IMDb > The Long Night (1947)

The Long Night (1947) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   356 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 88% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Anatole Litvak
Writers:
Jacques Viot (earlier script)
John Wexley (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Long Night on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 May 1947 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller more
Tagline:
COMING AT YOU ... in a blast of terrific drama! more
Plot:
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 synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Ciff 2009: The winners! And our reviews
 (From Roger Ebert's Blog. 22 October 2009, 6:39 PM, PDT)
Actress Barbara Bel Geddes Dies at 82
 (From WENN. 10 August 2005)
User Comments:
An amazing performance by Henry Fonda in a neglected near-masterpiece. more (18 total)

Cast

  (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)
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
101 min | Germany:93 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #11958, General Audience)
Company:
Select Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Barbara Bel Geddes' film debut. more
Quotes:
Maximilian: [when called on an elaborate lie] Good heavens, do I have to apologize for superior imagination? more
Movie Connections:
References Badman's Territory (1946) more
Soundtrack:
When Johnny Comes Marching Home more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
An amazing performance by Henry Fonda in a neglected near-masterpiece., 4 August 2009
8/10
Author: JimB-4 from United States

I can't believe I've been digging into movies for 45 years without ever finding this gem. It's about as noir as it gets, in my book (taking the great definition from one of the guys over at Rara-Avis that hardboiled = tough, while noir = screwed). Henry Fonda is quite astonishing in a role that takes him from average Joe to suicidal killer. I think it's one of his very best performances, and I'm a GREAT admirer of his other performances. Barbara Bel Geddes is mousy but real as the naïve young woman Fonda falls for. The only problem I had with the movie was Vincent Price's performance of an overwritten role. On one hand, it's exactly the kind of role Price normally excels in, but it's far too florid and phony for this kind of film. Watching his scenes with Fonda, it's like watching two movies at the same time--when the camera's on Price, it's "Forever Amber." When the camera's on Fonda, it's "Out of the Past." For the perfect version of this kind of pseudo-über-sophisticate in a noir setting, one need only look to Clifton Webb in "Laura." Webb made that character live and breath. Price orates. With his fey ways and foppish hairdo, he grated on my nerves. The character should very well do so in this film, but to me it was Price and the scripting of his character that were grating. But that's a mere cavil. This is a splendid film, digging as sort of an ancestor to "Blue Velvet" into the rot beneath the seemingly every day--the difference being that most of the people who populate the edges of this movie seem to be very decent and honorable. Anatole Litvak's direction and Sol Polito's brilliant photography surprised me in scene after scene with their classic yet innovative dark style. And crowning it all is Henry Fonda in yet another performance of a lifetime.

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The billboard. Hup234!
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Cops could use a lesson in crowd control RodgerAlfordJr
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