The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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The House on Telegraph Hill
Thriller · Drama · Mystery · 1951
Concentration camp survivor Victoria Kowelska finds herself involved in mystery, greed, and murder when she assumes the identity of a dead friend in order to gain passage to America.
Movie details
The House on Telegraph Hill
“Shame is the mistress of this house and betrayal its master!”
1951 Thriller · Drama · Mystery 1h 33m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.4 / 10
Community rating
Concentration camp survivor Victoria Kowelska finds herself involved in mystery, greed, and murder when she assumes the identity of a dead friend in order to gain passage to America.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The House on Telegraph Hill?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
The Red House
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Obsession
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A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his late wife.
Remember
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With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.
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The Caveman's Valentine
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Romulus, a misunderstood musician turned recluse hiding from personal demons in a New York City cave, finds the frozen body of a young drifter in a tree. The authorities, including his police officer daughter, claim the death is accidental. Romulus is convinced the man was murdered by a prominent art photographer but how can he prove he's right when everyone thinks he's insane?
The Eternal Daughter
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An artist and her elderly mother confront long-buried secrets when they return to a former family home, now a hotel haunted by its mysterious past.
Nancy
Mystery · 2018
Nancy becomes increasingly convinced she was kidnapped as a child. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing thirty years ago, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief.
Laura
Drama · 1944
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.
The Deep End of the Ocean
Drama · 1999
A three-year-old boy disappears during his mother's high school reunion. Nine years later, by chance, he turns up in the town in which the family has just relocated.
Dark Passage
Thriller · 1947
A man convicted of murdering his wife escapes from prison and works with a woman to try and prove his innocence.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Robert Wise
Written by
Elick Moll · Frank Partos
Richard Basehart
Alan Spender
Valentina Cortese
Victoria Kowelska
William Lundigan
Major Marc Bennett
Fay Baker
Margaret
G
Gordon Gebert
Christopher
Steven Geray
Dr. Burkhardt
Herbert Butterfield
Joseph C. Callahan
Court is in session
Put The House on Telegraph Hill on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.