So Dark the Night

Infobox Film
name = So Dark the Night


image_size =
caption = Theatrical Poster
director = Joseph H. Lewis
producer = Ted Richmond
writer = Story: Aubrey Wisberg
Screenplay: Dwight V. Babcock Martin Berkeley
narrator =
starring =
music = Hugo Friedhofer
cinematography = Burnett Guffey
editing = Jerome Thoms
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = September 12, 1946
runtime = 71 minutes
country = United States
language = English
budget =
gross =
website =
amg_id = 1:110773
imdb_id = 0038958

"So Dark the Night" (1946) is a American crime "film noir" directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Dwight V. Babcock, Martin Berkeley, based on a story written by Aubrey Wisberg. The drama features Steven Geray, Micheline Cheirel, Eugene Borden, among others. [imdb title|id=0038958|title=So Dark the Night.]

Plot

The story of a detective, Henri Cassin from Paris, who falls in love with an innkeeper's daughter Nanette while on a long overdue vacation. She's a country girl with a jealous boyfriend. Nonetheless, the cop becomes engaged to her. Then the girl vanishes the night of her engagement party and later shows up dead. Cassin believes that the obvious suspect is Leon, the old boyfriend, but soon he is also found killed.

Cast

* Steven Geray as Henri Cassin
* Micheline Cheirel as Nanette Michaud
* Eugene Borden as Pierre Michaud
* Ann Codee as Mama Michaud
* Egon Brecher as Dr. Boncourt
* Helen Freeman as Widow Bridelle

Critical reception

Critic Karl Williams called the film, " [A] well-plotted and executed film noir suffered from its lack of star power, but has become something of a cult classic." [Williams, Karl. amg movie|id=1:110773|title=So Dark the Night.]

The staff at "Variety" magazine gave the film a positive review, writing, "Around the frail structure of a story [by Aubrey Wisberg] about a schizophrenic Paris police inspector who becomes an insane killer at night, a tight combination of direction, camerawork and musical scoring produce a series of isolated visual effects that are subtle and moving to an unusual degree." [ [http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117794996.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 "Variety"] . Film review, September 12, 1946. Last accessed: January 19, 2008.]

Critic Dennis Schwartz lauded the film and wrote, "This is Joseph H. Lewis's second feature and one that has the same intense energy as his "The Big Combo" (1955) and "My Name is Julia Ross" (1945). The Freudian story is wacky and strains credibility, but the elegant style Lewis uses is mesmerizing. The film noir's light touches are magnificently caught in the rich depiction of rural life and the character study of a psychological breakdown due to a pressured psyche that induces schizophrenia. This makes for a fascinating watch. "So Dark the Night" is a rarely shown obscure film, and it is a beauty. Burnett Guffey used his camera effectively in many strange angled shots while his dark black shadings express the contrasting somber mood to the airy country landscape." [ [http://www.sover.net/~ozus/sodarkthenight.htm Schwartz, Dennis] . "Ozus' World Movie Reviews," August 21, 2003. Last accessed: January 19, 2008.]

References

External links

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