Middle of the Night

that I taped years ago and watch every so often. It's a good thing I did as it is not yet available on either VHS or DVD. The first time I ever saw this movie on television was way back when I was a teenager and I was babysitting. It's one of those movies where each time I watch it I see things I missed before; either in someone's performance or in the way a scene is filmed or something else. Fredric March is just flawless as a self-made businessman and widower in his fifties and Kim Novak is edgy as the beautiful but damaged and insecure young woman working at his company. Everyone calls her somnambulistic, but in this movie I could feel her nerves jump right through her skin at times. I thought she was very good in the role. I have to mention that one of my favorite characters in it is the son-in-law, Jack, played by Martin Balsam--a fantastic actor, of course, but he is so great in this, that, although he's not in many scenes--he just knocks me over every time I watch it. The characters all sound so true to life, of course, because they were written by Paddy Chayefsky. I found the subject matter fascinating and believable and although the standout performance was definitely that of Fredric March, playing all facets of a mature man, all actors involved were right on the mark. When WILL they make this movie available on VHS or DVD? My home-made tape looks crummy, I admit it! (And the movie is hardly ever shown on television any more) Anyway, this is one of my favorite 100 films.

Unlike a lot of soapy relationship dramas from the late '50s filmed in sturdy, widescreen Technicolor, this gruff little movie actually has a pulse that still resonates! The dialog, the real NYC settings, the no frills though excellent black & white photography, the energetically committed performances of Novak and March (and everyone else) are a revelation. Some of the characters could have stepped out of a movie from today with hardly a change of appearance or attitude, such as Lee Grant. The technical and creative side of the film is refreshing for the era--just watch the scene in what looks like natural, overcast winter light as Novak and March laugh and joke as they approach a cabin. Feels so alive and spontaneous, minus any glossy photography or stilted direction. This film really breathes! And if there's music (I actually didn't notice),it's very subtle and doesn't hammer away and distract. Novak is at her very best--previously she seemed rather held in and expressionless to me, but this completely explodes that perception. And though March had a tendency to overact in his career, his tormented emoting here seems understandable. We really feel his pain and anxiety. This movie deserves wider attention.

Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky adapted his own play about an elderly workaholic (Fredric March, in a stupendous performance) who reaches out to a beautiful woman half his age...but she's got problems of her own, beginning with her shaky self-confidence. Their sometimes-rocky, sometimes-tender courtship provides the basis for this lovely film. As the sad beauty, Kim Novak has seldom been better (it's amazing that professional critics at the time failed to see the growth in Novak as an actress here, focusing all their attention on March, who indeed is terrific). Great N.Y.C. locations, fine support from the always-reliable Lee Grant. Well worth-seeing. *** from **** (Relatively forgotten for years, the movie made its DVD debut August 2010 as part of a Novak collection.)

This movie is a great, low-budget film with on-location shots of New York. The plot is timeless and the performers good all round. Frederic March is the 56 year-old widower who owns a sweatshop in New York and falls for one of his workers, Kim Novak - one of the leading ladies of the day - who just finished her role as Madeleine in Hitchcock's Vertigo. March's love for Betty (Novak) reawakens in him a spirit that has been missing since his wife died several years before. His sister, who moved in with him, is trying to match him with someone his age but March has no use for her efforts. Then, when he falls for a very young woman, he brings down the wrath of both his sister and his beloved daughter.

Like Marty, another film by director Delbert Mann, the plot involves the lovelorn trying to find love only to be restrained by the expectations of family. The one person who takes his side is his son-in-law, played by Martin Balsam. The movie also features the stalwart New York actor Lee Grant, as a friend of his daughter. Paddy Chayefsky wrote the script which was originally a teleplay. It is greatly enhanced by the street scenes.

Some viewers might find it lacking because it is not an action movie. However, it translates very well to the screen and the location shooting of Manhattan in the snow and rain fits the mood. The dialogue, acting and the brooding atmosphere are enhanced by the music of George Bassman. Middle of the Night is still a watchable film that has aged well. I look forward to seeing it again.

"The Catered Affair" is better known today, probably because of the studio that released it and who owns it. "Middle of the Night" is similar and probably better. (It is unquestionably better than "Marty," which seems corny, overstated, and dated today.) Fredric March is magnificent. One can easily see how he was the first stage James Tyrone. He'd already won two Academy Awards but the irascible man in love with a much younger woman here is as good as he ever got. And that's very, very good.

Kim Novak was considered sort of a joke at the peak of her career but her movie performances seem very realistic in the 21st Century. This is maybe not her best. She was a charming comedienne and this is a solemn role. Still, she's good.

This is not unlike "Two For The Seesaw," which was made with a much bigger budget and is atrocious.

It differs in one way in its having a superb and large supporting cast. Everyone is good. Lee Grant, Martin Balsam -- and Glenda Farrell. Torchy Blane grown up and old and with an adult daughter in love with an older man.

The Roundabout Theater Company might look into reviving the stage version of this. It's timely and could be treated in many ways. The Novak character could be even young. She could be a he. However it might be done, it would be good but March would be a hard act to follow.