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The Long Night (1947)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
28 May 1947 (USA) moreTagline:
COMING AT YOU ... in a blast of terrific drama! morePlot:
Police surround the apartment of apparent murderer Joe Adams, who refuses to surrender although escape appears impossible. During the siege, Joe reflects on the circumstances that led him to this situation. full summary | add synopsisUser Comments:
sentimental film-noir with a superb cast moreCast
(Complete credited cast)| Henry Fonda | ... | Joe Adams | |
| Barbara Bel Geddes | ... | Jo Ann | |
| Vincent Price | ... | Maximilian the Great | |
| Ann Dvorak | ... | Charlene | |
| Howard Freeman | ... | Sheriff Ned Meade | |
| Moroni Olsen | ... | Chief of Police Bob McManus | |
| Elisha Cook Jr. | ... | Frank Dunlap | |
| Queenie Smith | ... | Mrs. Tully | |
| David Clarke | ... | Bill Pulanski | |
| Charles McGraw | ... | Policeman Stevens | |
| Patty King | ... | Peggy | |
| Davis Roberts | ... | Freddie (as Robert A. Davis) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
101 min | Germany:93 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #11958, General Audience)Fun Stuff
Quotes:
Maximilian: [when called on an elaborate lie] Good heavens, do I have to apologize for superior imagination? moreFAQ
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Long Night (1947)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| What did Dimitri Tiomkin write? | RRozsa |
| The billboard. | Hup234! |
| Cops could use a lesson in crowd control | RodgerAlfordJr |
| Waaaayyyy Underrated... | robveal |
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I wouldn't say The Long Night is a great film, and if anything it only peaks my interest more to see how much more classic the film it's based on is- Marcel Carne's La Jour se Leve. But for the time it ran, I was mostly glued to the screen, and got wrapped up in the plight of Henry Fonda's character Joe, and his predicament of his downfall from normalcy. It probably isn't very original, taking aside its connection with the French source; it's about a factory worker, very nice guy, who falls in love with a woman whom, he finds out, was an orphan just like him. But one night he follows her to a bar, sees her cavorting sort of with a sleazy magician (Vincent Price), and his perfect image of her is shattered, and grows only darker after he meets him (he first tells Joe he's her father, which is a truly great scene between two huge stars of classic film), and when she tells him about her history with him.
While I could never take my eyes off the screen, it should be said that for all of the strong craftsmanship with the picture (it's one of the finest photographed 'noirs' of the late 40s, especially for those stark scenes of Joe alone in his room with the whole town on the street calling for him) and for all of the tremendous talent in front of the camera- besides Fonda and Price, who the former it's a splendid and rewarding if not best-ever performance and for the latter a triumph of playing sneaky and villainous, the girl playing Jo Ann (Barbara Bel Geddes) is very good- it only works up to a point. I was engrossed the most in the last twenty minutes or so, as the film revved up its pace and tempo to the "will Joe or won't Joe" beat. Before that, it's many scenes that mostly rely on the presence of the actors to uplift the material past the breezy and conventional air of the dialog. There's nothing especially "wrong" with the material, but it doesn't go anywhere aside from hitting its main points.
The Long Night is something of a minor lost marvel- only recently did it come out on DVD in an OK print- and for Fonda and Price fans its a can't-miss kind of picture. Just don't go expecting anything that will change your perception of what film-noirs can go that don't go for the easy routes.