Human Desire
Human Desire

Movie spotlight

Human Desire

1954
Movie
91 min
English

A Korean War vet returns to his job as a railroad engineer and becomes involved in a sordid affair with a co-worker's wife and murder. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, in 1997.

Insights

IMDb7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes71%
Google Users87%
Director: Fritz LangGenres: Film-Noir, Thriller, Drama

Plot Summary

In this noir thriller, German immigrant Karl Mueller arrives in America seeking work and finds employment as a railway engineer. He becomes entangled with Vicki Buckley, the wife of his supervisor, leading to a dangerous love triangle. As obsession and jealousy take hold, Karl is drawn into a web of deceit and violence that threatens to consume them all.

Critical Reception

Fritz Lang's 'Human Desire' is a bleak and atmospheric film noir, notable for its exploration of destructive passion and doomed romance. While not as widely celebrated as some of Lang's other works, it is often praised for its visual style, intense performances, and the director's signature dark thematic elements, though some critics found its plot somewhat predictable.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its suspenseful direction and tense atmosphere.

  • Lauded for the compelling performances of its lead actors, particularly Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame.

  • Noted for its dark, fatalistic themes typical of film noir.

Google audience: Google users generally appreciate 'Human Desire' for its gripping storyline and the strong chemistry between the main actors. The film is often cited as a solid example of Fritz Lang's directorial skill within the film noir genre, though some viewers found the ending to be quite grim.

Fun Fact

The film is Fritz Lang's second adaptation of Émile Zola's 1890 novel 'La Bête humaine', having previously directed a French version in 1938 titled 'La Bête humaine'.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

2 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

"Jeff" (Glenn Ford) returns from the Korean War to the United States where he picks up where he left off at the railroad. His boss "Buckley" (Broderick Crawford) is the jealous sort and suspects that his wife "Vicki" (Gloria Grahame) is pla...

John Chard

John Chard

You never knew me. Human Desire is directed by Fritz Lang and adapted for the screen by Alfred Hayes from the story "The Human Beast" written by Émile Zola. It stars Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Broderick Crawford. Music is by Daniel...

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