July 30, 2012

25 Night Must Fall (1937)

***½
Country: US
Director: Richard Thorpe

In a secluded house on the outskirts of a small English town live a wealthy dowager, Miss Bramson (Dame May Whitty), and her spinsterish niece Olivia (Rosalind Russell), whom the irascible and demanding old woman treats like an unpaid servant. Into this atmosphere of power struggles and repressed frustration comes a male stranger, a charming Irishman named Danny (Robert Montgomery) who immediately sets about beguiling the old woman and trying to seduce the niece. At the same time, the countryside is on edge because of the ongoing search for a missing woman whom the police are convinced has been murdered.

When the missing woman's body is found buried near the house—minus its head—both the village and the household are thrilled and terrified by the prospect of a sadistic killer on the loose. At least the women now have a man to protect them—the charming Danny, whom Miss Bramson has hired as a resident handyman. If the village is fascinated by the mystery of what happened to the murdered woman, Olivia with her morbid, overactive imagination is preoccupied with a mystery of her own: Exactly what is in that battered old hatbox Danny keeps hidden under his bed? It couldn't possibly be . . .

These are the ingredients of the deliciously entertaining psychological thriller Night Must Fall, based on the play by the Welsh playwright and actor Emlyn Williams. The effectiveness of the film owes less to the functional but uninspired direction of Richard Thorpe (despite his 185 credited films, he wasn't even mentioned in Andrew Sarris's The American Cinema and was dismissed in Sarris's "You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet" in one word—"weak") than to its clever plot—by turns both chilling and amusing—the atmospheric photography by veteran cinematographer Ray June, and the strong performances by its three lead actors.

Dame May Whitty was a British stage actress who played Miss Bramson in both the London and New York stage versions of Night Must Fall and at the age of seventy-one came to Hollywood to repeat the role for MGM's film version. For the next few years she alternated between Britain and Hollywood. From 1940 on she remained in the U.S., playing colorful, often eccentric English dowagers, many of whom, like Miss Bramson, combined both likable and unlikable qualities. (She was most effective, however, in her one purely evil role, in the 1945 film noir My Name Is Julia Ross.) As the miserly hypochondriac Miss Bramson, she creates a cantankerous but in her own way engaging character, brow-beating her servants and bossing her niece while falling helplessly for the meretricious attentions of Danny. That she responds so willingly to his transparently calculated campaign to charm her actually makes her seem a rather pathetic and lonely figure. Whitty's performance as Miss Froy in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938) might be better known, but her performance in Night Must Fall is my own favorite and brought her the first of two Oscar nominations for best supporting actress. (The other was in 1942 for Mrs. Miniver.)

The central role in Night Must Fall is Danny, and Robert Montgomery has a field day with this showpiece role—played on the stage by the play's author, Emlyn Williams—dominating every scene he's in. This isn't just the actor stealing scenes, but is written into the part and is actually the most prominent trait of Danny. A complete narcissist, he must be the center of attention at all times, adjusting his personality as necessary to make sure of this. He entertains, amuses, and flatters Miss Bramson, acting boyish and telling how much she reminds him of his dead mother. When he tucks her into bed, singing "Rock-a-Bye, Baby" to her while she purrs like a cat, we know that she is completely in thrall to him. To Olivia he behaves at times like a fellow victim suffering the petty tyranny of Miss Bramson with amused forbearance, at other times with undisguised, almost aggressive sexuality.

No matter what mood Danny's patter, facial expressions, and body language express, that mood never registers in his eyes. From the moment he swaggers into Miss Bramson's sitting room, coolly taking stock of the house and its residents, his unblinking stare reveals behind his eyes . . . nothing at all. By the end of the movie, it's plain that Danny is a psychopath. Indeed, he exhibits many of the classic traits of the psychopathic personality. Superficial charm, pathological lying, cunning manipulation of those around him, lack of empathy with others, no sense of guilt—it's all there concealed under a facade calculated to please whoever he's with at the time and achieve his goals of the moment. "You haven't any feelings at all," the horrified Olivia says to him when she finally realizes how disturbed he is. "You live in a world of your own. Of your own imagination."

By the time he made Night Must Fall, Robert Montgomery had for several years been one of MGM's major male stars. Specializing in light romantic comedies, he often played the male lead alongside the studio's biggest female stars like Norma Shearer or Joan Crawford, where he generally came off as elegant but bland. Given that Danny was quite a departure from the kind of role he usually played, his ability to handle the demands of the part is remarkable. Montgomery nails the deviousness, the manipulative charm, and the menace of the character precisely. He was nearly thirty-three years old when he made the film and probably a bit old for the part, but his slightly puffy and dissolute look fits the character well. For his performance he earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination as best actor.

This brings us to Olivia and the actress who plays her, Rosalind Russell. Like Montgomery's Danny, the role was a departure from what she was known for. When she was cast as Olivia, Russell had been working at MGM for three years, but the studio had never really known what to do with her. When she wasn't being loaned out to other studios, she was typically cast in dramatic films as an upper-class sophisticate in roles Metro's bigger stars weren't interested in. She was desperate to break out of this mold, and when she got the part of the naive, rather frumpy Olivia, it must have seemed serendipitous.

The part doesn't have the flamboyance of Miss Bramson or Danny, and she could easily have been overpowered by her costars. Yet Russell is able to hold her own against them by taking a character who is in conception rather two-dimensional, really more a type than an individual, and giving her unexpected contours. Olivia may be inexperienced, dreamy, and subjugated by her domineering aunt, but Russell brings out other qualities that balance these. For one thing, she makes it clear that Olivia is quite intelligent. When she quickly and accurately takes the measure of Danny—calling him "common, conceited, insolent, and completely double-edged"—Russell's manner makes it plain that this is the result not of petulance or envy of his power over her aunt, but of shrewd observation and insight into his psychology.

Even if she realizes all is not quite right with Danny, her reaction to him is a complicated one—equal parts suspicion, alarm, and fascination. That fascination is the result of a barely disguised streak of rebellion. She recognizes how he's playing up to Miss Bramson, yet she can't help admiring how he's able to control her aunt in a way she cannot. And as Danny realizes, she's bored and frustrated, craving the promise of adventure with a hint of danger that a bad boy like himself offers. You have only to think of how Olivia might have been played by a more passive actress like Joan Fontaine to see how Russell fortifies the character with an inner strength of will that keeps her from becoming the conventional damsel in distress she might have been.

As Night Must Fall races toward its rousing conclusion, it contains one scene in particular that is unforgettable. Years ago I saw a community theater production of the play, and this is the scene that stayed in my mind above all others. As the net closes in on Danny and he suffers a total psychic breakdown, Montgomery delivers an electrifying monologue which takes you right inside Danny's mind as his ego contracts and finally collapses. Watch for it. It's the most gripping moment in the movie, the finest moment of Montgomery's amazing performance, and the one time in the film you can actually empathize with the charismatic but destructive Danny.

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25 comments:

  1. I agree - Russell is marvelous in this film, and she keeps up with Montgomery, who gives about the greatest performance of his career. You make an excellent point about how Russell here takes a flat character and gives it depth and a quality of the unexpected - she seemed able to do that with all of her roles, always able to bring intelligence and a kind of ironic detachment to her characters, so that they stay in your mind. I haven't seen NIGHT MUST FALL in years, but I can still recall Russell's expression as she takes Montgomery's measure, and you realize that she understands him and yet finds him fascinating.

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    1. GOM, it wasn't long after this film that Russell's talent for comedy was uncovered in "The Women." But to me she brought to her comic roles in the forties after she transitioned to comedy the same sense of underlying intelligence and seriousness she showed in "Night Must Fall," the roles where she played rather humorless professional women who get caught up in comic circumstances, the prime example being, of course, "His Girl Friday."

      Montgomery's light romantic performances he was known for never did much for me, so his turn in this film is all the more surprising. I recently got Andrew Sarris's "You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet," and he picked Montgomery's performance here as the best by an actor in 1937. I also quite liked him in "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" and in his serious turns in "They Were Expendable" and the self-directed "Ride the Pink Horse." But I agree with you that this is the best of them all.

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  2. Nicely done. I saw this years ago and while I wasn't impressed with the direction -- the pacing seemed a bit off -- I loved all of the performances. I agree that Montgomery excels against type. In his best performances he had a low-key, subtle delivery that conveyed his characters' thought patterns. I don't think he receives the praise he deserves. Russell and Whitty are also terrific.

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    1. Filmboy, I sometimes seek out movie versions of a play I've seen performed live and am usually disappointed that the vitality of the play doesn't seem to transfer to film. This one seems an exception. The film isn't really very cinematic, but despite the competent but lackluster direction, the excitement of the play is obvious. I've read that Louis B. Mayer liked Richard Thorpe because he always brought his movies in under-budget and early. I have to wonder what a more cinematic director like Hitckcock could have done with it.

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  3. I agree with Classicfilmboy - this is an excellent post about a mesmerizing movie. I love Montgomery, Russell and Whitty together. Brilliant casting!

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    1. Silverscreenings, mesmerizing is a good way to describe this one, a word that occurred to me while writing but didn't find its way into the post. The plot and dialogue are most entertaining, but I agree it's the cast that really puts it over, which is why I concentrated on that part of the movie.

      I think of Rosalind Russell as primarily a comic actress, but with the right role she was good in dramatic parts too. Another dramatic performance of hers that impressed me was "Sister Kenny," where the steely resolve she conveys against her skeptical and sexist male colleagues in the medical establishment serves the character well.

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  4. R.D.,

    George Montgomery and Roz Russell are both superb in this engaging thriller. As for Richard Thorpe he was, visually speaking, a dullard. As you mentioned in another comment, L. B. Mayer liked him because he worked quick and under budget. Those were his good qualities. He was only as good as the script he had to work with. Here he had a terrific little thriller which he could not mess up. I agree with you on wondering how Hithcock would have handled this film. A very good film might have been great.

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    1. John, I often find the movies Hitchcock made from plays to be among the less interesting of his films. Maybe that's because he had to stick more closely to the script and didn't have much to do with preparing it, so he really couldn't give free rein to his preoccupations. But even while working within such strictures, he always managed to find ways to tell the story with visual flourish. I think you're right in saying that would have upped this film up another notch, and I think the macabre qualities and the moments of satire (like the guided tour of the murder scene) might have appealed to him. Still, as you say, the great material and cast make this a most worthwhile entertainment.

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  5. So far, I've only heard a radio version of this (staged live) with James Cagney as Danny - the scene at the end where he falls apart is very powerful and similar to the ending of 'Angels with Dirty Faces'. I'd wondered if Montgomery has the same sort of emotional breakdown in the film, but from your fine review it is clear that he does. As with so many 1930s titles, this one isn't available in the UK, but I will hope to see it before too long.

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    1. Judy, most interesting to hear of Cagney performing this part, even if on radio. I'm wondering what his Irish brogue was like. (Montgomery's seemed quite good to me.) I don't think I've ever heard him do one before despite the fact that he often played American characters of Irish descent and, of course, he was himself of Irish descent. That scene at the end is indeed a knockout. I don't believe I've ever heard a sudden mental meltdown verbalized so vividly.

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    2. R.D., thank you - it's a while now since I heard the Cagney version (I believe it is available at various old time radio websites online) but if I remember rightly his Irish accent was a bit patchy. He did one or two other radio dramas where he had an Irish brogue, and he plays an Irish character in the film 'Shake Hands with the Devil' where he is cast as a doctor who is also an IRA commander, but his accent is badly inconsistent in that, I'd have to say - although it is a good film and he gives a great performance all the same!

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    3. Judy, I've been looking for "Shake Hands with the Devil" for a while, and it doesn't seem to be available on home video in the US. However, TCM does show it every once in a while, and I'm determined to catch it the next time it's on.

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  6. I really need to see this one. I saw the Albert Finney version years ago, and it didn't do much for me. This version sounds better.

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    1. Kevin, as much as I admire Albert Finney, not to mention director Karel Reisz, I've never seen the remake. The consensus seems to be that it is at best a mediocre picture. Having just been watching Susan Hampshire in "The Pallisers" (in an interview made years after the series, she talks about how difficult it is to play a "good" character and not be dull), I can't picture her conveying the same kind of strength that distinguished Rosalind Russell's interpretation from the standard woman-menaced-by-a-psycho character. As in so many other instances, the original is so enjoyable that you have to wonder why anyone thought it a good idea to do a remake.

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  7. It was the success of "Psycho" (1960) that encouraged MGM to commission the 1964 remake. Of course , the adaptation entrusted to Clive Exton, placed an emphasis on the elements that made "Psycho" so popular at the box-office - probably on the Studio's instructions.

    Albert Finney, (who also produced), was praised for his performance, but, of course the film itself was not well received. When it was released in my part of the world, it receive little publicity and was screened at a small Independant Cinema, soon disappearing without trace. Susan Hampshire was given no opportunity to emulate the success of Rosalind Russell.

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    1. Rod, it makes sense that the impetus to remake "Night Must Fall" was to capitalize on the taste for the sensational revealed by the success of "Psycho." From what I've read about it, the film seems rather different from the original. Albert Finney is a real favorite of mine and I'd like to see his interpretation of Danny. It's certainly different from the other roles he was doing at the time. But he has from time to time sought the role that goes against his image. Films like "Two for the Road," "Murder on the Orient Express," and "The Dresser" immediately come to mind.

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  8. R.D., your reviews are always a treat and this one is no exception. I remember NIGHT MUST FALL as an effective thriller with strong performances by Dame May and Roz. I wasn't as fond of Robert Montgomery as Danny (keep in mind that I haven't seen the movie in probably 20 years so my evaluation of his acting could be very different today). I haven't seen the Finney remake, but--as much as I adore Susan Hampshire--I can't visualize her as Olivia.

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    1. Rick, thank you. Your description of the film echoes my assessment of it. I wouldn't describe myself as a fan of Robert Montgomery, but I do think he did a remarkable job as Danny. Of course, the role is a real tour de force that the play's author wrote for himself.

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    2. Your comment led me to ponder other actors (stage and film) who have written roles for themselves. It's probably not unusual in film from the 1970s and on (ROCKY springs to mind), but I'm hard-pressed to think of earlier instances--though I'm sure there are several. This is yet another example of the kind of stimulating thought inspired by THE MOVIE PROJECTOR!

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  9. Hi RD
    I've always liked this film a great deal, and each time I see it I enjoy the performances more. You hit on two things I've always felt: 1) Rosalind Russell brings shadings to her character I can't think of another actress capable of; 2) The finale where Robert Montgomery's character begins to crack is about the best thing in the film. In the blink of an eyes he goes from being a monster to someone you actually feel pity for. He's marvelous. Thanks for another enjoyably well-observed post on a film fave!

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    1. Ken, thanks for your comment. Enjoyability is the key word I think of when I think of this movie. It's not Chekhov or Tennessee Williams, but it's a really enjoyable, well-constructed play with interesting characters and situations and an escalating sense of danger. Everything is calculated to get a certain response from the audience, and it works. If it can't exactly be called artistic, it's definitely artful in its craftsmanship, drawing you into its world in a way more artistic but emotionally detached movies and plays don't.

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  10. R.D., Fine as your review of "Night Must Fall" is, I've seen it only once and haven't a clear memory of it in its particulars and can't say much more than: I have seen the film only once because it so terrified me on that one viewing that I developed a sort of aversion to it. I'm not a great fan of Robert Montgomery's but he chilled me to the bone as "Danny."

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    1. Eve, I find Montgomery all the more effective for underplaying the part. Rather than wild-eyed menace, he goes for a more subtle, and in the end probably more frightening, approach, emphasizing the quiet but unmistakable danger in Danny's chameleonic charm, class-conscious surliness, and steely determination to get what he wants.

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  11. R.D., I never managed to see this film, though I've long known it was the first film that Whittey received an Oscar nod for. I agree she will always be remembered for her charming portrayal in THE LADY VANISHES, but you certainly make a splendid case for her work here, as you do for the film in a most positive assessment wonderfully embellished by having seen the community production of the play and the key scene you attest to as being the most unforgettable of all. I'll definitely get to this.

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    1. Sam, Dame May is definitely part of a great ensemble in "Night Must Fall," her cantankerousness and bossiness making her quite different from Miss Froy in "The Lady Vanishes." I don't think anyone would call this film a work of art, but as entertainment and a showcase for clever writing and accomplished performers, it delivers the goods.

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