Le couteau dans la plaie (1962)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Anatole Litvak

Writers:

André Versini (idea)
Peter Viertel (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 December 1962 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Suspense Begins...From the Very First Second!

Plot:

Lisa Macklin, an Italian woman, has a fight with her American husband Robert in a Paris night club....

Plot Keywords:

Crash | Insurance | Night Club | Survivor | Italian Woman

Cast

Sophia Loren	...	Lisa Macklin
Anthony Perkins	...	Robert Macklin
Gig Young	...	David Barnes
Jean-Pierre Aumont	...	Alan Stewart
Yolande Turner	...	Barbara Ford (as Yolande Finch)
Tommy Norden	...	Johnny
Mathilde Casadesus	...	Mme. Duval, Concierge
Billy Kearns	...	Capt. Wade
Barbara Nicot	...	Regine
Louis Falavigna	...	Pharmacist
Elina Labourdette	...	Mme. Lafont
Régine	...	Mrs. Wade
Pascale Roberts	...	Streetwalker
Sophie Réal	...	Housemaid
Jean Ozenne	...	Mons. Babasse

Also Known As:

Five Miles to Midnight (USA)
Il coltello nella piaga (Italy)
La terza dimensione (Italy)
La troisième dimension

Runtime:

USA:110 min | Argentina:112 min | UK:103 min | West Germany:109 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Finland:K-16 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Dear Film Produzione

Quotes:

Barbara Ford: I've given up eating. It's soooo old fashioned.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Not exactly the thriller it aims to be

The evocative opening scene of Five Miles Before Midnight held promise. I anticipated a moody piece of film noir with an intriguing female lead rather than the usual male. I was also hoping for more of Jean Pierre Aumont, who distinguishes any film he's in, but his role was little more than a cameo. However Sophia Loren, though lovely to look at, does not yet have the dramatic punch to carry off this role, or perhaps she only required better direction. There was ambiguity suggested about how faithful she was to husband Tony Perkins and this could have been put over nicely with a more well seasoned performance. Perhaps it was simply their pairing together--I didn't think they possessed any chemistry. It's hard to believe she ever found anything attractive about Perkins well established immaturity. What woman would? In any case, she doesn't breathe enough life into her character of put-upon housewife and near the film's conclusion, she goes overboard in a frankly unbelievable personality transformation. Also, the "surprise" ending was no surprise to this reviewer, who wonders why she didn't see the obvious way out of her troubles much earlier. It is however, an entirely watchable film and one of those that you kind of like to poke fun at. Certainly there are worse films out there!