In the 1940s Bennett appeared in four movies directed by Fritz Lang with whom she and Wanger had formed their own movie company. Three of these movies, "Man Hunt" (1941), "The Woman in the Window" (1945), and "Scarlet Street" (1945) established her as a movie noir femme fatale and leading Hollywood actress. She also worked with noted directors Jean Renoir in "The Woman on the Beach" (1947) and Max Ophüls in "The Reckless Moment". Other highlights of the more mature phase of her career include the role of Spencer Tracy's wife and Elizabeth Taylor's mother in both "Father of the Bride" (1950) and "Father's Little Dividend" (1951).