Human Desire

Human Desire

Vicki Buckley

Carl Buckley

Ellen Simmons

Jean

Vera Simmons

John Owens

Brakeman (uncredited)

Davidson (uncredited)

Yard Dispatcher (uncredited)

John Thurston (uncredited)

Chief of Police (uncredited)

Matt Henley (uncredited)

Prosecutor Gruber (uncredited)

Duggan - Bartender (uncredited)

Lewis (uncredited)

Gruber's Assistant at Inquest (uncredited)

'Russ' Russell, Train Conductor (uncredited)

Gloria Grahame's part was originally intended for Rita Hayworth.

Fritz Lang did not like the title and thought it redundant. "What other kind of desire is there?" is his reported comment.

Fritz Lang had desperately wanted Peter Lorre to play Jeff Warren, but Lang had treated Lorre so abusively during the making of M (1931) that the actor refused.

The closing sequence shows the famous "Trenton Makes, The World Takes" bridge over the Delaware River and the NJ State Capitol out the side window of the locomotive over Jeff Warren's shoulder, meaning the train is headed south on the four-track Pennsylvania Railroad Northeast Corridor. The scene cuts to the front window and the train is on a single-line track in farmland passing a track gang. After Glen waves to the workers, the scene cuts back to a forward view of a three-track railroad passing an opposing steam train that was not visible in the previous shot.

In the opening scene, the train as seen from a high shot, is being pulled by a Baltimore and Ohio locomotive manufactured by Electro Motive. The locomotive Jeff Warren climbs down from is an ALCO manufactured locomotive lettered for Central National Railroad. While such a change of locomotives was certainly possible, the same engineer would never be operating it for two different railroads.

When Jeff Warren is shown operating the throttle, three quick shots show the throttle in widely different positions with the middle footage being a shot of an actual trainman operated throttle. In reality, no throttle would ever be moved between positions that quickly as it would make for a violent ride if it did not actually pull the cars apart at their couplers.

Jeff Warren: It's all wrong, Vicki. The whole thing's been wrong from the beginning... and I feel dirty.

Jean: All women are alike. They just got different faces so that the men can tell them apart.

John Thurston: Good to see you back, Jeff.