If you've seen the 1937 version of this film, it's hard not to compare the two. The first version is subtle and Danny's menace is hinted at rather than openly shown. Instead of quiet, threatening glances, we have an ax thrown through into the air and Finney hacking away at a dead body. I also don't understand why the 1964 version had to change the character of Olivia. In the original she was a repressed spinster, a nerd who was brunette and wore glasses, which made her attraction to a murderer all the more fascinating. Instead, the 1964 version recast Olivia as a sexy blonde who used to be an actress! The sexual tension between the two is totally gone (Olivia and Dan have sex immediately) and the great, quietly erotic scenes between Rosalind Russell and Robert Montgomery in the original (similiar to the scenes between Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling) are missing. Instead we have a routine conflict - blonde wavers between her attraction and fear of an obvious psycho - and the film has nowhere to go. The only suspense left comes from watching Finney as "the psycho" and wondering when he'll explode.
This is why the ending falls flat. Instead of seeing Russell's Olivia, still sexually frustrated and mesmerized by the sight of Dan in handcuffs in the 1937 original, we have Danny cowering in a bathroom and Olivia waiting to call the police.
To really enjoy this film, I would advise not seeing the original!
This is why the ending falls flat. Instead of seeing Russell's Olivia, still sexually frustrated and mesmerized by the sight of Dan in handcuffs in the 1937 original, we have Danny cowering in a bathroom and Olivia waiting to call the police.
To really enjoy this film, I would advise not seeing the original!