Nightfall (1957)

Through a series of bizarre coincidences artist finds himself falsely accused of bank robbery and murder and is pursued by the authorities and the real killers.

Director:

Jacques Tourneur

Writers:

Stirling Silliphant (screen play), David Goodis (from the novel by)

Stars:

Aldo Ray, Brian Keith, Anne Bancroft

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Aldo Ray	...	James Vanning
Brian Keith	...	John
Anne Bancroft	...	Marie Gardner
Jocelyn Brando	...	Laura Fraser
James Gregory	...	Ben Fraser
Frank Albertson	...	Dr. Edward Gurston
Rudy Bond	...	Red

Storyline

There is money missing from a bank job, an attractive model, an insurance investigator, and two extremely dangerous thugs. James Vanning (Aldo Ray) portrays an innocent man on the run, being pursued by the criminals who stupidly misplaced their take from the crime and think he has it or knows where it is hidden. Add model Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft) who crossed paths with nice guy Vanning, while he is on the run. This all adds up to a thriller wherein the viewer is drawn into the story and becomes part of the drama. When Marie says "things that really happen are difficult to explain" it captures the theme of this film. A nice girl helps a nice guy, who is innocent and is drawn into the drama. As tension mounts she says: "I am always meeting the wrong man, and it leads to doomed relationships." Marie inadvertently leads Vanning into the hands of the villains. However, she is a pseudo-femme fatale, innocently involved in the intrigue and, like the viewer, is gradually drawn into the ...

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Plot Keywords:

murder | model | wyoming | bank robbery | oil well | 

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Taglines:

On a night made for lovers... and killers.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

13 May 1957 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

A Maleta Fatídica

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Copa Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Marie Gardner: What time is it?
James Vanning: Early.
Marie Gardner: I have an eight o'clock sitting and a twelve o'clock fashion show.
James Vanning: You're a model?
Marie Gardner: How do you think I pay the rent?
James Vanning: Oh, well, I should have figured your being a model. I mean, believe it or not, I'm an artist.
[He chuckles]
Marie Gardner: Soup cans or sunsets?
James Vanning: Soup cans, toothpaste, automobiles, and girls once in a while.

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Connections

References The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

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Soundtracks

"Nightfall"
Music by Peter De Rose and Charles H. Cuppett (as Charles Harold)
Lyrics by Sam Lewis (as Sam M. Lewis)
Performed by Al Hibbler

User Reviews

Crisp, no-nonsense late noir from legendary Jacques Tourneur

Having established his reputation in the 1940s with The Cat People and Out of the Past (pinnacles among several others), Tourneur returned to the noir cycle as it was winding down to direct Nightfall. The film opens stunningly: we watch the hunted protagonist (the, well, stolid Aldo Ray) as Los Angeles day darkens into dusk, and the pace flows seamlessly to a "chance" meeting with the young Anne Bancroft in a cocktail lounge. Of course, the inevitable menace, here concerning $350 grand from a bank job, falls as swiftly as the night. The narrative weaves back and forth from the present in elegantly placed flashbacks which establish the backstory; present and past converge at the film's climax (foreshadowing a memorable scene in On Her Majesty's Secret Service). Though Ray's curious career never answers the question, Why was he in movies at all?, the supporting cast -- starting with Bancroft -- is superb. Brian Keith is the heavy, while the underused James Gregory (best remembered as the McCarthyite imbecile from The Manchurian Candidate, and from the Barney Miller show) plays an insurance investigator who becomes an ally. On the other side of the law, Rudy Bond portrays one of the most despicable sadists in a cycle lousy with them.