slaytonf Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Though he was popular for his roles as a sophisticate in the upper reaches of society, and though he had some previous and later dramatic roles, Robert Montgomery's best serious outing was in tonight's feature where he plays a psychopathic killer/con man, taking advantage of an old lady's vanities to hide out in her house. He radiates both a winning charm and chilling menace, interlaced with a curious innocence and high sense of self-worth. A true egotistical monster. Great fun. Tonight, 9:30 PM, Pacific Time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 I recorded it to watch at another time. I've seen it many times, but still enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 21 minutes ago, Hibi said: I recorded it to watch at another time. I've seen it many times, but still enjoy it. IT'S REALLY a really WATCHABLE film, although it's just a ittle too long and I have issues with ROSALIND RUSSELL'S character and characterization. DAME MAY WHITTY deserves a lot of credit for that. i wish they had gone all-out for the ending somehow. it always feels a bit anticlimactic. spoiler in a way, one could say NIGHT MUST FALL bucks the Production code, because I could make a good case that RUSSELL'S CHARACTER is clearly guilty of outright aiding and abetting MONTGOMERY. I mean, I'm not saying I blame her, THE OLD LADY is such a HATEFUL OLD BINT I'd've left her alone with the HATBOX KILLER too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 I think they were hampered somewhat by the code in what they could show. The film comes off as a filmed stage play, but the tension and sense of foreboding keep the film from being boring. Yes, it is a little too long, I think. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted April 19, 2021 Author Share Posted April 19, 2021 They could easlly have cut the scene with the crime tourists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Has anyone seen the remake with Albert Finney? I remember watching it when it aired on one of the networks many years ago, but have forgotten most of the details. Despite being an MGM film its very rarely shown on TCM. I'd like to watch it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 23 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said: IT'S REALLY a really WATCHABLE film, although it's just a ittle too long and I have issues with ROSALIND RUSSELL'S character and characterization. DAME MAY WHITTY deserves a lot of credit for that. i wish they had gone all-out for the ending somehow. it always feels a bit anticlimactic. spoiler in a way, one could say NIGHT MUST FALL bucks the Production code, because I could make a good case that RUSSELL'S CHARACTER is clearly guilty of outright aiding and abetting MONTGOMERY. I mean, I'm not saying I blame her, THE OLD LADY is such a HATEFUL OLD BINT I'd've left her alone with the HATBOX KILLER too. Yeah, I shed no tears over Whitty's biddy's fate..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 26 minutes ago, Hibi said: Yeah, I shed no tears over Whitty's biddy's fate..... spoiler spoiler spoiler the HIGH POINT of the film is when she gets up and walks over to the candy. I LOVE THAT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 54 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said: spoiler spoiler spoiler the HIGH POINT of the film is when she gets up and walks over to the candy. I LOVE THAT. Yeah, TOTAL WITCH! LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moe Howard Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Whitty is no worse than most mother-in-laws. The real psychopathic fiend is Russel's character. She not only saves the murderer's bacon when the cops get too close, she makes sure the coast is clear for Whitty's pillow party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 Well, she hated the old gal so........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vautrin Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 I like the movie more as an off kilter English drawing room play than as a psycho murder story. I could see parts of it being a Monty Python sketch. Anyone who carries around a head in a hatbox is either as crazy as a loon or as stupid as one. Montgomery certainly has a few screws loose, but he doesn't strike me as a total dope. So I can't go with the program, no matter how charming he is. Sure, Dame May Whitty is a real stinker, but I can't really dislike anyone who has such a love of chocolate bon bons. I felt sorry for Dora. Now she'll have to go out and find a new, hopefully not murderous, gentleman caller. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaytonf Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 On 4/19/2021 at 8:38 AM, Hibi said: I think they were hampered somewhat by the code in what they could show. The film comes off as a filmed stage play, but the tension and sense of foreboding keep the film from being boring. Yes, it is a little too long, I think. The biggest drawback of the movie is the murder scene. That is, the end of the murder scene. After a brilliant squirm-inducing build-up, the climax (pardon) of the sexual and oedipal themes, all we get is a generic shot of a cringing Dame May. Lame. No doubt the censors would not allow showing the murder, but you would have thought Richard Thorpe, a cut above your average production line director, and his team would have come up with something more in the flow of the rest of the movie. Maybe they were just relying on the merits of the play. All the more reason to be grateful for Mr. Montgomery's performance. Without it, this movie would be entirely forgettable. This notwithstanding Dame May's performance. You can get your fill of curmudgeonly old crones in other movies, but rarely do you get to see such an entertainingly wicked protagonist. Not on the same level as Richard III, but in the same line. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 8 hours ago, slaytonf said: The biggest drawback of the movie is the murder scene. That is, the end of the murder scene. After a brilliant squirm-inducing build-up, the climax (pardon) of the sexual and oedipal themes, all we get is a generic shot of a cringing Dame May. Lame. No doubt the censors would not allow showing the murder, I rewatched most of it this morning and THOUGHT THE EXACT SAME THING. I think my favorite thing about NIGHT MUST FALL is the marvelous interior/exterior MGM SET for the (Lake Country?) cottage; they used some really great EXTERIOR SHOTS and blended them with what I presume was the studio soundstage drawing-room set; it "opens up" the stagebound story nicely. sadly, i could not find a lot of images of the exteriors, but here is what i could (they also use a really impressive miniature of the cottage and grounds in the big TRANSITION into the THIRD act scene) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 this looks like a publicity still, these rugged California hills don't make it into the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 1 hour ago, LornaHansonForbes said: this looks like a publicity still, these rugged California hills don't make it into the film. LOL. Yes, I don't remember that shot in the film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 9 hours ago, slaytonf said: The biggest drawback of the movie is the murder scene. That is, the end of the murder scene. After a brilliant squirm-inducing build-up, the climax (pardon) of the sexual and oedipal themes, all we get is a generic shot of a cringing Dame May. Lame. No doubt the censors would not allow showing the murder, but you would have thought Richard Thorpe, a cut above your average production line director, and his team would have come up with something more in the flow of the rest of the movie. Maybe they were just relying on the merits of the play. All the more reason to be grateful for Mr. Montgomery's performance. Without it, this movie would be entirely forgettable. This notwithstanding Dame May's performance. You can get your fill of curmudgeonly old crones in other movies, but rarely do you get to see such an entertainingly wicked protagonist. Not on the same level as Richard III, but in the same line. Possibly there was more to the scene and it was cut. Yeah, I wanted to see the old Biddy get her just desserts! Has anyone seen the Finney remake in the early 60s? Wish TCM would show it or show them as a double feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 24 minutes ago, Hibi said: Possibly there was more to the scene and it was cut. Yeah, I wanted to see the old Biddy get her just desserts! Has anyone seen the Finney remake in the early 60s? Wish TCM would show it or show them as a double feature. i wanna say TCM showed it not too long ago (the remake.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagebrush Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 3 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said: i wanna say TCM showed it not too long ago (the remake.) Yes, it was shown a few months back in later 2020. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 4 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said: i wanna say TCM showed it not too long ago (the remake.) Too bad I missed it! I'll have to keep my eye open if it appears again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 Just now, sagebrush said: Yes, it was shown a few months back in later 2020. SH-T! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 horticultural tidbit: THE MEAN OLD LADY has a line in the 1937 version that the men searching the property are "messing about in her PAMPAS GRASS" which surprised me as PAMPAS GRASS is EXTREMELY COMMON where I live in SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 (THEY also need to be careful as PAMPAS GRASS is SHARP as hell and you can get the equivalent of a nasty PAPER CUT just by brushing against it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibi Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 7 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said: Thanks! That music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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