway through the movie can be seen in the opening moments, as Charlie the hatcheck man. Dan Duryea, who plays the skunk who tries to blackmail Wanley and the beauty he's picked up (Joan Bennett), can't quite be seen as the doorman at the men's club in the early scenes, at least not on my copy... but the revelation is logical.
To my mind, this is a thriller twice as good as Vertigo (1958), that over-praised Hitchcock lollipop. In the latter film, Hitchcock cops out by revealing the ending to this mystifying puzzle to us, the audience, half and hour before it ends for real. I still haven't heard a satisfactory explanation for that abomination.
But The Woman in the Window neatly leaves all the pieces in their place, revealing nothing in advance, and challenges us to guess the ending.
And in a stroke of Wellesian genius, the great "transition" scene near the end echoes some of the stunning shots from Citizen Kane (1941). I dare say no more, for fear of revealing too much to those who have not seen this Lang masterpiece. But trust me, it is the work of a master indeed.
Cheers,
Dan
English subtitles are a MUST on all DVD releases!