Wait Until Dark (1967)

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.

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Frederick Knott (play), Robert Carrington (screenplay)

Stars:

Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

Susy was recently blinded and recently married. Susy's husband, Sam, is asked to hold a doll for a woman he doesn't know as they get off an airplane. The woman disappears. Later, she's found dead by her former associates, Mike and Carlino, small-time hoods, in Susy's basement apartment. (Both occupants of the apartment are then absent.) The doll woman's newer partner in crime, Harry Rote, who murdered her for self-dealing, presses Mike and Carlino into a scheme to recover the doll, which contains a fortune in smuggled heroin. After disposing of the body, the thugs return while Susy is present to continue their search. They assume Susy's blindness will enable them to search her apartment under her very nose for the doll. In Sam's absence, Mike pretends to be an old friend of Sam's, while the three together spin for Susy a story of a murder investigation of her husband from which only the finding of the missing doll can save him. Rote is a predator, and his stalking of Susy becomes ever...

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Plot Keywords:

blind woman | home invasion | blind protagonist | run over by a car | psychopath | 

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Taglines:

Audrey Hepburn, the role you're going to remember, whenever you're alone.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Warte, bis es dunkel ist

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$17,550,741

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The role that eventually went to Alan Arkin was difficult to cast because the producers couldn't find actors willing to be cast in such a villainous role - not only terrorizing a blind woman, but terrorizing beloved Audrey Hepburn to boot! Alan Arkin later went on to say how easy it was for him to get the role because of the reluctance of other actors to take it.

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Goofs

When Roat is confronting Susy, her head tilts to the right between shots.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

The end credits show each character with the performer's credit; Alan Arkin is shown three times, including once in each disguise.

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Connections

Featured in The 100 Scariest Movie Moments (2004)

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Soundtracks

Wait Until Dark
Music by Henry Mancini
Lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Performed by Sue Raney

User Reviews

Excellent Film with Some Pot-Holes

Alan Arkin has said that his role as Roats in this film was difficult for him, because he, like everybody else, did not enjoy having to terrorize a character played by lovely Audrey Hepburn. In fact, this was one of the reasons that the character of Roat was so hard to cast-but lets be glad Arkin finally took the role. He contributes quite a lot to this film. The film is based on a stage play of the same name, thus a lot of the action happens on one set. I generally find such films fairly boring, and the first time I saw this one I didn't find it all that interesting. But I so enjoyed the Roats character, that I went back and viewed it again-and this time I loved it. The film contains a few plot holes which some reviewers have pointed out, accurately, end up serving the film rather than detracting from it. Anyone who enjoys a good suspense film or movies with twists and surprises will love this one!