Behind the Door

Director: Irvin Willat, Irvin V. Willat Irvin Willat

Overview

America has just entered World War I, and because of his name, German-American Oscar Krug (Hobart Bosworth) is thought to be an enemy sympathizer. He fights his foes to prove that they're wrong, then immediately enlists and is assigned to the merchant marines. The night before boarding, he marries his sweetheart, Alice Morse (Jane Novak), and she sails with him, disguised as a Red Cross nurse. A German submarine torpedoes the craft and sinks it. Krug and his bride board a lifeboat, where the sub finds them a couple of days later. The Germans take Alice and leave Krug, who swears revenge to the commander (Wallace Beery). Krug is saved by a passing ship and gets his chance a year later when he is in charge of another ship. It blows up a sub, and Krug sees the commander -- the same man he is looking for -- in the water. He pulls the commander on board and tricks him into telling Krug the details of how the commander ravished Alice and threw her body overboard. Then Krug reveals his identity and skins him alive. The movie's end shows Krug a saddened old man, whose soul rises from his broken body (with the help of double exposure) to join his dead bride. This film was based on a Gouverneur Morris story that appeared in Collier's Weekly.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/18/2017
UPC:	0617311685194
Original Release:	1919
Source:	Flicker Alley
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[silent]
Language:	English
Time:	1:10:00
Sales rank:	31,079

Special Features

Original Russian export version of Behind the door - the re-edited and re-titled version of the film that was distributed in Russia, with musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne.; Original Prodution Outtakes - featuring music composed and performed by Stephen Horne.; Restoring Irvin Willat's Behind the Door - an inside look at the restoration process with the restoration team.; Kevin Brownlow, Remembering Irvin Willat - directed by Patrick Stanbury, an in-depth interview with renowned historian and honorary Academy Award winner Kevin Brownlow on the career of director Irvin Willat.; Slideshow Gallery - original lobby cards, production stills, and promotional material.

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Hobart Bosworth	Oscar Krug
Jane Novak	Alice Morse
Wallace Beery	Lt. Brandt
James Gordon	Bill Tavish
Gibson Gowland	Gideon Blank
Otto Hoffman	Mark Amold
John Lockney	Matthew Morse
Dick Wain	McQuestion

Technical Credits

Luther Reed

Irvin Willat	Director,Director
Luther Reed	Screenwriter