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House of Strangers
Before winning four Oscars for writing and directing A Letter To Three Wives and All About Eve, Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed and wrote a richly entertaining Shakespearean-styled family drama called House of Strangers thanks to Mankiewicz' skill and a some sterling lead performances.
As the film opens we see Max Monetti (Richard Conte) being released from prison after seven years and going to the bank being run by his three brothers. Max rebuffs his brothers' offers to make peace and says he plans revenge on all of them and his father, one Gino Monetti (Edward G. Robinson). The film then flashes back to Max and his brothers working their tails off to impress daddy Gino, who really doesn't have any feelings for any of them except Max. Max also finds himself in an on and off love affair with a flashy socialite named Irene (Susan Hayward) despite the fact that he's engaged.
Mario Puzo has to have been influenced by this film when he wrote The Godfather because the influence is definitely felt here. Four brothers struggling to get attention from a patriarch that they never really get here. There's a great scene at the beginning of the film where we see crowds of people gathering in front of Gino's desk, begging for financial favors the same way folks seek favors from Don Vito Corleone at the beginning of The Godfather during Connie's wedding. Was also impressed with the silence of Gino's wife, for the majority of the film, living up to the quiet Italian matriarch she was supposed to be.
Edward G Robinson offers one of his most dazzling performances as Gino and Richard Conte gives the strongest performance I've ever seen from him as Max and the chemistry that he and Susan Hayward create onscreen is positively electric. A classy and intense melodrama from the golden age of cinema. The final scene is a knockout.
Before winning four Oscars for writing and directing A Letter To Three Wives and All About Eve, Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed and wrote a richly entertaining Shakespearean-styled family drama called House of Strangers thanks to Mankiewicz' skill and a some sterling lead performances.
As the film opens we see Max Monetti (Richard Conte) being released from prison after seven years and going to the bank being run by his three brothers. Max rebuffs his brothers' offers to make peace and says he plans revenge on all of them and his father, one Gino Monetti (Edward G. Robinson). The film then flashes back to Max and his brothers working their tails off to impress daddy Gino, who really doesn't have any feelings for any of them except Max. Max also finds himself in an on and off love affair with a flashy socialite named Irene (Susan Hayward) despite the fact that he's engaged.
Mario Puzo has to have been influenced by this film when he wrote The Godfather because the influence is definitely felt here. Four brothers struggling to get attention from a patriarch that they never really get here. There's a great scene at the beginning of the film where we see crowds of people gathering in front of Gino's desk, begging for financial favors the same way folks seek favors from Don Vito Corleone at the beginning of The Godfather during Connie's wedding. Was also impressed with the silence of Gino's wife, for the majority of the film, living up to the quiet Italian matriarch she was supposed to be.
Edward G Robinson offers one of his most dazzling performances as Gino and Richard Conte gives the strongest performance I've ever seen from him as Max and the chemistry that he and Susan Hayward create onscreen is positively electric. A classy and intense melodrama from the golden age of cinema. The final scene is a knockout.