Night Must Fall

To start with a little off-topic note: in 2003, Tim Burton made the film "Big Fish" which stars Ewan McGregor as a younger version of Albert Finney. When you actually see "Night Must Fall", which was shot around the time when Finney was in his late 30's, it becomes obvious how good this casting choice was! From multiple camera angles, McGregor really looks a lot like the young Finney and the facial expressions are almost exact. "Night Must Fall" itself is a truly interesting and involving thriller and I wonder why on earth it's so underrated! This is a remake of a 1930's thriller that stars Finney as a dangerous, yet very charismatic psychopath who systematically works his way up in a high-society family as a pageboy. After a while, the elderly lady and her daughter grow really fond of him but his mind and intentions are still disturbed. The film has a terrific opening sequence (the frightening image of Danny getting rid of his murder victim) and an extremely suspenseful finale! Everything in between is a bit too talky and – at times – somewhat dull, but you keep watching since Finney's performance is so outstanding. Especially the scenes in which he relives his vile crimes up in his room (forcefully holding the hat-box that contains grim trophies) are very tense and unsettling. Reisz' directing is well-handled but it merely is Freddie Francis' imaginative photography that makes this film so dreamy and beautiful. Francis unquestionably was Britain's best cinematographer of that time and he also directed a couple of entertaining horror films ("Trog", "The Creeping Flesh", "Tales that Witness Madness…")

I loved this film, but it's not for everybody. There are many experimental aspects (music, camera angles, the performances) that reflect the time period in which it was filmed. Think Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe, Dr. Strangelove, Psycho, etc, and you'll be more prepared. It came the year after Tom Jones and was co-produced by Finney, and as a result, was not the kind of film Finney fans were expecting. I suspect that is why the film is not more well known.

A couple of IMDb viewers were rather harsh concerning Finney's performance, but I have to disagree. I was completely mesmerized and I highly recommend it.

Probably not a good movie to watch on a dark stormy night by yourself. At the same time, don't expect a typical horror film--I was thrown off by the very beginning and halfway through, I was questioning what I had seen--I think this was deliberate, and has a lot to do with Danny's character. I think this is a cautionary tale more than anything else. You'll understand what I mean if you've seen it.

I've heard about this British gem, and I was stoked to see that it was on TCM (UK) the other night. Albert Finney is superb as Danny, well the entire cast is very strong. I'd heard about it from the Freddie Francis link (he was Director of Photography)and I wasn't disappointed, it just has his unique stamp all over it.

For most of the film, the audience is waiting for something to happen as the tension is kept to a maximum throughout the film. The final payoff is superb and shows just why Finney is one of Britains best actors. I thought it was a lot like that other British twisted family oddity 'Girly' (US title) but with fewer sexual undertones.

It's a shame Night Must Fall isn't more well known as it's a true gem of 60's British cinema.

You can tell that Danny (Albery Finney) ain't quite right by the erratic way he rides his scooter. And the fact that we see him chopping up and disposing of a body in the opening scene.

Having charmed his way into the knickers of maid Dora Parkoe (Sheila Hancock), knocking her up, Danny worms his way into the household of Dora's employer, elderly Mrs. Bramson (Mona Washbourne). At first, the old lady's daughter Olivia (Susan Hampshire) dislikes Danny, but the young man's rizz eventually wins her over. But what does Danny keep in the hat box in his room?

Predating real-life serial killer Ted Bundy's activities by a decade, Night Must Fall is a fascinating study of a psychopath who, on the surface, is a charismatic individual, but who is, in reality, a deeply disturbed whack job. While Danny works his magic on Mrs. Bramsom and Olivia, the police are dragging the nearby lake for a missing woman, eventually finding her body, minus the head. And although we never see the missing noggin, it's made pretty obvious where it is (with scenes reminiscent of the infamous box incident recounted by Jeffery Dahmer's father).

Despite adopting a rather annoying 'boyo' Welsh accent for the role, Finney is excellent as the manipulative psychopath, lending his character a much-needed sense of realness (as one might expect from an actor who found fame in the kitchen-sink drama genre). We get glimpses into Danny's past, giving us an insight into what has made him so flaky, both his mother and father dying when he was very young; this also goes some way to explaining the rather perverse mother/son relationship he develops with Mrs. Bransom, which leads to the film's shocking climax.

Well acted, grim, and surprisingly brutal at times, Night Must Fall is a compelling study of a dangerous individual, and, although I didn't quite buy into the ending, in which Danny realises that the game is up and is reduced to a gibbering wreck, I still recommend the film to fans of gritty psycho-thrillers.

Even after 55 years Albert Finney's performance as the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde womanizer who can turn into a deranged psychotic killer at the slightest of conversations is not to be missed. I think this film is an under rated classic and in the same realm as Psycho.

A must see if you enjoy thrillers.