Endless Night (1972)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Perfectly adorable

Let's be realistic.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

An American heiress called Ellie Thomsen (Hayley Mills) marries a restless, mysterious chauffeur called Michael Rodgers (Hywel Bennett) and they move into their dream house, Gipsys Acre, on the south coast of England. However, the dream soon turns sour when a rather sinister and eccentric elderly woman called Miss Townsend (Patience Collier), who claims to be a descendent of the family who perished in a fire that destroyed the house that once stood on the same site, warns them that their home will bring them nothing but misfortune. Dismissing her as a crank they take no notice and go on about living their lives. But, things start going wrong when Ellie's beloved companion Greta (Britt Ekland) moves in. Michael becomes jealous that his wife spends more time with her than she does him. There are also Ellie's sponging relatives to contend with, Aunt Cora (Lois Maxwell) and her husband Reuben (Peter Bowels) as well since, although they live fifteen miles away, they spend a lot of time around Gipsys Acre. Then tragedy strikes when Ellie is killed whilst out horse riding. It appears that the horse was frightened by something; perhaps by the apparition of the creepy Miss Townsend, and threw her off causing her neck to be broken. The inquest returns a verdict of death by misadventure, but the distraught Michael isn't satisfied. After accompanying Ellie's solicitor Lippincott (George Sanders) to America to settle his wife's affairs, Michael returns to Gipsys Acre to find Greta still living there. Did they really despise one another as much as they appeared to and does the house have more sinister surprises in store for them?Based on one of Agatha Christie's darker and scarier murder mystery novels, this British psychological thriller suffers from a build up that is too slow and rather tedious. But, as soon as it gets into its stride, it delivers a killer twist that takes the audience completely by surprise, and if you can live with the sluggish first half, it is well worth taking the trouble to stick with it. As you watch it, and this is part of the fun, you will wonder whether the story is going to go for an out and out supernatural explanation or a more rational and earthly one. Anyhow, the genuinely shocking climax will leave you asking yourself if the perpetrator of the crime was of sound mind or did Gipsys Acre really possess some sinister ghostly power. After all there are stranger things in life and on earth that we mortals cannot understand.Performances are generally good all round. Hayley Mills is convincingly lovely and vulnerable as the good natured but rather naive Ellie; whom we can see is loaded with money and everyone around her is just trying to take advantage of her. Lois Maxwell and Peter Bowels are noteworthy as her out for what they can get relations and Britt Ekland is stand out as Greta. She offers a finely judged performance combining an air of mystery with her fondness of Ellie (or is she as devoted to her as much as she appears to be?) and her love of life. Hywel Bennett was also better than I expected him to be as the restless and somewhat unscrupulous chauffer Michael who cleverly hides a more sinister side to his personality that isn't easily detectable.Bernard Herrmann's music score sounds as if it was cobbled together from his various assignments for Alfred Hitchcock and it seemed to me if the producer-director team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat were having a go at outdoing the old master of suspense at his own game. They don't quite succeed, of course, but they do manage to stage some fairly scary sequences and some good suspense it has to be said.

This was the last film directed by Sidney Gilliat. It is a shame it was such a misfire. The film is an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. This is important, because as I watched this I kept on thinking when would the mystery start?Michael Rogers (Hywel Bennett) is a working class chauffeur who ends up falling for a rich American girl, Ellie Thomsen (Hayley Mills) dubbed the sixth richest woman in the world. Micheal always had an eye for a mansion in the countryside, his dream comes true once he marries Ellie, She funds the building of the mansion from a Swedish architect. However the land is supposedly cursed by the gypsies and their are strange visitations.Life should be blissful for Michael, but Ellie's family disapprove of the marriage. They think Michael is a social climber who only married Ellie for her money. The family's charming lawyer 'Uncle Andrew' (George Sanders) offers to buy off Michael. When Ellie's friend Greta (Britt Ekland) arrives to stay, it causes friction as Greta and Michael dislike each other.Wedded bliss does not last long for Michael as someone dies but even then there is no mystery because it is just a tragic incident.The film is dreadful. It goes on at a leisurely pace with endless scenes of the countryside. The acting is flat even from Bennett. Only Sanders shows some spirit in what was one of his final roles.The biggest problem is whether the film is supposed to be a murder mystery or a supernatural mystery? The reveal only comes in the last 15 minutes. The casting of Britt Ekland who was a sex symbol in the 1970s might give the viewer of clue as to where the film is heading.

I am a huge Agatha Christie fan, and Endless Night is no exception. The book is not quite the masterpiece I would deem as The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, A Murder is Annoucned and especially And Then there were None, but it is very interesting and psychologically complex. This film adaptation is every bit as interesting, while it meanders slightly in the pace in the middle act it benefits from a fine cast and a great story.The story is typical Christie, which means very interesting with enough suspense to satisfy complete with a final solution that is delightful and shocking. I do think some of the book was more suspenseful, but Endless Night here does do a good job in conveying an atmosphere that is both resolutely creepy and unsettling. It is also quite unusual, as has been observed it isn't the twists or red herrings that form the story of Endless Night it is the characters and their relationships. A vast majority of the time, the characters are developed well and the relationships and situations are believable enough.The production values are top notch, the photography is suitably atmospheric while the scenery, lighting and costumes evoke the period beautifully. The score from maestro Bernard Hermann is both jaunty and haunting, the script is decently written and doesn't feel too stilted and the direction is admirable. The cast do a fine job, Hayley Mills is wonderful to watch, and Britt Ekland and George Sanders in one of his last films and roles do a solid job supporting her.All in all, a very interesting adaptation. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Endless Night is a very fine, interesting, and unusual film-just like the novel on which it was based. It seems amazing that this under-appreciated film, which follows Christie's novel closely, was never released theatrically in the U.S.Acting is very good for the most part; Hayley Mills is good in a somewhat difficult role, as is Hywel Bennett. These two had starred together in several films over the previous five or six years, and work well together. As always, George Sanders is great, as is Leo Genn in a comparatively small role as a psychiatrist-one wishes both of them had more screen time. Britt Ekland also turns in one of her better performances as Greta.Other actors in the film of note are Peter Bowles, Lois Maxwell, Aubrey Richards, Ann Way, Helen Horton, Walter Gotell and David Bauer. Allso good are Patience Collier as Miss Townsend, and Madge Ryan as Hywel Bennett's mother. Per Oscarsson as architect Santonix is the only weak spot in the cast; he often mumbles his lines and is difficult to understand.Endless Night is a very good film that deserves a lot more attention and recognition than it received at the time of its somewhat limited release. Fortunately it has been released on video and later DVD and is not difficult to find. Fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy it and also anyone who likes a well-made psychological thriller.