Wait Until Dark (1967)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Frederick Knott (play)
Robert Carrington (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 October 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A blind woman plays a deadly game of survival

Plot:

A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.

Plot Keywords:

Doll | Apartment | Blind | Police | Drugs

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Audrey Hepburn	...	Susy Hendrix
Alan Arkin	...	Roat / Roat Jr. / Roat Sr.
Richard Crenna	...	Mike Talman
Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	...	Sam Hendrix
Jack Weston	...	Carlino
Samantha Jones	...	Lisa
Julie Herrod	...	Gloria

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) | UK:12 (re-rating) (2005) | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 (re-rating) | Australia:M | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | South Korea:12 | Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #21531) | New Zealand:M | West Germany:18 (nf) (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1968) | Sweden:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

4 St. Luke's Place, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

This film was ranked #55 on AFI's '100 Years, 100 Thrills' special.

Goofs:

Continuity: As he walks through the airport terminal, how far Sam's bag is unzipped changes between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Lisa: Come on Louis, come on!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The 100 Scariest Movie Moments" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Wait Until Dark

Menace surrounding Hepburn in the dark…

To be blind, deprived of the power even to see the danger that threatens you, is a frightening experience... It also, obviously, gave director Terence Young the opportunity to carry out one of the most important rules of suspense: let the audience discover more than the principal character...

When we can see imminent danger which the victim, by definition, cannot see, the emotional impact is increased on the viewer... We desire earnestly to cry out in warning, but we cannot... We can only sit helplessly, and wait to see what become apparent... And when the sightless is a young and lovely woman, there are many twists and turns, disturbing moments, claustrophobic atmosphere, great suspense...

Most of the drama is played out in Hepburn's apartment in NewYork, and there is an outstanding development when Susy Hendrix (Hepburn), alone with her telephone cord cut and awaiting the return of the gangs, decides to use her disadvantage as a defensive weapon... Her one advantage in being blind was that she required no light—and she methodically destroyed all the light-bulbs...

After three brutal murders, only the master-criminal, a merciless villain (Alan Arkin) is left to confront her… He selected the most terrifying way of terrorizing her... Susy lost her sight in a car crash or really the fire from the crash…

Audrey Hepburn earned her 5th and final Academy Award nomination for her brilliant performance…