Night Must Fall

A marvelous suspenseful, tension-filled, atmospheric thriller with absolutely NO "blood and guts," and I thank God for that. This film is intelligent in every respect and requires the viewer to watch with his/her brain switched "ON." "Night Must Fall" is the epitome of an intelligent horror film.

The first time I saw this film I was initially and completely mesmerized by Robert Montgomery's performance. I had not seen him act in any film other than gay '30's farces (with some serious roles thrown into the mix) or WW II films. I always enjoyed his films, but after seeing "Night Must Fall" I began to pay attention to his acting in other films and developed a greater appreciation for his skill as an actor.

Rosalind Russell is a talented, gorgeous actor/wit/comedienne, and is able to fully-utilize her skill in her role. What can I say about Dame May Witty, other than I wish I could travel back in time to see her on the stage in London in her prime. The two other women characters in the home, the cook and the girlfriend/servant, are small but vital roles that each actor plays to perfection.

Additionally, this was that unusual and rare film that was adapted from a stage play BUT was not merely shot as a play. Unless you paid attention to the credits, you would not realize this was a stage play. Not so easy to adapt a stage play to film, keep the dialog flowing properly, turning the play into a film that is meant to be seen as a film.

This film is perfectly written, directed and acted. The lighting and cinematography are superb. The set designs, costumes, etc...............all nonpareil.

Somewhat forgotten, uniquely entertaining "thriller" about the happenings of an old English cottage when news of a missing then discovered murdered woman surrounds household. Rosialnd Russell, looking very prim and proper(and Oh! so young!), gives a good performance as a bullied niece with loads of imagination, a repressed sexual bent, and some genuine ambivalent feelings toward life, death, and the whole notion of what is exciting and what is dull. She takes orders from the wonderful Dame May Witty giving a grand performance as an imperious woman in a wheelchair trying to clutch on to anything in her life that will still give it meaning. Her household is visited upon by a young man that has been seeing one of the servant girls - Robert Montgomery - and he manages through his "charm" to worm his way into her home. We know at the very beginning that his intentions are not noble as we see him talk about Witty's wealth and spy on her as she locks away her valuables. Witty adopts Montgomery, now working in her home, as a kind soul full of funny anecdotes and good will. Russell knows differently but either is unwilling to accept what kind of person Montgomery is or is excited by that very same kind of person he may be. The murder looms the entire time in the background. Richard Thorpe does one heck of a good job infusing this film with taut tension and gentle humour. His use of setting and cinematography in particular show great craftsmanship. He is also blessed with three strong performing leads. Witty is an absolute treasure. Russell is very good, and Montgomery gives what might be his best performance. His light Cockney-like accent is believable, and although I found his character despicable from the very beginning - that credit for making what many perceived as a charming local initially affable and then later very detestable is a credit to Montgomery's acting craft. He plays a psychopath very well indeed. Night Must Fall will not dazzle you with action sequences, nor will you even see any actual violence. The film is very talky, but wonderfully so and relies almost entirely on the dialog and the believability of the acting. Movies like this sure aren't made any more. They just involve way too much thinking.

This is one of those films that gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to scary thriller films. It needs a re-look by everyone.

I'll say right off that I'm a huge Rosalind Russell fan but she was sorta bland in this one. She's a lot better in her screwball comedies. She has a co-headliner in this and he should be cause...he's the star.

Robert Montgomery is just super creepy in this. He plays the perfect sociopath in this fine little thriller. You wouldn't think with him in this it would come off as eery and scary as it does but he plays the villain so well it was a pleasure to watch. What makes him so good is that during the film you know he's bad but he doesn't come off that way. It's in a sorta roundabout way with sly inferences here and there. Wait until the end though. Evil finally rears its ugly head.

This film is well worth a look in horror/thriller circles. I think it gets overlooked because of its age. Even for 1937 though, it's damn effective if your gonna watch this on a cold/dark Saturday night. Give it a try and be amazed on how well it works.

I had never heard of this movie. I watched it the other night on Turner Movie Classics.

Robert Montgomery is amazing in this role. His subtle English accent reminded me of Paul McCartney. He is totally immersed in this role.

Rosalind Russell is not that impressive until about the middle of the movie.

Her unwilling attraction to Babyface finally makes sense.

The other great performance was by Dame May Witty. She fell hook, line, and sinker for Babyface.

Had Babyface not been so self-destructive and amoral probably Mrs. Bramson would have left him her entire estate.

I strongly recommend this movie. It is beautifully filmed, directed, and acted. It is one of those movies made in the 30s that is surprisingly better than many of today's movies, and much more intrinsic in its twists and turns. All of the characters are defined and varied.

This could give Hitchcock a run for his money.

Following a grisly murder, a pushy stranger worms his way into a rich, old lady's remote household, much to disapproval of her uptight secretary.

What a good touch when Danny (Montgomery) roughly shoves the house cat and then smilingly tells Mrs. Bramson (Witty) how much he likes the little four-footed critters—a neat introduction to his devious nature. I wish the rest of the movie were this well executed. Aside from being overlong and too talky as other reviewers point out, (some silent mood scenes are badly needed), there's a big hole in the middle that's been generally overlooked. Surprisingly, it concerns that otherwise excellent actress Rosalind Russell.

Key to the plot is the highly refined, severely repressed Olivia's (Russell) conflict over Danny. She's both attracted and repelled by him. He's such a low, boisterous type, it's hard to see her attraction to him at any level. But the script has wisely prepared us with her attraction to dark, woodsy things. Now, the movie's key scene is in the kitchen where Danny boldly confronts Olivia's repressed attraction. To this point, Olivia has had only one outward emotion, namely an emotionless expression consonant with her inner discipline and station in the household. Danny's aim is to force from her an acknowledgment of what he knows she feels even though she won't admit it even to herself.

Crucial to this pivotal scene is that actress Russell convey even the slightest expression of the inner conflict she is now experiencing— conflict we know she's experiencing from the dialog. But try as I have, I can't spot a single change of expression. She's grudgingly okaying the words, but without the necessary conflicted behavior. In short, her words say one thing, her manner another. Thus, we're not drawn into her conflict, we merely observe it in the dialog. And crucially-- instead of becoming active participants in the story, we're encouraged to remain passive observers.

In terms of story development, the role of Olivia becomes unconvincing, especially since the deadpan continues for the rest of the film. It's especially implausible when the plot has her hide the severed head in order to save Danny from the law. As a result, her motivations from the kitchen scene on ring hollow, thereby undercutting her pivotal role in the movie as a whole. It wouldn't be accurate to say that Russell therefore walks through the part in uninterested fashion. Rather, I'm inclined to blame director Thorpe for not providing the proper cues, especially in that key kitchen scene.

At the same time, I wish Montgomery's Danny were not so extreme, bordering at times on the clownish. For a usually restrained actor, it's a real departure, robbing his character of any hint of needed menace. Still and all, the idea of Danny's acting out for the benefit of his "double"— the one that emerges in the mirror scene at the end-- remains a provocative one.

Where Danny's blustery, overdone charm really works is with tyrannical old Mrs. Bramson. His is just the kind of overriding personality that would melt her icy reserve. At the same time, Witty steals the film with a rock solid performance, especially during that exhausting breakdown scene that even had me gasping for breath. I also like that morbid sight-seeing tour with E. E. Clive as the guide. That people would pay to see a gravesite suggests to me the basic gentility of small town England for whom murder is such an unusual and curious event.

I gather from IMDb that studio head L. B. Mayer didn't like the results and didn't want to release the film. Whatever the failings, It's far from being that bad. Ironically, it appears that had Mayer himself wanted to do justice to the material, he would have assigned a top studio director instead of the thoroughly mediocre Thorpe (check out his credits). In fact, the movie as a whole suffers from uninspired direction, its rich atmospheric potential left visually untapped. As far as I can tell, Thorpe simply filmed the script that was handed him and nothing more. After all, his reputation with the studio rested on efficiency, i.e. bringing projects in under budget.

I just wish someone like Hitchcock had gotten hold of the material first. With its rich potential for nuance and atmosphere, a gifted psychologist like Hitch could have made something really memorable. Unfortunately, as the movie stands, it's a long way from that point.