The Other Side of Midnight **** (1977, Marie-France Pisier, John Beck, Susan Sarandon, Raf Vallone) – Classic Movie Review 8778

Director Charles Jarrott’s 1977 romantic thriller drama The Other Side of Midnight is a long, lavish, entertaining soap-opera wallow, sleekly filmed by director Jarrott about wartime flier Larry (John Beck), who loves and leaves Parisienne woman Noelle (Marie-France Pisier).

Later she becomes a movie star, marries Greek tycoon Demeris (Raf Vallone) and avenges herself on Larry (Beck) by making him lose his job and hiring him as her own pilot — to the fury of Demeris (Vallone) and Larry (Beck)’s wife, Catherine (Susan Sarandon), who plot revenge.

Based on the novel by Sidney Sheldon, The Other Side of Midnight is enormously enjoyable and the perfect cinema equivalent of those trashy airport novels. It is a beautifully polished package, hugely helped in its old-fashioned movie pleasure factor by Fred J Koenekamp’s cinematography, Michel Legrand’s score, John DeCuir’s production designs and Irene Sharaff’s Oscar-nominated costume designs.

Also in the cast are Clu Gulager, Christian Marquand, Michael Lerner, Howard Hesseman, Sorrell Booke, Antony Ponzini, Louis Zorich, Charles Cioffi and George Keymas.

The Other Side of Midnight is directed by Charles Jarrott, runs 165 minutes, is made by Frank Yablans Presentations, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Herman Raucher and Daniel Taradash, based on the novel by Sidney Sheldon, is shot by Fred J Koenekamp, is produced by Frank Yablans, Martin Ransohoff and Howard W Koch Jr, is scored by Michel Legrand and is designed by John DeCuir.

Michel Legrand, three-time Oscar winner and composer of ‘The Windmills of Your Mind’, ‘I Will Wait for You’, ‘You Must Believe in Spring’ and ‘What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?’ plus the ground-breaking score for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg died on 26 January 2019, aged 86.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8778

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