The Night, the Prowler (1978)

The Night The Prowler, is about the dark side of suburban middle-class urban culture and family relations. It film brings to the surface some of the darkest recesses of suburban family life... See full summary »

Director:

Jim Sharman

Writers:

Patrick White (novel), Patrick White (screenplay)

Stars:

Ruth Cracknell, John Frawley, Kerry Walker

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ruth Cracknell	...	Doris Bannister
John Frawley	...	Humphrey Bannister
Kerry Walker	...	Felicity Bannister
John Derum	...	John Galbraith
Maggie Kirkpatrick	...	Madge Hopkirk
Terry Camilleri	...	The Prowler
Harry Neilson	...	Old man
Peter Collingwood	...	Dr. Herborn
Robbie Ward	...	Mrs. Burstall
Merv Lillie	...	Alcoholic man
Dorothy Hewett	...	Alcoholic woman
Ray Marshall	...	Detective 1
Robert Baxter	...	Detective 2
Paul Chubb	...	Policeman 1
John Cobley	...	Policeman 2

Storyline

The Night The Prowler, is about the dark side of suburban middle-class urban culture and family relations. It film brings to the surface some of the darkest recesses of suburban family life. The film shifts from the darkly comic to the deadly serious. A young woman is attacked by a prowler in her bedroom but she turns the tables on him and she ravishes him. She then transforms into a knife wielding, leather jacketed prowler herself and begins sneaking in men's bedrooms at night. The prowlee becomes the prowler.

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Plot Keywords:

satire | leather jacket | sex | mother daughter relationship | cult film | 

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Taglines:

Nobel Prize winning author Patrick White's first film...

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy

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Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

La nuit, un rôdeur

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chariot Films, New South Wales Film Corp.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's screenwriter, novelist Patrick White, was also the writer of its source short-story, 'The Night The Prowler'.

User Reviews

Literal-minded to the point of stupidity.

To quote my film tutor, this would have gone on the top of his list of the ten worst Australian films ever made if only he could have think of nine others bad enough to accompany it. It's a ploddingly literal-minded of a symbolism-heavy literary piece by Patrick White, with actors of widely varying levels of talent struggling gamely to deliver unspeakable lines. The result should have been left in the trash can next to the embryo in the last scene.