La force des ténèbres

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.

Witty reverse morality story of an obnoxious old woman (Whitty) who takes in a lodger/servant to help her (and to spite her live-in niece, Russell, who doesn't know her aunt is leaving her $100 in her rich estate). He's "not an ordinary servant", and neither is she. They have a love story, too, shared in the dark in a time when fear and possibility are the same, and death and sex interchangeable. Thus, Danny (nice, innocent sounding name), left alone with the old woman -- makes his move. Montgomery is stunning and disarming as he shifts from "play acting" as the charming young gent to the possibly psychotic. Russell is also a convincing dark horse, saddled with a lame lover. Great photography, decent directing. This is a should-be legendary suspense film.

It is obvious that this movie was designed and photographed by true artists. Art Director Cedric Gibbons has been credited with over 1,000 movies throughout his career spanning the 20s - 50s. Associate Art Director Edwin Willis has also designed over 500 sets.

Every corner of every scene has interesting and beautiful details to look at in the sets of the English cottage and gardens, and all are exquisitely lit and photographed by cinematographer Ray June. Pay attention to the way he uses light streaming in the windows and highlights even the smallest details. It is striking.

Rosalind Russell also gives a very good English accent. I liked her serene performance of a prim Englishwoman. Robert Montgomery excellently portrays the "dangerous type," a psychopath who can display many different personalities to suit his needs. I especially liked his performance in the arrest scene. Dame May Whitty also gives an excellent performance as the abrasive but gullible and neurotic Mrs. Bramson.

A good movie doesn't have to have a lot of action and chase scenes. I recommend this movie for many other reasons: Beautiful sets, lighting, photography, interesting story, interesting dialogue, and interesting characters.

Other commentators have complained about the "talkiness" of this thriller, and it can't be denied that much of the movie's almost-two-hour running time is squandered in the Welsh equivalent of blarney. (Thank original author Emlyn Williams, and remember this was originally a stage play -- in fact, I've seen it on stage, where it may work even better, with its more obvious and mannered mechanisms). You won't find a cast this good at a Wednesday matinee, however. Roz Russell, in plain-Jane getups, plays a definite third wheel to Robert Montgomery's charming psycho and Dame May Whitty's steely but dependent old battleaxe. Whitty walks away with the movie even though wheelchair-bound; she's amusingly annoying and in almost every scene, but at the end, when panic strikes her and she skitters off into hysteria, she shows what a great old trouper she was -- almost the British version of Marie Dressler. If you aren't totally spoiled by the whiplash pacing of today's movies, Night Must Fall still packs a special thrill for lovers of literate, well-acted melodrama. Just be a wee bit patient.

"Night Must Fall," which was originally a play by Emlyn Williams, contains three fantastic roles for actors, and as a film, it has been beautifully cast, directed (by Richard Thorpe), and photographed. Set in an English cottage in a village that borders a forest, Rosalind Russell lives with her horrid, verbally abusive aunt. Along comes Danny, basically brought into the household to be spoken to about a promised marriage to one of the maids in the house. Danny is a sexual opportunist, a murderer, and a psychopath who can hone in on what each person he meets needs and wants. He soon becomes charmingly indispensable to the aunt. The Russell character senses his black soul but is attracted to him nonetheless, and he knows it. What transpires is an intriguing mystery and psychological drama.

Robert Montgomery was a wonderful actor, adept at many kinds of roles but most often cast in the light comedies so often made in the '30s. Here he is fantastic - a charming, frightening liar with a huge ego who thinks his crafty mind will win in the end. Russell gives a beautiful, underplayed performance as an unhappy young woman, dating a man she's not sure she loves, attracted to this stranger and to the possibility of something interesting happening to her. Dame May Witty is great as an abrasive shrew.

This is one of those gems - and doesn't Hollywood know it, they've remade it enough - but it's a real tour de force for the right actors. A winner.