Night Must Fall *** (1964, Albert Finney, Susan Hampshire, Mona Washbourne) – Classic Movie Review 6631

The young Albert Finney stars as the psychopathic live-in handyman Danny. in director Karel Reisz’s 1964 British black and white film remake of the renowned old Emlyn Williams horror-thriller theatre success from 1935, Night Must Fall.

The young Albert Finney is miscast and gives an over-emphatic and unconvincing performance as the psychopathic live-in handyman Danny in director Karel Reisz’s 1964 British black and white remake of the renowned old Emlyn Williams horror-thriller theatre success from 1935, Night Must Fall. Alas Finney simply makes you yearn for the creepy Robert Montgomery in the original, notably better 1937 Hollywood movie of Night Must Fall.

Finney must have been going for a change of pace at this point in his career. This old-style horror thriller, well up-market chiller anyway, fleshed out with new-fangled Sixties-style psychological insights, is an oddity in the middle of the early Sixties flowering of the British new wave of realist cinema.

However, Night Must Fall is given distinction by some scenes of tense suspense, a decently handled nailbiting climax, and especially by Mona Washbourne’s fine turn as Mrs Bramson, the silly, vain, crotchety old woman, mesmerized by the killer, while her niece Olivia (Susan Hampshire) is attracted to him.

It was not as successful as the 1937 film, but then it is not as good either.

Also in the cast are Sheila Hancock as Dora, Michael Medwin as Derek, Joe Gladwin as Dodge, Martin Wyldeck as Inspector Willett, and John Gill as Foster.

Night Must Fall is directed by Karel Reisz, runs 101 minutes, is released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, is written for the screen by Clive Exton, shot in black and white by Freddie Francis, scored by Ron Grainer, and designed by Timothy O’Brien. Finney produced the film with the director and Lawrence P Bachmann.

It was released on 18 March 1964.

Williams’s stage success was first filmed as Night Must Fall in 1937 with Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell and Dame May Whitty.

Reisz previously directed Finney’s early triumph, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960). He made only nine features –also Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966), Isadora (1968), The Gambler (1974), Who’ll Stop the Rain (1978), The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), Sweet Dreams (1985) and Everybody Wins (1990).

He also made the documentaries Momma Don’t Allow (1955) and We Are the Lambeth Boys (1959).

The cast are Albert Finney as Danny, Mona Washbourne as Mrs Bramson, Susan Hampshire as Olivia, Sheila Hancock as Dora, Michael Medwin as Derek, Joe Gladwin as Dodge, Martin Wyldeck as Inspector Willett, and John Gill as Foster.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6631

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