''House of Strangers'' is a 1949 American

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

directed by

Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (; February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career, and won both the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best ...

and starring

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...

, and Richard Conte. The screenplay by Philip Yordan and Mankiewicz (who chose to go uncredited) is the first of three film versions of

Jerome Weidman Jerome Weidman (April 4, 1913, New York City – October 6, 1998, New York City) was an American playwright and novelist. He collaborated with George Abbott on the book for the musical ''Fiorello!'' with music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldo ...

's novel ''I'll Never Go There Any More'', the others being the

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

western '' Broken Lance'' (1954) and '' The Big Show'' (1961).

Plot

Gino Monetti is a rags-to-riches Italian-American banker in New York City whose methods result in a number of criminal charges. Three of his four grown sons, the ambitious Joe, playboy Tony, and physically imposing Pietro, unhappy at their domineering father's dismissive treatment of them, refuse to help Gino when he is put on trial for questionable business practices. Max, a lawyer, is the only son who stays loyal to his father, and he serves as Gino's attorney during the trial. When Gino signs ownership of his bank over to his wife Theresa as a temporary protective measure, Joe persuades his mother to sign it over to him and seizes control. Gino is relegated to an early retirement with a meager monthly allowance. The three brothers conspire to send Max to jail as well. When Max tries to bribe a juror to save his father, his crime is exposed; he is disbarred and sentenced to seven years in prison. Max must leave behind Maria, the girl he had been expected to marry, and Irene, a client he fell in love with after becoming her attorney. Meanwhile, humiliated by Joe's betrayal and directionless without his bank to run, Gino's health deteriorates and he dies shortly before Max is released. At his father's funeral, Max vows revenge on his brothers, but that night he has a change of heart when he realizes that his father had caused all the tension within the family. The three brothers are still worried about his quest for vengeance, however, and confront him. After a fight in which Max is incapacitated, Joe even goes so far as to order Pietro to throw Max off their house's balcony to his death, but in doing so, Joe insults Pietro in the same way their father always had, prompting Pietro to turn on Joe instead. Max saves Joe from Pietro's wrath by reminding Pietro that if he kills Joe, he would only be doing exactly as their father would have wanted. Max then leaves his brothers to rejoin Irene and travel to San Francisco, where they plan to start a new life together.

Cast

as Gino Monetti *

as Irene Bennett * Richard Conte as Max Monetti * Luther Adler as Joe Monetti *

Paul Valentine Paul Valentine (born William Daixel; March 23, 1919 – January 27, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was married to Lili St. Cyr from 1946 to 1950 and danced opposite her on stage. Biography Born in New York City he was ...

as Pietro Monetti * Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Tony Monetti *

Debra Paget Debra Paget (born Debralee Griffin; August 19, 1933) is an American actress and entertainer. She is perhaps best known for her performances in Cecil B. DeMille's epic ''The Ten Commandments'' (1956) and in Elvis Presley's film debut, '' Love Me ...

as Maria Domenico *

Hope Emerson Hope Emerson (October 29, 1897 – April 24, 1960;) was an American actress, vaudevillian, nightclub performer, and strongwoman. An imposing person physically, she weighed between and stood tall in her prime. Early life Emerson was born in ...

as Helena Domenico * Esther Minciotti as Theresa Monetti, wife of Gino Monetti

Reception

Critical response

Film critic Dennis Schwartz liked the film, writing, "Joseph L. Mankiewicz stylishly helms the dark screenplay by Philip Yordan of Jerome Weidman's novel ''I'll Never Go There Any More'' ... It's a bitter psychological family drama that focuses on hatred as the family's driving force instead of love. Max is the ambivalent hero, the only one in the film who is a true film noir character, who is punished for being loyal to his father yet is someone who has rejected the ways of the old-country and its traditionalism for the ethics of the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

. Superb performances by Conte, Robinson, and Adler lift the ordinary dramatics into loftier territory."Schwartz, Dennis
. ''Ozus' World Movie Reviews'', film review, December 13, 2004. Accessed: July 12, 2013.

Accolades

The film was entered into the

1949 Cannes Film Festival The 3rd Cannes Film Festival was held from 2 to 17 September 1949 in film, 1949. The previous year, no festival had been held because of financial problems. Like in 1947, the entire jury for this festival was made up of French persons, with histo ...

and

won the prize for

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:House Of Strangers 1949 films 1949 drama films 20th Century Fox films American black-and-white films American drama films 1940s English-language films Film noir Films based on American novels Films directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz Films produced by Sol C. Siegel Films scored by Daniele Amfitheatrof Films set in New York City Films set in the 1930s 1940s American films