User reviews

Elizabeth Taylor reunites with her Butterfield 8 co-star Laurence Harvey in Night Watch one of her only if not the only venture for her in the horror genre. It also has a bit of Hitchcockian tension in it as well.

In this film Taylor and Harvey are a married couple who have settled down in a very posh part of London. Harvey is her second husband, the first died in an automobile crash with his young mistress.

Soon after moving where they are Taylor spots strange goings on like dead bodies at the place next door. But every time the police in the person of Inspector Bill Dean is called there's no evidence of anything. A lot like Doris Day in Midnight Lace.

Both her husband and best friend Billie Whitelaw try to support Taylor, but it's no avail, she just gets worse and more hysterical and the police are just getting more and more fed up.

The film has certain parallels to Midnight Lace and also to Gaslight. But don't think you've guessed an ending even with those clues.

As so many aging Hollywood actresses of the 60s and 70s went into these kinds of films, some did more than others. Apparently Taylor was only satisfied to dip an ankle into this pool.

Apparently Harvey was desperately ill with the cancer that killed him and he does look gaunt. There is a revealing rear shot in a shower and I'm betting that is not Harvey's bare backside. He does look gaunt. He had an operation that took a lot of intestine out of him and production was stopped mid way according to the Citadel Film series book on the Films of Elizabeth Taylor.

The next door neighbor Robert Lang has a role in all of this. If you think you know what will happen in Night Watch, believe me you don't.

...and Elizabeth Taylor freaking out!

Night Watch from 1973 is based on a Broadway play that starred Joan Hackett. Taylor is Ellen Wheeler, married to her busy husband John (Laurence Harvey). They currently have Ellen's best friend Sarah (Billie Whitelaw) visiting. Sarah is having a clandestine affair and sneaks out to meet him.

One night, during a storm, Ellen swears she saw a murder victim in the old house across the way. Raising her suspicions is the fact that the man (Robert Lang) who lives in the guest house is digging what looks like a grave. The next day, trees have been planted on it. Ellen's past comes into play here, as she keeps remembering an incident from years ago.

The police, however, can't find anything; Ellen then sees another murder victim and lives in a state of hysteria, paranoid and suspicious of everyone and everything. Her husband has a psychiatrist friend (Tony Britton) speak with her, and it's decided it is best if she goes away for a little rest.

This is a fun movie, where it seems there is always a horrible storm raging. It contains elements of some other films, as mentioned above. Taylor, who at this point was making a lot of schlock, does a fine job as the unstable Ellen.

I did know how this ended ahead of time, having seen part of it ages and ages ago, so I didn't have the twist-ending thrill others have had. Nevertheless, it was very entertaining.

One of Taylor's better films from this period - in the hands of better director, it could have been much stronger, since the story and cast are strong. As it is, it's worth watching.

Based on a Lucille Fletcher play, this suspense-drama stars Elizabeth Taylor as a beautiful woman who is certain she has witnessed a murder, but has great difficulty convincing her husband and others. Sound like familiar material? Perhaps to a certain extent, but Taylor's brilliant performance, plus some genuine suspense, and a surprise ending that will knock you right out of your seat make this a superior thriller.

Based on a play by the brilliant Lucile Fletcher ("sorry wrong number" ,who gave Barbara Stanwyck one of her best roles, "80 dollars to Stanford" ...) , this is a good thriller with many red herrings. The heroine is seeing things (in the night ,horrified, she sees a dead body ) ,and as she has a tormented past ,she might sink ,slowly but inexorably ,into complete madness.Or is it a set up? Her husband is considerate,but there is another woman in the house ,and she may be his lover : do they want to have her sent to a sanatorium? One of talented Laurence Harvey's last part :he was to die prematurely of cancer shortly after.Billie Whitelaw is ideally cast as a disturbing woman (see "the omen") which might (or might not) be dangerous.

An underrated thriller.

Liz taylor plays ellen wheeler, six years after her last big hit, the comedians. As others have pointed out, night watch feels like a hitchcock film, but was really directed by brian hutton. Hutton had just directed liz in x,y, and zee the year before this, but it's not a well known film. Co-stars laurence harvey as the husband john; harvey only made one film after this, passing away from cancer at 45. In the story, ellen is bored, and suffers from insomnia. And sees strange things going on at the house next door, during a thunder storm. When they call the cops, they find nothing in the old house next door. But that's not the end of the story. Good suspense. Some fun twists and turns. Based on the play by lucille fletcher. Fletcher had also written sorry, wrong number, a blockbuster starring barbara stanwyck. That one also started out as a play, performed on the radio.

As one might expect, the film is a bit dated but nonetheless compelling. When I first saw Night Watch I was completely mesmerized by Liz Taylor's performance. The "murder scenes" that she observed from her window at night were used masterfully by the director. I believe that the director of "What Lies Beneath" must surely have paid homage to this classic because several scenes are strikingly similar. The tension builds slowly as does the mystery until you're shown the knife rack in the kitchen with the one missing knife. About that time you're beginning to wish you'd opted for the Disney film. The film's last 10 minutes of frenzy are etched forever in my mind and come to the forefront whenever I try to recall truly terrifying moments in cinema. I do hope that future generations will be able to experience this film even though it hasn't had the notoriety so many other films have enjoyed.

I'll let you watch and find out what I mean by the title line. Why is it that when actresses get past 40 (in this case Elizabeth Taylor) they are cast in horror films? Is the male dominated film industry secretly afraid that when women hit menopause they will become unstable and violent? But I digress. In this case, Taylor plays a woman, Ellen, who had a nervous breakdown when her first husband was killed in a car accident with his lover and she had to identify the body. But now she's married again (Laurence Harvey). She claims to have seen a murder occur in the house next door, but a search by the police finds nothing. There is a freshly dug flower bed near the old house, and the police dig that up and find nothing but daisies. So the police are growing tired of Ellen calling them about every little thing that happens. And then on the night that Ellen is to leave town the story takes a startling turn.

If you are used to American films where endings are wrapped up neatly and everything is explained, prepare to be disappointed. You never quite know if justice was served or not. The film could have been shorter, and Liz is still hot here at age 41, but she still camps it up just a bit too much for my taste. Laurence Harvey is much better here than he was when he was opposite Liz in Butterfield Eight in which the whole cast camped it up - the dialog didn't help - but poor Mr. Harvey would not get more chances to use his improved craft. He died the same year this was released, at only age 45, from stomach cancer.

I'd give this one a 7 if it had been shortened a bit and Taylor's performance had been a bit less over the top.

I saw NIGHT WATCH on Broadway with Joan Hackett and recall being fascinated by the murder mystery and the number of suspects in a story about a woman claiming to see a murder from her window. It's the stuff mysteries are made of.

Then, a couple of years later I saw the film and didn't realize I was watching the same story. It seemed familiar but there were a lot of changes. The most obvious change was the wife, played now by ELIZABETH TAYLOR, still gorgeous in the role Hackett played originally. Now Taylor was the unwanted wife and somehow that didn't ring as true.

Then there was LAURENCE HARVEY co-starring and the whole story expanded to have Taylor in luxurious townhouse surroundings. The clutter of suspects had been reduced to just a few others, so that the guessing game was not quite as difficult.

And yet, having forgotten most of the play, I was still surprised at the ending--and that, in itself, is probably reason enough to watch the film. It does hook you into the mystery and does come up with a surprise ending.

And let's face it. It's among the better films Taylor was making at this point in her career.

I admit I'm normally not a big Elizabeth Taylor fan, but this movie made me realize it's perhaps solely due to the fact she hasn't starred in many films in my favorite genre of horror! The character of Ellen Wheeler, which she depicts in "Night Watch", easily could have been played by either Joan Crawford or Bette Davis (if they had been, say, 15-20 years younger) and I am a devoted admirer of those two ladies. Taylor is truly excellent and convincing, but she can also rely on a very intelligent screenplay (adapted from a stage play) and an intensely unsettling atmosphere generated by directed Brian G. Hutton. If the premise of "Night Watch" sounds overly familiar or even derivative, it's probably because we have all seen the set-up numerous times before. Mind you, however, the film holds a few surprises in store that you most certainly have not seen before!

Even though she got remarried with the handsome financial expert John, and always has her best friend Sarah around the house for support, wealthy but ageing diva Ellen Wheeler is still recovering from a mental breakdown caused by her ex-husband. He died in a road accident, in the company of his much younger and ravishing mistress, and this still causes nightmarish illusions and sleepless nights to Ellen. During one of these long nights, she thinks she witness a brutal slaying in the abandoned house across the street. The police don't find any evidence of a crime and, naturally, nobody believes her due to her mental condition and her repeatedly hysterical requests to Inspector Walker to search for a body that presumably doesn't exist. Thus far the synopsis that every horror/thriller fanatic knows by heart, and we usually also have a pretty good idea where it goes from here. And partially it does, but I guarantee you that the denouement of "Night Watch" will differ from what you expect!

"Night Watch" is a vastly underrated film, especially because the red herrings and plot twists are very simple and straightforward, and yet so incredibly effective! I also must praise Brian G. Hutton, as well as his entire cast and crew, for managing to keep the story compelling and entertaining despite the clichéd framework. Films like this risk to become tedious very quick, but Hutton somehow upholds the mystery and the cast members restrain from putting down their characters as open books. You know you're watching a good suspense/mystery thriller when the complete lack of action isn't really bothering throughout 80-85 minutes. The Grand-Guignol climax is still more than welcome and, for once, you should NOT kick yourself or feel dumb for not being able to guess the end-twist.

PS: La Liz was quite good-looking at the age of 46, but can you honestly blame any husband for cheating with the unearthly beautiful Linda Hayden?

Ellen Wheeler (Elizabeth Taylor) is stuck in a loveless marriage with John Wheeler (Laurence Harvey). There's also a deserted mansion right next door to her. One dark and stormy night she sees a dead body in that house. She's terrified and calls the police. They come but find nothing. Her husband and best friend Sarah (Billie Whitelaw) try to convince her she was seeing things but she's positive it was there. Soon she can't sleep or eat and is slowly going mad.

This starts out pretty bad. The dialogue is terrible and the basic setup is VERY obvious. However it slowly gets better. It is slow-moving but it has a spooky atmosphere, the script improves as the film goes on and Taylor, Harvey and Whitelaw give out great performances. Any faults the film has are forgiven by the ending which has TWO twists and an incredibly bloody murder (this would not get a PG today). Worth seeing for the acting alone. Also this is Liz's only horror film and Harvey's second to last movie. Mild but worth catching at least once.

I love this movie starring La Liz(looking more beautiful & glamorous than ever,the handsome Laurence Harvey and Billie Whitelaw.All good actors,good writing in a suspenseful thriller.It all takes place at the big Wheeler house.Liz playing an insomniac who thinks she witnesses a murder across the way at the old abandoned house next door.Or did she?Is it just her nerves working on her?Is she going crazy and needs to see a shrink like her husband and best friend seem to think?It's a good scary movie for a Saturday night.Pop lots of popcorn and curl up under a heavy blanket & enjoy!The costumes are gorgeous,the music good and the sets and atmosphere are really wonderful.Based on the play.I also love the song at the end!Highly recommended.

Elizabeth Taylor stars in this screen-adaptation of Lucille Fletcher's play, which initially presents little more than a roll-call for thriller clichés...but the picture turns out to be a dandy one. A married woman in England, haunted by a ghoulish memory from her past, suffers from insomnia and loneliness; her husband is always working, her best girlfriend runs around with married men, and she's left alone in a big house with a backyard that faces the rear of a deserted mansion. During a thunderstorm one night, our heroine sees a dead body in one of the neighboring windows (the viewer doesn't, at least not quite, which is a crafty touch courtesy director Brian G. Hutton). Vehicle for La Liz might have stood a stronger production, as the overall results are muddy-looking and cheap. Still, we never lose interest in the main character, as Taylor acquits herself well in these shuddery circumstances. The setup seem overly-familiar to movie-buffs, though it features an effective twist near the climax which I didn't see coming. **1/2 from ****

Early 70's Brit suspense, the plot seems to be one we've all seen before, but there are enough twists and turns to make it interesting. Elizabeth still delivers the goods at this later stage of her active career.

I saw this movie very long time ago in my little town of Banes in the east coast of Cuba, it was the first time i have see liz Taylor in a movie I was very young at the time in those days of the early seventies in Cuba all American movies were prohibited this one was the beginning of a new era for us at the time the review of the movie was very bad but i think it was because it was the first time since the 50s an American movie was show in Cuba the reason why the begin with a movie with liz taylor i don't know is well know that fidel castro was crazy for Brigitte Bardot, anyway i love this movie it was great i saw about 8 times and Elizabeth Taylor beauty was amazing now with her death which for me is very sad and surrealistic i was sure she will never die i want to remember this great movie

In England, Ellen Wheeler (Elizabeth Taylor) wakes up in a stormy night. From her home, she sees a murdered man in the empty mansion next door. Her husband John can't tell but she convinces him to call the police. They don't find anything. Inspector Walker leads the case. Ellen is frantic, haunted by a past incident. Her friend Sarah Cooke is keeping close. Everybody is uncertain.

This is adapted from a play. It has elements of Rear Window and Gaslight. The overwrought acting from Taylor is a bit too much. The movie is also hinting too hard. The material needs a lighter touch. The nightmarish recalls are also a bit wonky. Nevertheless, it has a good central mystery in an old fashion way. I like the idea of the twist but I'm not sure if it makes actual sense. There has to be a better way to wrap everything up.

This film is Elizabeth Taylor's only foray into horror (not counting Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf). She stars as a half-mad housewife suffering from over-acting-itis and nightmares about her late husband's drunk-driving death.

Insomnia during a heavy thunderstorm causes her to shoot up from bed and go to the window, where she claims she witnesses a murder at the haunted house next door. Her husband, played by Inanimate Carbon Rod Laurence Harvey, is skeptical but he dials 9-1-1 anyway.

Taylor spends the next hour emoting her way around their house, speaking in a fake poncey accent, periodically getting fed some tranquilizers by family friend Billie Whitelaw. It all builds to a huge confrontation among all three, at the climax of which Taylor completely loses all trace of the fake poncey accent and falls back into her more familiar cadence: "YOU... don't... LOVE.. me; you... NEVER DID.. and I HATE... you," type of thing. Razzie material all the way.

It's the kind murder mystery that probably made for a fun night at the theatre on London's West End. As filmed, it's a tediously over-acted affair by Taylor that isn't redeemed by the revoltingly graphic climax.

But I salvaged the evening by making a drinking game out of it: take a belt every time someone says, ''dahleeng." You'll be completely plastered before you're 10 minutes into the movie.

Many Elizabeth Taylor films seem to border on melodramatic shlock. Some of them are overly dramatic. She does lend a special vulnerability, a little fragility, just enough to draw you in even though she knows what you are really watching probably isn't worth the trouble.

This particular film would be good if you were home with a cold, or home and didn't want to go out in the rain, or maybe woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. Ironically, everything I mentioned she seems to be suffering from in the film. Or is she? She seems to be going mad, seeing things that aren't there. And wouldn't you know it? Her husband is using his wife's instability against her. Or is she really unstable?

There is indeed a clever little plot twist at the end of the film but it all seems rather dated and tired. Like one long version of McMillan and Wife or Barnaby Jones. We've seen different versions of this story before with different actors and actress'. It isn't anything new or brilliant but it isn't horrible either. You won't be telling your friends about this at dinner or over drinks though.

This one was a tough slog. Elizabeth Taylor's acting is unbelievably bad, and I can't see how so many users think she turned in a good performance. It is absolutely cringe inducing. The twist ending makes up for a lot, and Taylor's performance at the end is better, but suffering through that hammy acting for the majority of the movie was a painful exercise. Billie Whitelaw was much better, I thought.

I gave five stars because of the ending. Without that as the saving grace, it would have been only three or four stars at most for me.

Whether it's worth watching is hard to say. I almost gave up, and had to watch in instalments, but the "twist" ending was sufficiently interesting/redeeming to compensate somewhat.

For fans of campy bad acting, this one is a gold mine. You will definitely get your money's worth.