Review of House On Carroll Street, The

Introduction

The early 50`s were a dangerous time in the US, the war was over but there was a fear that Communism would spread across the world. This period was known as the Red Scare, and lasted from 1948 to 1956. During this time, people were forced to appear before committees where they were, somewhat tenuously in most cases, suspected of communist sympathising. Lives were ruined on the most flimsy of circumstantial evidence or the refusal to co-operate with these proponents of McCarthyism.

Emily Crane (Kelly McGillis) is an assistant photo editor with Life magazine, who also works for a human rights organisation called Liberty Watch. Crane opens the film by appearing in front of a US Senate Hearing in 1951, subpoenaed to disclose information on members of Liberty Watch. Aggressively questioned by Senator Ray Salwen (Mandy Patinkin), Crane refuses to disclose the information requested and thus is cited by the committee. This action leads to her both losing her job and being watched by FBI agent Cochran (Jeff Daniels).

Crane gets a job as a book reader to old lady Miss Venable (Jessica Tandy), and in the garden one day overhears some shouting in German from a nearby house. Also present in the house is her recent nemesis Salwen. Thus begins Crane`s short career as a Nancy Drew-inspired `tec, trying to work out what dastardly deeds Salwen is behind.

Video

Some print damage, no attempt to clean this up at all.

Audio

Nothing to write home about, does come with English subtitles though.

Features

Nothing…

Conclusion

It started off promisingly as a McCarthesque drama, but this film very quickly turned into a hunt for Nazi`s with our heroine managing to out-sleuth everyone. Not bad for an assistant photo editor. Daniels isn`t really given much to do other than shout a bit and sleep with McGillis, a waste of his ability as his role is really that of a cardboard Government agent.

Patinkin plays the bad guy in a role that is just too coincidental. His Senator not only gives McGillis a hard time at the initial Senate Hearing, but also just happens to be behind a plot to smuggle in Nazi war criminals centred in a house just opposite where McGillis gets a new job? And the ending is very much clichéd and a letdown.

There could have been an interesting story here, but instead the clumsy script heads unconvincingly down the thriller route and in doing so we end up with a seriously less than thrilling film. What a waste.