Edward G. Robinson & Joan Bennett in Fritz Lang's "The Woman Ιn The Window" (1944) - with Dan Duryea

College professor Richard Wanley (Edward G. Robinson) sends his wife (Dorothy Peterson) and two children, Dickie (Robert Blake) and Elsie (Carol Cameron) off on vacation, then goes to his club.

Wanley sees a striking oil portrait of Alice Reed (Joan Bennett) in a storefront window. He and his friends talk about the beautiful painting. Wanley stays at the club, and when he leaves, Wanley stops at the portrait and meets Reed, who is standing near the painting watching people gaze at it. Reed convinces Wanley to join her for drinks.

Later, they go to Reed's home, but an unexpected visit from her rich clandestine lover Claude Mazard (Arthur Loft), known to Reed initially only as Frank Howard, leads to a fight in which Wanley kills Mazard in self-defense. Wanley and Reed conspire to cover up the murder, and Wanley disposes of Mazard's body in the country. However, Wanley leaves many clues, and there are a number of witnesses. One of Wanley's friends from the club, district attorney Frank Lalor (Raymond Massey), has knowledge of the investigation, and Wanley is invited back to the crime scene as Lalor's friend but not as a suspect. On several occasions, Wanley slips and says things that seem to indicate that he may know more about the murder than he should, but Lalor does not suspect Wanley.

As the police gather more evidence, Reed is blackmailed by Heidt (Dan Duryea), a crooked ex-cop who had been hired to follow Mazard. Wanley and Reed discuss the problem, and he concludes that the best way to deal with a blackmailer is to kill him. Wanley gives Reed prescription medicine in powder form for the murder. When Heidt arrives to collect his extorted payment, he suggests that she leave the country with him in exchange for forgetting about the crime. Reed plays along, but Heidt is suspicious when she insists he drink from his tainted cocktail. He angrily takes the money and leaves after deducing her plan. Reed calls Wanley to tell him of the failed attempt, causing him to overdose on the remaining prescription powder in a suicide attempt.

Police believe that Heidt is Mazard's murderer, and kill him in a shootout. Reed races home to call Wanley, who is slumped over in his chair and apparently dies.

Wanley awakens in his chair at his club, and realizes it was all a dream. Employees from the club were the main characters. As he steps out on the street in front of the painting, a woman asks Wanley for a light. He adamantly refuses and runs away.

A 1944 American film noir directed by Fritz Lang, produced by Nunnally Johnson, screenplay by Nunnally Johnson, based on J. H. Wallis' novel "Once Off Guard" (1942), cinematography by Milton R. Krasner, starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey, Dan Duryea, Thomas E. Jackson, Dorothy Peterson, Arthur Loft, and Iris Adrian.

Robert Blake appears uncredited as Dickie Wanley.

The last film role of George 'Spanky' McFarland for 42 years until "The Aurora Encounter" (1986), his final one.

Raymond Massey was borrowed from Warner Bros.

Screenwriter Nunnally Johnson, "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), was invited by International Pictures to a picture deal, and this was chosen as its premiere project. There have been rumours that Lang substituted the film's dream ending in place of the originally scripted suicide ending to conform with the moralistic Production Code of the time. However, Lang claimed that it was his idea when asked directly in an interview.

As in Lang's "Scarlet Street" (1945), Robinson plays a lonely middle-aged man and Duryea and Bennett co-star as the criminal elements. The two films also share the same cinematographer, Milton R. Krasner, as well as several supporting actors.

In the final scene, Robinson wore a tear-away suit with his original suit underneath. The crew changed the set behind him to complete the return to his club while Robinson remained in the chair.

The painting of Alice Reed was done by Paul Clemens. He painted portraits of many Hollywood stars, often with their children. He was married to Eleanor Parker from 1954 to 1965.

Wanley's car is a 1937 Cadillac Series 65 Touring sedan.

At the 18th Academy Awards, this was nominated for Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture for Hugo Friedhofer and Arthur Lange. However, Miklós Rózsa won the award for "Spellbound" (1945).

In August 2015, the online entertainment magazine "Paste" named this film the best film noir of all time. The term "film noir" originated as a genre description in part because of this film.

Variety lauded the film, "Nunnally Johnson whips up a strong and decidedly suspenseful murder melodrama in Woman in the Window. The producer, who also prepared the screenplay (from the novel Once off Guard by J.H. Wallis), continually punches across the suspense for constant and maximum audience reaction. Added are especially fine timing in the direction by Fritz Lang and outstanding performances by Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey and Dan Duryea.