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Night Must Fall (1937) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   663 votes
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Down 13% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Richard Thorpe
Writers:
Emlyn Williams (play)
John Van Druten (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Night Must Fall on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 April 1937 (USA) more
Genre:
Thriller more
Tagline:
AMAZING! DIFFERENT! UNIQUE!
Plot:
Crotchety old Mrs. Bransom hires a charming young man named Danny as a live-in companion. Less charmed by Danny is Mrs... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win more
User Comments:
Brilliantly acted, moody psychological drama more (24 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Robert Montgomery ... Danny

Rosalind Russell ... Olivia Grayne
Dame May Whitty ... Mrs. Bramson
Alan Marshal ... Justin Laurie
Merle Tottenham ... Dora Parkoe - Maid
Kathleen Harrison ... Emily Terence, the Cook
Eily Malyon ... Village Nurse
Matthew Boulton ... Inspector Belsize
Beryl Mercer ... Saleslady
Winifred Harris ... Mrs. Laurie
E.E. Clive ... Tour Guide
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
116 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Finland:(Banned) (1937) | USA:Approved (PCA #3252)
Filming Locations:
Redondo Beach, California, USA more
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
"Night Must Fall" was first presented in London at the Duchess Theatre on 31 May 1935, and featured Emlyn Williams as Dan; Dame May Whitty as Mrs. Bramson; Angela Baddeley as Olivia Grayne; Kathleen Harrison as Mrs. Terence; Basil Radford as Hubert Laurie; and 'Matthew Boulton' as Inspector Belsize. The play was produced by Miles Malleson, and directed by Williams. Angela Baddeley, Matthew Boulton, May Whitty, and Emlyn Williams would reprise their roles in the 1936 Broadway production. more
Quotes:
Danny: That's the kind of fella I am. I make my mind up about something and then I do it. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Car 54, Where Are You?: Lucille Is 40 (#2.27)" (1963) more
Soundtrack:
Rock-a-Bye Baby more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
15 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
Brilliantly acted, moody psychological drama, 3 January 2006
8/10
Author: blanche-2 from United States

"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.

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