Un cri dans l'ombre

This film begins in Paris with the body of a man floating in the river Seine with the rather obvious conclusion being that he was murdered. The scene then shifts to an American adventurer named "Reno Davis" (George Peppard) riding in his car with his good friend "Louis Le Buc" (Raoul Delfosse) when suddenly gunshots ring out and both of them are almost killed. Quickly abandoning the vehicle, Reno locates where the gunshots were coming from and catches up to the fleeing person only to realize that the shooter is only a young boy. He then discovers that the boy lives in a huge mansion nearby and after taking him there meets a beautiful woman named "Anne de Villemont" (Inger Stevens) who just happens to be the boy's mother. One thing leads to another and soon Anne offers Reno a job as the boy's tutor. Naturally, being quite short of money, Reno immediately accepts. But what he doesn't know is that Anne's family is not only extremely wealthy but that his presence in the house presents a danger to several of the family members who are harboring a deadly secret that they cannot allow to become public. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film had all of the necessary ingredients for a good film with a fine leading man in George Peppard and an exquisite actress like Inger Stevens to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, the overall plot turned out to be too unrealistic and far-fetched to be taken seriously. That being said, while definitely not a bad movie by any means, there were some scenes that were simply too over-the-top for me and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

I went to see this at age 15 because I enjoyed the Stanley Ellin book it's based on. The movie is imitation Hitchcock of a very high order. (The climax in the Colosseum is pure Hitchcock.) Peppard is supposed to be a washed up boxer, and he has just the beat-up, world-weary sexiness the part needs. Inger Stevens is very glamorous as the lady of the house with her problems and secrets. The Paris setting is very well used, and that's important because the movie has a unique premise. The villains are pied noir terrorists left over from the Algerian revolution, displaced from their colonial home, reactionary, and deeply opposed to the French government of that appeaser DeGaulle. It gives a certain reality to the mysterious goings on. I thought the film did full justice to the novel, except that they unavoidably dispensed with the novel's use of Tarot cards to organize the chapters thematically. The music is great too. There's a title song in French that I'd love to have a recording of. It's sad to see Stevens looking so lovely and giving such a good performance so close to her tragic real-life suicide. She was special, and there's great chemistry between her and Peppard.

This is one of those films I have fond memories of from my childhood. I remember I used to tune it in every time it appeared on TV. Yes, now being an old fart and having finally seen it again after it's long absence, I was somewhat disappointed, but not entirely. There are still some wonderful things about it. Primarily the score by Frances Lai, the beautiful photography and scenery (it made me want to go to Paris for a long time), Orson Welles as the villain, but mostly the wonderful Inger Stevens as the female protagonist. What hasn't survived the test of time are the silly plot and George Peppard. I used to like him in his TV show (Banacek, NOT the A-Team), but then I heard an interview with Pat Neal which told about what a bastard he was in real life, and I can't find myself liking any of his performances now, even though I may like the movie. Anyway, I do still enjoy the movie, and am glad I was finally able to find it again.

From the first bit of footage you will know you are settling in to see a winner. Pierre Barouh's title song is enchanting and beguiling and the singer's voice sounds like an angel. George's acting in HOC rivals his performance in Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Blue Max. It's hard to believe his agent steered him to The A Team when he had proven he had real talent. Inger Stevens, who looks as fetching as you'll ever see her, was also at the top of her game in this movie.

The direction felt like Hitch was behind the camera, it's that good. One of my very favorite actors, Orson Welles, also works his magic. If you like Orson, you will certainly enjoy another of his potentially lesser know performances in Long Hot Summer.

What I will never understand is the production company, Universal Pictures, never released this on tape, laserdisc or DVD (if you have some influence with Universal, call in a favor to fix this). Talk about your missed opportunities! A loss for movie lovers the world over. Your only chance to see this is to obtain the CD-V version.

I understand those who don't like George Peppard in this film. His performance as something of a superman among a regular bunch of crooks is almost unbearable and adds to the film's character of general superficial abominability. Orson Welles' performance is interesting, and Inger Stevens is all right, but the script is very stereotype. Nevertheless it deals with some serious problems, the constant universal problem of a superior race wanting to take charge of the world and turn it into a superstate, the idea of a world government has always been a present issue in history, and was never more actual than today. Still, the issue gets lost in atrocities and too many murders, constantly excelling each other in inhuman cruelty, and there is the objection: An important issue gets drowned in effects, an all too common problem in modern films. What makes film worth watching in spite of all this is the wonderful photography and cinematography - the filming of Paris makes this film enjoyable in spite of the inhuman domination.