IMDb RATING
6.7/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
A blind detective and his seeing-eye dog investigate a murder and discover a Nazi plot.A blind detective and his seeing-eye dog investigate a murder and discover a Nazi plot.A blind detective and his seeing-eye dog investigate a murder and discover a Nazi plot.
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Stephen McNally
- Gabriel Hoffman
- (as Horace McNally)
Stanley Ridges
- Hansen
- (as Stanley C. Ridges)
Rosemary DeCamp
- Vera Hoffman
- (as Rosemary de Camp)
Steven Geray
- Anderson
- (as Steve Geray)
John Butler
- Taxicab Driver
- (uncredited)
Edward Kilroy
- Pilot
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe first film in what was meant to be to be a mystery franchise focused on blind detective Duncan Maclain who solved murders with the help of his seeing eye dog, Friday. When the second entry, The Hidden Eye (1945), failed to elicit sufficient interest, MGM ended the series.
- GoofsWhen the butler/enemy agent Hansen confronts Duncan MacLean loudly playing the organ in the middle of the night, Hansen ruffles his own hair to appear as if he has been sleeping and just awakened - clearly forgetting that MacLean cannot see his appearance.
- Crazy creditsFriday appears as himself.
- Alternate versionsThere is now a colorized version available. Highly recommended as much of the film is set in the dark which doesn't register well in the b&w original.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Personalities (1942)
Featured review
Sure, it's pat and simplistic in places and the plot's a little daffy, but it has three major things going for it: an amazing dog named Friday, a delightful performance from veteran Edward Arnold and fine direction by Fred Zinnemann. It could've easily been filler, but Zinnemann has too much respect for his craft and the material to allow that to happen.
As others have pointed out, that dog really is something and nearly steals the show but Arnold is every bit as good. He is particularly amusing in his role within a role where he pretends to be an eccentric, ill-tempered uncle in order to foil the bad guys' dastardly scheme. (And that scheme is a big time McGuffin, no more than an obviously slight excuse to get all the conflicting characters under one roof.) Arnold's Cat & Mouse games with main villains Katherine Emery (resembling Mercedes McCambridge both in looks and delivery) and over-educated "butler" Stanley Ridges are tense and clever.
Zinnemann really shines in one ingenious scene set in a pitch dark basement. Arnold, playing a super smart blind sleuth growls "In the dark! In my kingdom now!" and proceeds to outwit a trigger happy thug. Not unlike the Coen brothers' "Blood Simple" 45 years later, the only light is provided by a number of randomly fired gunshots. Not surprisingly, this technique is effectively taut and unnerving. If you weren't aware who the director was at that point, it's the sort of thing that makes you go running to your film guide thinking "Whoa. Who directed this?"
As others have pointed out, that dog really is something and nearly steals the show but Arnold is every bit as good. He is particularly amusing in his role within a role where he pretends to be an eccentric, ill-tempered uncle in order to foil the bad guys' dastardly scheme. (And that scheme is a big time McGuffin, no more than an obviously slight excuse to get all the conflicting characters under one roof.) Arnold's Cat & Mouse games with main villains Katherine Emery (resembling Mercedes McCambridge both in looks and delivery) and over-educated "butler" Stanley Ridges are tense and clever.
Zinnemann really shines in one ingenious scene set in a pitch dark basement. Arnold, playing a super smart blind sleuth growls "In the dark! In my kingdom now!" and proceeds to outwit a trigger happy thug. Not unlike the Coen brothers' "Blood Simple" 45 years later, the only light is provided by a number of randomly fired gunshots. Not surprisingly, this technique is effectively taut and unnerving. If you weren't aware who the director was at that point, it's the sort of thing that makes you go running to your film guide thinking "Whoa. Who directed this?"
- How long is Eyes in the Night?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $433,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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