This was one of several more or less ho-hum features that Robert Wise directed between The Set-Up and Somebody Up There Likes Me. In some ways it's a prototype of Dial M For Murder with a would-be murder victim wife (Valentina Cortese) turning to family friend (William Lundigan) when she suspects her husband (Richard Basehart) is attempting to administer poison where it will do the most good. Blended to this is the 'Captive Heart' element in which a desperate person steals the identity of a dead person in wartime (a gimmick also used by novelist Cornell Woolrich/William Irish to great effect). Cortese is effective as the protagonist who, in stealing the identity of a fellow inmate of Belsen, puts herself in line for a fortune which Richard Basehart has schemed to make his own. Although a decent enough actor Basehart lacked charisma as did the third lead William Lundigan whose range extended from A to about F. Despite this Wise turned in a fairly gripping semi-noir that's certainly worth a look.
Review of The House on Telegraph Hill
