Secret Beyond the Door Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Secret Beyond the Door Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 15, 2014

Fritz Lang's "Secret Beyond the Door" a.k.a. "Le Secret derrière la porte" (1947) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include two new visual essays produced by Allerton Films and gallery of stills from the film. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

I missed you so much

While on vacation in Mexico, the young, beautiful and wealthy Celia (Joan Bennett, Scarlet Street, Father of the Bride) meets the handsome architect Mark Lamphere (Michael Redgrave, The Lady Vanishes, The Innocents). Almost immediately, she can tell that he is The One. Soon after, the two marry in a beautiful cathedral.

But when Celia moves into Mark’s mansion in New York, she is shocked to learn from his sister (Anne Revere, A Place in the Sun) that he is a widower with a teenage son whom he can barely stand because he has accused him of murdering his mother. Celia also discovers that her husband has a strange hobby -- he 'collects' replicas of rooms in which something terrible has happened. There are seven rooms in his precious collection, but he readily shows to his friends and guests only the first six. The last room in the collection remains locked at all times.

While trying to find a way to unlock the mysterious room, Celia gradually realizes that she has married an emotionally unstable man who is fascinated with death. Nevertheless, she decides to remain loyal to Mark because her heart still desires him while her mind insists that if she tries hard enough, she could help him overcome his personal demons.

Completed by Fritz Lang in 1947, Secret Beyond the Door is likely to appeal primarily to viewers who enjoy thrillers in which the atmosphere is far more important than logic and structure. This isn’t to imply that the film is hopelessly illogical or incoherent, but there are some quite unusual surrealist overtones in it which slowly yet very effectively change its identity.

By the time Celia figures out how to unlock the secret door, Lang is no longer interested in the progression of her relationship with Mark. This seems rather strange because the more Celia learns about Mark’s past, the more unpredictable he becomes, forcing the viewer to speculate about the real motives behind his decision to marry her. Instead, Lang spends more time exploring the dark corners of the large mansion, which quickly becomes a key character in the film.

The second half of the film is firmly in Gothic territory. As Celia explores the mansion, Lang and the great cinematographer Stanley Cortez (The Night of the Hunter, Shock Corridor) use light and shadow in a variety of ways to enhance the already very tense atmosphere. An appropriately lush score by Miklos Rozsa (Ben-Hur, Double Indemnity) also adds an extra dose of flavor to the visuals.

The finale is undoubtedly the film’s Achilles’ heel -- a quick character transformation is used to bring solid logic to the narrative, but it is virtually impossible to take it seriously. Frankly, from the moment Celia arrives in New York it becomes painfully obvious that such a character transformation is to be expected; the only question that remains is when and how Lang will introduce it.

Secret Beyond the Door was Redgrave's first American film. The British actor’s next appearance was in Anthony Asquith’s The Browning Version (1951), for which he won Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Secret Beyond the Door Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fritz Lang's Secret Beyond the Door arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films.

The high-definition transfer is not identical to the one Olive Films used for their Blu-ray release of this film in the United States, but the basic characteristics of the two high-definition transfers are very similar. Image depth and clarity are virtually identical, though grain appears slightly better resolved on the Carlotta Films release. Generally speaking, contrast levels remain stable, but there are a couple of darker sequences where minor fluctuations are present. These fluctuations, however, are clearly inherited. Color saturation is similar as well -- the blacks are lush and stable, while the whites and good range of grays look natural. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Compromising sharpening adjustments have not been applied either. Predictably, the film has a very pleasing organic look. Finally, aside from a few uneven frame transitions, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. Also, the high-definition transfer isn't plagued by large damage marks, cuts, debris, or stains. To sum it all up, this is indeed a lovely organic presentation of Fritz Lang's film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Secret Beyond the Door Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. For the record, Carlotta Films have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature. (They can be turned off with the remote control).

Dynamic intensity is somewhat uneven. There are also minor balance fluctuations between Miklos Rozsa's music score and the dialog/narration. As far as I am concerned, however, these are inherited limitations. This becomes very obvious when one listens to the casual exchanges between the main protagonists as overall depth and fluidity are also somewhat inconsistent. Additionally, some extremely light background hiss occasionally sneaks in, but it never becomes distracting. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Secret Beyond the Door Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Joan Bennett: La "chose enrobee de cellophane" - an in-depth look at the life and legacy of Joan Bennett. Included in this visual essay are various archival film stills and personal photographs. Produced by Christian Viviani for Allerton Films. In French, not subtitled. (11 min).

• "Pourquoi suis-je interesse par le meurtre?" - an in-depth look at the visual style of Fritz Lang's Secret Beyond the Door. The visual essay was produced by Nicolas Ripoche for Allerton Films. In French, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Galerie Photos - a collection of stills from the film. With music. (4 min).

Secret Beyond the Door Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

To some extent, Fritz Lang's Secret Beyond the Door might have been influenced by Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, but it clearly has an identity of its own, and it is a strange one. There is a very strong Gothic atmosphere in it, which almost feels mismanaged. Still, Stanley Cortez's superb lensing makes this film very easy to recommend. RECOMMENDED.