Other commentators have complained about the "talkiness" of this thriller, and it can't be denied that much of the movie's almost-two-hour running time is squandered in the Welsh equivalent of blarney. (Thank original author Emlyn Williams, and remember this was originally a stage play -- in fact, I've seen it on stage, where it may work even better, with its more obvious and mannered mechanisms). You won't find a cast this good at a Wednesday matinee, however. Roz Russell, in plain-Jane getups, plays a definite third wheel to Robert Montgomery's charming psycho and Dame May Whitty's steely but dependent old battleaxe. Whitty walks away with the movie even though wheelchair-bound; she's amusingly annoying and in almost every scene, but at the end, when panic strikes her and she skitters off into hysteria, she shows what a great old trouper she was -- almost the British version of Marie Dressler. If you aren't totally spoiled by the whiplash pacing of today's movies, Night Must Fall still packs a special thrill for lovers of literate, well-acted melodrama. Just be a wee bit patient.
Add a Review
-
bmacv30 January 2001
-
When I saw this movie I had never heard of Robert Montgomery. After seeing it, he instantly joined Robert Mitchum, Lee Marvin, Gene Kelly, Lon Chaney (Sr), and Beverly Garland on the short list of actors whose movies i will watch simply because they are in them. I recently also found out about R. Montgomery's work as a director, which I look forward to seeing as soon as TCM airs some of it. Now to the movie, I've only seen it once, so I don't know how qualified I am to speak on it, but I do know that Robert Montgomery's performance as a psychotic killer is one of the all time greats in the category, certainly the equal in its sinister qualities to the better performances along these lines of actors like Lon Chaney, Robert Ryan, and Anthony Hopkins. This movie should be watched and I guarantee you will be surprised it is like no other film of the 30s and like no other film since. It is full of cheezy melodramatic moments but also has some really chilling moments of fear. Don't miss it!
-
blanche-23 January 2006"Night Must Fall," which was originally a play by Emlyn Williams, contains three fantastic roles for actors, and as a film, it has been beautifully cast, directed (by Richard Thorpe), and photographed. Set in an English cottage in a village that borders a forest, Rosalind Russell lives with her horrid, verbally abusive aunt. Along comes Danny, basically brought into the household to be spoken to about a promised marriage to one of the maids in the house. Danny is a sexual opportunist, a murderer, and a psychopath who can hone in on what each person he meets needs and wants. He soon becomes charmingly indispensable to the aunt. The Russell character senses his black soul but is attracted to him nonetheless, and he knows it. What transpires is an intriguing mystery and psychological drama.
Robert Montgomery was a wonderful actor, adept at many kinds of roles but most often cast in the light comedies so often made in the '30s. Here he is fantastic - a charming, frightening liar with a huge ego who thinks his crafty mind will win in the end. Russell gives a beautiful, underplayed performance as an unhappy young woman, dating a man she's not sure she loves, attracted to this stranger and to the possibility of something interesting happening to her. Dame May Witty is great as an abrasive shrew.
This is one of those gems - and doesn't Hollywood know it, they've remade it enough - but it's a real tour de force for the right actors. A winner. -
bojones29 March 2002It is obvious that this movie was designed and photographed by true artists. Art Director Cedric Gibbons has been credited with over 1,000 movies throughout his career spanning the 20s - 50s. Associate Art Director Edwin Willis has also designed over 500 sets.
Every corner of every scene has interesting and beautiful details to look at in the sets of the English cottage and gardens, and all are exquisitely lit and photographed by cinematographer Ray June. Pay attention to the way he uses light streaming in the windows and highlights even the smallest details. It is striking.
Rosalind Russell also gives a very good English accent. I liked her serene performance of a prim Englishwoman. Robert Montgomery excellently portrays the "dangerous type," a psychopath who can display many different personalities to suit his needs. I especially liked his performance in the arrest scene. Dame May Whitty also gives an excellent performance as the abrasive but gullible and neurotic Mrs. Bramson.
A good movie doesn't have to have a lot of action and chase scenes. I recommend this movie for many other reasons: Beautiful sets, lighting, photography, interesting story, interesting dialogue, and interesting characters. -
I have seen this film a couple of times, if only for the sinister, multi-faceted performance of Robert Montgomery (Elizabeth's father), but, as someone previously noted, it is an old play and it certainly creaks from time to time. A horrible crime is committed in a small English town; a local woman has been found dead, her head missing. There are no suspects, and the police are alerted for a maniac roaming the area. Rosalind Russell is a prim, bookish young woman staying with Dame May Witty, her petulant, wheelchair-bound aunt. The aunt makes demands of her niece, and tends to be full of unctuous self-pity. Robert Montgomery appears on the scene as Danny, an Irish dandy who is dating one of the old lady's maids. He soon charms Dame May, who hires him on as her helper and general syncophant - flattering her, and giving in to all her petty whims with a smile and a smooth air. Rosalind Russell does not trust him, and lets her dislike of him show, but there seems to be an undercurrent of attraction to him at the same time. Despite her distrust, she leaves her aunt alone with him to visit her lover in town, and the horribly inevitable occurs. I found several holes in this so-called "thriller". One is: if she did not trust him, and wondered about his past, and noted some instability in his personality -- why leave a defenseless old lady alone with him? Why were the police not more suspicious of a newcomer in town, and not more strident in their investigation of him? And, a most unpleasant truth, if indeed he had that missing body part in the infamous hatbox, why didn't the scent of decay (let's be realistic here) permeate that small cottage? That alone would have sent him to the gallows much sooner, as it would have been immediately noticed. So there was a little too much dramatic license here. If you've seen the later remake with Albert Finney - another fine actor who also imbued Danny's character with a very sinister psychosis - you'll find the same stretches of credibility here that detracted from the finale of this drama. It's good watching for the fine character actors in the cast, but not something that I'd think would scare the tar out of you if you examine it closely.
-
As you can see from my ID name, this is one of my top 10 movies of all time. Yes, it is basically a filmed stage play, not really opened out, but the performances of the 3 leads are so magnificent, it doesn't really matter.
Dame May Whitty plays a woman you love to hate very well in this one. Mrs. Bramson, her character, is so nasty, smug and self-satisfied, that you can't help but cheer when Bob Montgomery's Danny smothers her good show! My friend and I laughed our heads off when she went into hysteria when left alone and had to drag her butt off the wheelchair and actually stand up on her own. A very good performance. I have seen her in several other films, but in smaller and less showy roles than here, and I think she carried it off beautifully and she was 72 at the time. WOW! -- Impressive!
What can I say about Robert Montgomery's performance, except that I thought it was fantastic, and such a large step away from many of his roles, especially up to that point. Apparently the studio was mad at him for defying some rule, or whatever, and gave him this role as punishment. Well, he showed them. Aside from him being slightly restrained in a couple of earlier scenes (he could have been a bit more menacing, although I suppose the objective was to build the suspense at a slower pace), his performance hit fever pitch at the film's end. The arrest scene (my friend's favorite) and the psychotic breakdown speech (my favorite the church/evil monologue was great also) were excellent. Who knew the man had it in him? And all the while keeping the spot-on Welsh accent. BRAVO!!!! As good as Montgomery was in comedy, I would love to have seen him in more roles similar to this (as in The Big House and A Rage in Heaven).
Rosalind Russell was the perfect choice for the role of Olivia Grayne, Whitty's niece, as we see her blossom from a backward, repressed, shy woman into a more self-assured, no-nonsenser unafraid to speak her mind by the movie's end -- both types of roles that Russell has always been able to pull off with ease.
The lengthly scene in the kitchen between Danny and Olivia (the actors make a good pair) is very sexy, yet does not even contain a single kiss. Boy, they knew how to make em in the old days!
My little quiibbles: the script could have delved a bit more into Danny's psyche, and could also have relied on less conveniently-placed exits/entrances for the characters. But these are minor points.
A film not to be missed for the fab performances, esp. Bob Montgomery tossing cats around and menacing old ladies.
HIGHLY RECOMMEMDED. -
nomoons1127 October 2011This is one of those films that gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to scary thriller films. It needs a re-look by everyone.
I'll say right off that I'm a huge Rosalind Russell fan but she was sorta bland in this one. She's a lot better in her screwball comedies. She has a co-headliner in this and he should be cause...he's the star.
Robert Montgomery is just super creepy in this. He plays the perfect sociopath in this fine little thriller. You wouldn't think with him in this it would come off as eery and scary as it does but he plays the villain so well it was a pleasure to watch. What makes him so good is that during the film you know he's bad but he doesn't come off that way. It's in a sorta roundabout way with sly inferences here and there. Wait until the end though. Evil finally rears its ugly head.
This film is well worth a look in horror/thriller circles. I think it gets overlooked because of its age. Even for 1937 though, it's damn effective if your gonna watch this on a cold/dark Saturday night. Give it a try and be amazed on how well it works. -
BelleCBelle10 October 2006A marvelous suspenseful, tension-filled, atmospheric thriller with absolutely NO "blood and guts," and I thank God for that. This film is intelligent in every respect and requires the viewer to watch with his/her brain switched "ON." "Night Must Fall" is the epitome of an intelligent horror film.
The first time I saw this film I was initially and completely mesmerized by Robert Montgomery's performance. I had not seen him act in any film other than gay '30's farces (with some serious roles thrown into the mix) or WW II films. I always enjoyed his films, but after seeing "Night Must Fall" I began to pay attention to his acting in other films and developed a greater appreciation for his skill as an actor.
Rosalind Russell is a talented, gorgeous actor/wit/comedienne, and is able to fully-utilize her skill in her role. What can I say about Dame May Witty, other than I wish I could travel back in time to see her on the stage in London in her prime. The two other women characters in the home, the cook and the girlfriend/servant, are small but vital roles that each actor plays to perfection.
Additionally, this was that unusual and rare film that was adapted from a stage play BUT was not merely shot as a play. Unless you paid attention to the credits, you would not realize this was a stage play. Not so easy to adapt a stage play to film, keep the dialog flowing properly, turning the play into a film that is meant to be seen as a film.
This film is perfectly written, directed and acted. The lighting and cinematography are superb. The set designs, costumes, etc...............all nonpareil. -
rmax30482322 November 2009Dame May Witty is a bad-tempered wheelchair-bound old woman. She's attended by her niece, Rosalind Russell, a sullen and repressed woman who keeps her eager suitor, Alan Marshal, at arm's length. He's a lawyer in the city, while Witty and Russell live in a woodland cottage. There are two women who serve as day maids. Nota bene: That's four women alone in an isolated house, with two of them gone by nightfall. Always a great set-up for a slasher movie.
Then Robert Montgomery shows up. He's more of a caricature than a character. He looks cocky. A cigarette dangles from his lips and he keeps his thumbs hooked in his trouser pockets. He wears this weird topper, a flat hat wider than his head, like a woolen dinner plate.
But, man, is he bewitching. He's always cheerful, as quick and perceptive about people as a particularly savvy shrink. He has an Irish accent. He's candid and forthright about himself and what he sees in others. He's loaded with this fey charm and it's easy for him to worm his way into the brutal old lady's graces so that, after some initial protests, she happily hires him as something between a personal attendant and a son.
It isn't as though Robert Montgomery didn't have problems, though. Chief among them are the facts, which emerge only point by point during the story, that he's a blatant liar and a sneaky murderer who totes the head of his latest victim around in a hatbox with him.
The play was written in 1934. A bit more than thirty years earlier Queen Victoria was on the throne. Victorian England was notorious for its repression of everything that could possibly be defined as "improper", meaning mostly sex and violence but also bad manners and a careless regard for class distinctions. Furniture legs were covered with little draperies. A chicken's "breasts and thighs" became "white and dark meat." It's the kind of atmosphere in which evil could pop unexpectedly, like a pierced carbuncle, an atmosphere that could produce Stevenson's "Doctor Jeykll and Mr. Hyde" or an Alfred Hitchcock.
The play's author, Emlyn Williams, was born in 1905 and some of these values are carried over into his plot. Montgomery's character, Danny, smilingly admits that he's always "acting", as if eyes were staring at him. Every once in a while, though he doesn't tell Russell or anyone else, the zit pops and he dismembers somebody.
Montgomery does a fine job with Danny. He always appears gawky. His movements are sudden and jerky, and his speech comes in bursts. Eventually, along with Russell, the viewer realizes that Danny is not merely acting but overacting. He races around singing and whistling and flattering the grouchy matron. He pushes her wheelchair too quickly. Everything he does is in fits and spasms.
Russell's part is pretty complicated. She has to begin as a buttoned-up spinster who resents the lower-class Danny, but then becomes interested in him, half repelled and half attracted sexually, so much so that she saves his bacon when the police begin to suspect him of a local murder.
Danny is the sort of guy who, if he didn't exist, would not be necessary to invent, but he does accomplish some good unwittingly. He opens up Rosalind Russell's passions and causes to her act out her desires.
The movie is a little slow. It's not the action-filled mystery with cheap effects that we've become used to. The pace picks up towards the end. And it's not without weakness. The cynical and tough old lady finds herself alone in the house at night and instantly turns into a quivering mass of Jello. There's been no indication that this transmogrification from brick wall into vulnerability was coming -- or was even possible.
But, that aside, it's a neatly drawn picture of aborted predation, of character and the evolution of character. -
BaronBl00d15 October 2005Somewhat forgotten, uniquely entertaining "thriller" about the happenings of an old English cottage when news of a missing then discovered murdered woman surrounds household. Rosialnd Russell, looking very prim and proper(and Oh! so young!), gives a good performance as a bullied niece with loads of imagination, a repressed sexual bent, and some genuine ambivalent feelings toward life, death, and the whole notion of what is exciting and what is dull. She takes orders from the wonderful Dame May Witty giving a grand performance as an imperious woman in a wheelchair trying to clutch on to anything in her life that will still give it meaning. Her household is visited upon by a young man that has been seeing one of the servant girls - Robert Montgomery - and he manages through his "charm" to worm his way into her home. We know at the very beginning that his intentions are not noble as we see him talk about Witty's wealth and spy on her as she locks away her valuables. Witty adopts Montgomery, now working in her home, as a kind soul full of funny anecdotes and good will. Russell knows differently but either is unwilling to accept what kind of person Montgomery is or is excited by that very same kind of person he may be. The murder looms the entire time in the background. Richard Thorpe does one heck of a good job infusing this film with taut tension and gentle humour. His use of setting and cinematography in particular show great craftsmanship. He is also blessed with three strong performing leads. Witty is an absolute treasure. Russell is very good, and Montgomery gives what might be his best performance. His light Cockney-like accent is believable, and although I found his character despicable from the very beginning - that credit for making what many perceived as a charming local initially affable and then later very detestable is a credit to Montgomery's acting craft. He plays a psychopath very well indeed. Night Must Fall will not dazzle you with action sequences, nor will you even see any actual violence. The film is very talky, but wonderfully so and relies almost entirely on the dialog and the believability of the acting. Movies like this sure aren't made any more. They just involve way too much thinking.
-
Times sure have changed. In 1935, George M. Cohan wrote of the play "The best thrill play I ever saw - and I've seen 'em all. It takes you by the throat and leaves you gasping." Perhaps it's unfair to compare it with Psycho, the best thriller of all time, but the comparison is like black and white. The only thrills here is in the last 20 minutes or so, and they are mild. The movie opened up the one-set play a bit, which helped vary the surroundings, but it still felt like a filmed play. The two saving graces were in the performances of Oscar nominees Dame May Whitty and Robert Montgomery, both a pleasure to watch. Whitty dominates all the scenes she is in, and Montgomery plays his murderous sweetness to perfection. The movie is worth seeing for these two performers.
For those interested in credits, I had a hard time spotting Winifred Harris, who is billed tenth. But if you believe the second set of opening credits which specified the cast in order of appearance, she should have appeared before tour guide E.E. Clive. There must have been some scenes cut because she appeared last, and barely at that. She has no lines and was in the background. -
funkyfry28 October 2002Witty reverse morality story of an obnoxious old woman (Whitty) who takes in a lodger/servant to help her (and to spite her live-in niece, Russell, who doesn't know her aunt is leaving her $100 in her rich estate). He's "not an ordinary servant", and neither is she. They have a love story, too, shared in the dark in a time when fear and possibility are the same, and death and sex interchangeable. Thus, Danny (nice, innocent sounding name), left alone with the old woman -- makes his move. Montgomery is stunning and disarming as he shifts from "play acting" as the charming young gent to the possibly psychotic. Russell is also a convincing dark horse, saddled with a lame lover. Great photography, decent directing. This is a should-be legendary suspense film.
-
utgard148 February 2014A charming, handsome handyman (Robert Montgomery) wheedles his way into the home of a wealthy old woman (Dame May Witty). Her niece (Rosalind Russell) is suspicious of him and eventually pieces together that he is a murderer the police are looking for. Montgomery being the killer is spoiled in most descriptions of this movie. Even TCM spoils it in their one sentence description on their programming guide. I guess we can't exactly cry foul over spoilers for a movie over 75 years old, but still it makes me wonder if there would have been some added punch for audiences in 1937 who might not have connected the dots right away. Entertaining thriller with a standout performance from Robert Montgomery, who clearly has fun with his part. Witty is excellent as always. Russell is good in one of her first big roles. Her character does a few things that are hard to explain, such as covering for Montgomery even though she knows he's got a severed head in a hatbox! I've read a decent theory that Russell wanted him to kill the old lady and that's why she prevented his arrest earlier. But I'm not convinced that's supported by what we're shown as much as it's people trying to explain away some out of character moments by Russell. Still, it's all good fun and an enjoyable film.
-
Saw this off TCM tonight. Plenty of descriptive reviews here, so I shall be brief. A rich old woman Mrs. Bramson, wonderfully played by Dame May Whitty, who is confined to a wheel chair, lives in a cottage in a woods in England, somewhere, where she has three servants, including her niece, Olivia (Rosalind Russell) who handles her correspondence and money matters.
The maid has a boyfriend who promised to marry her, but seems to be welching on the deal. Mrs. Bramson says she'll talk to the man, who is coming over that very day. She meets Danny (Robert Montgomery), who charms her right from the start, working his way into being hired for various duties, away from his work at a nearby hotel.
Now the crux of the story is that police are searching about the area for a missing woman who was staying at that same hotel, thinking she might have been murdered. Olivia seems to suspect Danny at first sight, and shows a dislike for him right from the start.
About a week after Danny moves in, they find the body of the missing woman-minus her head. All the while, Danny seems like the obvious killer, including scenes where he observes, and then tries to break into Mrs. Bramson's safe in her bedroom, where he knows she keeps most of her fortune-she doesn't trust banks.
I kept waiting for her to do some digging to try to find out about this man, but other than foolishly go through his bags with the other two servants, and get caught when Danny comes back unexpectedly, she seems to do nothing to learn about him other than ask him questions, to which all the answers he gives, she doesn't believe at all.
After she becomes quite scared of him, she decides to leave her aunt alone with him, but later returns the same day. A bit later, even more scared, she again goes to stay at her boyfriend's home-under the chaperoning of his mother, leaving Mrs. Bramson all alone in the house with Danny.
Then she comes back, all alone, confronts him, telling him she'll tell the police about him being the murderer-now almost certain that he has killed her aunt. Danny was about to kill her too when the police arrive and arrest him.
The worst scene happened earlier, when the police come to search Danny's items. He brought three containers from the hotel-two suitcases and a large hat box. Olivia and her friends searched the two suitcases, but found the hat box locked. With the police asking Danny for the key, for reasons that made no sense, Olivia rushes into the room and insists it is her hat box and she takes it back almost as soon as possible. The cops didn't even ask her why she would lock up a box full of her letters, as she said were in it. It seems odd to us that if the head was in that hat box, how come after well over a week it didn't emit any sort of odor?
At no time was there ever any indication that anyone else might have had something to do with the murder. The only thing "suspenseful" about this was how many more victims would he have before he was caught. Not being a "Mad Slasher" film of modern day, the count of characters we saw living was only one.
They tried to develop a theme that Olivia wound up being attracted to Danny, excited by the thought that he was a killer and led a more exciting life than she did, but that just didn't make any sense to me. She seemed dumb about him at times, but kept realizing the right way to behave, only she was too late for her aunt.
Maybe I've seen too much Hitchcock, but most of my interest here was waiting, hoping to find a real plot twist, perhaps learning that Danny was a strange man, but not the killer of anyone. But as we kept going, it became more and more clear this wasn't going to happen, leaving me with a rather disappointing last 20 minutes of an otherwise interesting movie. I figure that lowers the score to a 5. -
Emlyn Williams suspenseful stage play is given a strong treatment in this atmospheric film. Russell plays the penniless and somewhat dowdy niece of crotchety, cranky Witty, a wealthy, feisty old woman confined to a wheelchair (possibly by her own hypochondria!) When one of the maids of the house is made pregnant, Witty interviews the guilty party (Montgomery) in order to scold him and pressure him into marrying the wayward girl, but instead is charmed to the point of hiring him on as an assistant and care-giver to herself. Russell watches in disbelief and disgust as this snake weasels his way into the heart of the otherwise cantankerous Witty and eventually begins to believe that his cheerful demeanor is a cover for a much darker side. The fact that a beheaded woman's body was found nearby and that he keeps a hat box that is "much too heavy for a hat" only adds to her fears and suspicions, yet she is strangely drawn to him, falling under his spell herself, with only occasional breaks back into cold reality. Russell and Montgomery play a game of mental tennis with Witty as the ball until the situation reaches a fever pitch. Russell does well in a mostly understated portrayal. Her versatility is evident as only two years later she would soar overboard in the classic "The Women". Sometimes, her character's motivations are fuzzy, but she does an able job of standing up to and being drawn to Montgomery. Montgomery is excellent. His innate pleasantness and sunny face mask a truly troubled persona that only comes to the surface occasionally. His interplay with both women, but primarily Witty, is a highlight of the film. Incidentally, in certain scenes and in some long shots, he resembles Jude Law (even on the video cover.) Witty is magnificent in her role as the bitter, lonely old woman whose ice is melted by the new surrogate son in her life. Alternately snippy and delighted, she and Montgomery have great chemistry and are a memorable screen duo. The remainder of the cast is solid and helpful to the ambiance with the possible exception of Russell's rather gooey love interest Marshal (though there isn't much he could have done with that part.) Definitely showing its age and its stage roots, (and clocking in a bit too lengthily) the film is nonetheless entertaining and intriguing for the most part. Interestingly, Montgomery's career as a leading man was not affected by this dark role, yet a couple of years later Cary Grant was prevented from playing one that was far less deranged in "Suspicion" (thus rendering that film's storyline somewhat ridiculous.) Montgomery even scored an Oscar nomination. It's interesting to wonder whether Grant could have gotten one if his character weren't toyed with and how his career path may have changed if he had played the darker aspects (but he could hardly complain about his film success!)
-
Rosalind Russell is wonderful playing a demure, somewhat repressed secretary, working for her crotchety old auntie in a country estate, who suspects the charming Irish houseboy of being a killer; worse still, her odd attraction to the man stops her from alerting the police. Emlyn Williams' successful stage production becomes first-rate dramatic film, with careful attention to character motivation and dialogue (and gleefully nasty, sordid little details besides). Unfortunately, it all unravels in the final reel, which does allow Oscar-nominated Robert Montgomery a chance to pull out the stops, though at the expense of credibility. Beautiful production, terrific supporting performance from May Witty. Followed in 1964 by a critically-drubbed remake. **1/2 from ****
-
rk17628 November 2005Note: I am unsure as to whether my comments about Mongomery here are a spoiler, so rather than be blacklisted, I submitted it as "spoiler," although one would have to be a bit dense not to see where the film is going.
Now to what I gave to say: If you don't think Robert Mongomery can act, see this film. If you do think he can act, see this film. This is very close to being a classic, low key thriller with even an unusual twist about the dark side of one of the "upright" characters thrown in as highly believable depiction of the complex nature of the psyche. The other members of the cast, Rosalind and the rest, are just great. It seems to be in the Hitchock vein and to really outdo the "master," at least in my opinion. For me, this was an entirely different Robert Mongomery than any of the characters I've seen him play. He is simultaneously credibly charming and sinister. And I do mean "credible." He most certainly deserves kudos for his role. -
Danusha_Goska10 January 2022I'm a big fan of Golden Age Hollywood movies. I've seen so many of them that it's hard for me to find a good one that I haven't already seen, and even more rare for me to find one that I hadn't heard of, and didn't already know the plot to. When you already know the reviews and the plot, even of a movie you haven't already seen, that eliminates the pleasure you get from surprise. The local library had the DVD of "Night Must Fall" from 1937. Not only had I not seen it, I'd never heard of it.
"Night Must Fall" surprised me. It's a murder mystery, so I can't say too much about it, but, yes, it was very worth seeing.
Those not familiar with, and appreciative of, Golden Age movies might dismiss "Night Must Fall" as beneath them. It is black and white, with the pre-wide-screen aspect ratio. That is, the image you see is more of a square than a rectangle. The images don't extend far out to the right and left.
"Night Must Fall" was filmed on a soundstage that stands in for an English cottage surrounded by woods. The viewer knows that this really isn't a cottage, and those aren't really woods. The trees aren't trees and the rivers aren't rivers. It's all MGM magic. When watching a soundstage movie, you must willingly suspend that disbelief.
Star Robert Montgomery, who was born in New York, attempts a weak Irish accent. Connecticut-born Rosalind Russell makes no attempt to sound English at all. Dame May Whitty, making her Hollywood debut at age 72, is clearly English and sounds it. Merle Tottenham, Kathleen Harrison, in minor roles, were both English. Alan Marshall was from Australia but sounded English to me.
"Night Must Fall" is a murder mystery with sexual and perverse undertones, but, given the Production Code, there is no gore and no violence at all. There's very little action. The film consists mostly of talk and significant eye movement. There are hammy moments. The musical score emphasizes points, and actors gasp and stare into space in melodramatic ways.
In spite of all the aesthetic differences between 1937 and 2022, "Night Must Fall" was, for me, very worth watching. I was fascinated to see what the screenplay by John Van Druten would do with the set-up: a woman has been murdered in an English village. The residents of the cottage discuss this murder and go about their quiet lives.
Elderly, wheelchair-bound invalid Mrs. Bramson lives with two domestic serving women and her niece, Olivia. A man name Danny arrives and charms Mrs. Bramson so thoroughly that she invites him to live with her and attend to her needs. The police stop by and ask if the cottage residents have seen anything unusual. There's been a murder and a headless corpse has been found.
I can't really say much more than that so as not to spoil the plot. I can say that Robert Montgomery's character, Danny, as written, is fascinating. It's interesting to know that a screenwriter in 1937 would even conceive of such a character. Montgomery's performance is amazing. I never thought to see such a performance in a B movie made in 1937. In spite of the gore-and-violence-free production, "Night Must Fall" really did give me the creeps and frightened me, especially in its closing scenes. "A critical success, Night Must Fall was named the best film of the year by the National Board of Review. Robert Montgomery also received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role," reports Wikipedia. The film was not a huge commercial success, though. I think it was ahead of its time. -
Olivia Grayne (Rosalind Russell), a prim-looking, bespectacled young woman in tweed skirts, twinsets, and sensible shoes, lives in a country house with her crabby aunt Mrs. Bramson (Dame May Witty) and suffers the indignity of being treated like a servant while employed as her aunt's companion. She is ardently pursued by her aunt's lawyer Justin Laurie (Alan Marshal, a ringer for Laurence Olivier), who is handsome and good. Frankly, I would have left with him long ago. He asks her to marry him and says, "Even if you don't love me, aren't I better than the old lady?" Indeed!! Olivia longs for some adventure or excitement in her life of drab monotony, but doesn't think it's ever going to happen.
That changes when Dora, one of the maids, confesses tearfully to being "in trouble" by a messenger from another house. Mrs. Bramson agrees to see him to make him do right by the girl. Into their lives comes Danny (Robert Montgomery), a strutting Irish charmer whose silver tongue so enchants the old lady, she offers him a job. He nonchalantly agrees to marry the maid, like many sociopaths who toss off the answer they know needs to be said without any intention of actually doing so. Indeed, soon enough Danny is taking dinner with the ladies of the house and being served by the maid presumably carrying his baby.
Olivia sees right through Danny from the start. She becomes interested in him, though, because he's good-looking, different, and has that dangerous bad-boy vibe going on. But she's also repulsed my his servile attitude to the old cantankerous battle-axe and his facile way with the truth. Nonetheless, after he tells her she would be prettier "without them glasses on," we don't see her wearing them much.
When the lady of the house from his previous employment turns up dead, nude, and decapitated in the woods, Danny seems to know her far too intimately to have been just her servant. Olivia twigs onto this immediately, and has her suspicions. Olivia wonders what is in the hatbox under the bed that is much too heavy for a hat and why he's never unpacked his things.
Nonetheless, Olivia saves his bacon when the police inspector wants to look through his things and she claims his hatbox as her own. She feels a little sorry for him and we guess that even she doesn't know quite why she did this.
There's a lot of sexual tension between Danny and Olivia. This is played out in quite a charged fashion in the kitchen scene. Olivia goes to make tea because she can't sleep. Danny is also awake, troubled by something. He hears someone in the kitchen, goes to investigate, and scares the bejesus out of Olivia. He pegs her spot on, telling her, "You want adventure, don't you? It's right here in this house, right here in this kitchen, with the two of us, alone here, at this time of night. It's exciting, isn't it?" He tells her, as she is breathing hard and blushing, that she's never been alone with a chap like him but she likes it, and it's a secret part of her she never knew existed. He comes closer to her, close enough to kiss It's true, she is excited. But it's dangerous too, and she knows it. I won't spoil the scene for you; you'll have to see it for yourself.
This was the first performance I had seen Montgomery give. I went back and saw his romantic comedies and then saw this again. He is wonderful in it, and indeed was nominated for an Academy Award. His Irish accent is very good. His demeanor as the insouciant servant who starts out mouthing platitudes to all and sundry and by the end of the story is displaying his contempt of them is very well-played. His good looks worked for him in this role, as who would believe someone so handsome would be a killer? Indeed, would many women have cuddled up with Ted Bundy had he looked creepy and frightening? That's just how sociopaths work; and Montgomery pretty much nails it. Russell is good as well in the kind of role that would be left in the dust as she moved on the screwball comedies in just a few years. Dame May Witty, as the malingering old biddy, is too perfect with her complaints of palpitations, bosom-clutching, and rattling around in a wheelchair she clearly doesn't need. Her hysterics late in the film, when everyone has left her alone and she has the "jitters," is classically comical.
The story holds up but some of the film's flaws include staginess and talkiness (over two hours long). You can tell it started life as a play because most of the action takes place in one room from which all others open off. I also found heavy-handed the device of using threatening music when Danny enters the room. Also, mention is made that the body has not been found yet and promptly there is a scream from offstage and a policeman rushes in to use the phone to report that the body has indeed been found. Stagy! It doesn't quite hold up to thriller standards by today's viewpoint but still atmospheric, and the set design is beautiful and the performances, especially Montgomery's, are well worth seeing. In fact, this role was not given to Montgomery as some sort of punishment by MGM, as suggested by another post. Louis B. Mayer was astounded Montgomery wanted to play this type of role at all, and Bob had to fight for it. If all you know of him is the fluffy romantic movies where he waltzed around pretty women and said things like, "I love you, and you love me too, admit it," do see him acting quite differently in this film. -
davidcarniglia3 February 2019Impressive character study of Robert Montgomery's role as the servant Danny. May Whitty is equally strong as his employer Mrs. Bramson. They could not be more different; Mrs. Bramson is the quintessential fussy old widow, very set in her ways, imperious, and convinced of her infallibility. Danny is a charlatan, changing his act to suit the audience and the situation. His audience for the most part consists of the old lady and her niece Olivia (Rosalind Russell). Strangely, Danny is able to inveigal his way into the house as the maid's suitor. Meanwhile, a local has gone missing; it seems that lady, who later shows up dead, is Danny's previous employer.
Olivia is suspicious of him right away; plus she can see right through his phoniness. Unfortunately, even she becomes susceptible to his cunning facade. The mystery is not so much who killed the lady in the woods, but how and if Danny will be fingered for the crime. It's Montgomery's brilliance that gives us this 'aw, shucks' bumpkin character, who uses feigned ignorance to manipulate others, especially Mrs. Bramson, into thinking that he's some sort of long-lost other half of an un-named virtue. I'm reduced to near-inarticulateness because I found Danny painful to watch. I hate him! His jaunty look, with the cigarette lazily lilting from his lip, is a sort of self-parody. He's affecting the personality of a cad without any of the substance, and simultaneously makes fun of what he's unable to be.
Fortunately, he has his comeuppance. He's actually panicky at the end, because he can no longer control the situation; he can no longer pretend. I just don't understand his motivation for killing Mrs. Bramson. He does make off with a ton of cash, but is that really worth hanging for? Even if he gets away undetected, he'll be the primary suspect. Not to mention that he's probably already under suspicion for the first murder. There was a slight hint, after we see Mrs. Bramson easily walk out of wheelchair, that she might have something to hide too. After all, who would suspect someone (of the first murder) who's not supposed to be able to walk? The police wonder a bit about Olivia as well. It might have been more interesting had these two red herring possibilities been developed more.
Since it's perfectly established that Danny can be johnny-on-the-spot for every circumstance, I don't find Olivia's muted attraction for Danny unbelievable. It is weird, though, that she'd cover for him with the police. She must know that the bag/pouch has something to do with the first murder; if she isn't implicated in some way, why dabble in trouble? In any case, Justin (Alan Marshal) is obviously more her type, but he's indecisive, and frankly kind of a boring guy. Olivia isn't too thrilled with him, but at least he's an escape hatch from her aunt.
The denouement works well; as soon as Danny sees the flashlight's reflection on the wall, we know he's found out, and Olivia's safe. Having the first murder hanging over the entire movie keeps the suspense going; we're waiting for Danny (or anyone else) to slip up. I don't mind that Night Must Fall is talky; most mysteries are. But it does bog down in the middle, with obnoxious scene after scene of Danny polishing the facets of his mutiple personalities for Mrs. Bramson. Olivia's character could've been fleshed out more to take some of the focus off Danny.
I agree with those who note the pleasing look of the film--both interiors of the house, and the woodsy surroundings (sometimes aptly foggy) Actually, I expected some dark-and-stormy-nights. Too much daylight. Worth a look for Montgomery's performance, fairly entertaining all together. -
Hesse-023 November 2003Just happened to catch this movie on TCM during the week before Halloween and is it a thriller! Robert Montgomery plays just the creepiest guy !!! There is a scene in this movie that was stolen by a more famous movie - "Seven" if you know what I mean. GREAT performances, GREAT psychological drama, I HIGHLY recommend.
-
masonfisk13 August 2018A stagey but engaging potboiler about a murderer hiding out as a servant in an old woman's charge. Probably one of Rosalind Russell earliest roles finds her suspecting Robert Montgomery's cheery psychopath to the contrary of everyone else. Remade in 1964 w/Albert Finney, this drama is ahead of its time & it could stand another remake (I usually would stand by the original) but the times & mores have been updated so this yarn could be a good reboot.
-
hitchcockthelegend9 February 2020Night Must Fall is directed by Richard Thorpe and adapted to screenplay John Van Druten from the Emlyn Williams play. It stars May Whitty, Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, Merle Tottenham, Alan Marshal, Matthew Boulton and Kathleen Harrison. Music is by Edward Ward and cinematography by Ray June.
When the rich but cantankerous dowager Mrs. Branson (Whitty) hires engaging but mysterious handyman Danny (Montgomery), her niece/companion Olivia (Russell) becomes suspicious of his motives.
Emlyn Williams play (he played the role of Danny himself on the stage) is brought to the screen with splendid unnerving rewards, the end result being a genuine thriller, the kind that seems all the more better for being filmed in classic era monochrome.
With the tone set from the off, where we know there is a murderer at large, director Thorpe takes great care to ensure characterisations of the principles are firmly given room to breath. He has to do this since the film runs at just shy of two hours in length, but never once does the film or story sag. This is because of in the main the performance of Montgomery.
With MGM suits worried about Montgomery being cast in the male lead, since he was after all at the time cast against frothy type, producer Hunt Stromberg got his way and was duly rewarded when the pic became a critical and popular audience hit. Montgomery (Oscar Nominated Best Actor) is terrific, his portrayal of Danny is a blend of childlike shenanigans and sinister undertones - crowned by a nerve tingling last thirty minutes of the piece.
Montgomery is well backed by the Great Dame Whitty (Oscar Nominated Best Supporting Actress) and Russell, the former delightfully gruff but melts under Danny's charm, the latter deeply conflicted on an emotional level as things start to twist and turn in the plot. This is highly recommended to any classic film fan who has a bent for those Gaslight type thrillers where a woman may be under threat and the protagonist may just be too good to be true... 8/10 -
Solid adaptation of Emlyn Williams' stage thriller with a terrific British cast led by Dame May Whitty; but Rosalind Russell is miscast as a dowdy spinster and Robert Montgomery is dreadful as a con man on the make. He can't do a British accent to save his life and is utterly out of his depth in a cast of actual Brits. Moreover, his character is supposed to be a charmer, as mentioned several times in the dialogue; and it's not in Montgomery's wheelhouse.
-
I watched this movie with a lot of expectations but sadly it didn't live up to those. The story is riddled with a plotholes and questionable behaviour by the characters. I don't understand how this story could've worked on stage & then was adapted to two films! The movie started well enough, the first few scenes were actually quite good. But eventually it ended up being too long, boring & unbelievable.
Spoilers ahead! The bit about a severed head in the hatbox was too laughable. I don't think anyone, let alone a murderer, is so stupid as to move around with the evidence of his crime like that, especially an evidence which might stink (By the way, why didn't it?). Also, he'd buried the rest of the body in the garden of the same house in which he was later employed & residing! It's as if he was trying to get caught!
The story could've worked better if Rosalind Russell's character, at a subconscious level, had wanted her aunt killed. That would've added depth to her character; a quiet little girl who was constantly harassed by her aunt so that even if she didn't want to hurt her, was subconsciously hoping that someone else would. Her love trajectory was a bit weird too. At first, she wasn't attracted to the lawyer when clearly he was the best thing that could've happened to her. Then she likes the cheeky guy who'd gotten the maid pregnant & finally she likes the lawyer! Her motivations & behaviour are very erratic, considering that she is generally portrayed as a sensible & intelligent young woman.
Neither interesting nor thrilling!