The Night Visitor (1971)

That was an excellent one.

Sadly Over-hyped

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This movie has plot holes large enough to fly a 747 through. For one example, The Flash could not run as fast and as far as Max von Sydow apparently can, in freezing cold and wind, wearing only his skivvies. Exactly how far is it supposed to be from the asylum to the farm to the town?! For another, Trevor Howard, who is portrayed as a Lt. Columbo but is about as competent as Inspector Clouseau, never thinks to check for footprints in the snow. But it's fast paced and the acting is very good, although how the actors managed to keep straight faces is beyond me.

From the opening moments when Max von Sydow is running through the winter night in his gaunch, with a gothic castle in the background, you know you're in for something special. As if Max isn't fun enough, his foil is Trevor Howard's inspector character. I can't say Howard was ever my favorite actor but I came away with newfound respect for his acting. He says more with subtle little facial expressions in this film than 50 pages of script could ever accomplish. Every minute of this film gripped me.

OK, so this was better than I thought it was going to be when it first started. I initially balked at the appearance of the film as the white balance was all off (the snow looked blue or yellow rather than white) and it was a poor quality image overall. This initially put me off as I felt I was watching some kind of shoddily put together film. I don't know where this film is supposed to be set as the 3 main characters are Swedish yet the police are English and in English attire. The location is covered in deep snow and does not look like England. It was all a bit jarring and initially off-putting. Also at first it seemed to be a rather generic opening and I thought I would get nothing more than a dull slasher-type film. However, after about 15 minutes or so I started to get intrigued by the storyline. It also helped that Trevor Howard was in the film, as I enjoy watching his performances. I also enjoyed Per Oscarsson's surreal performance. In fact he was the best character in the film because of it. I couldn't really tell if he was a really bad actor or supposed to be acting that way but it was interesting to watch and his scenes were the most interesting. Max Von Sydow on the other hand was really dull and brought no life to his character. Overall, a jarring and unusual film. I enjoyed watching it and it created a very good atmosphere – at points I felt cold watching it. But I still only gave it a 6 because Von Sydow's character was the focus of the film and him and his scenes were a bit boring.

We actually saw this on original release in 1971 in the old downtown Tucson theater. We walked a few blocks home to the delightfully serene ex-mortuary we rented during our college years and were compelled to discuss it for hours. Such was the emotional pull. After seeing Max in a few more intriguing films as this, he became my favorite actor for many years. He really knew how to pick clever roles. Like Jack Nicholson! Or, Michael Caine for a British actor. Along with the compelling interplay between him and old pro Trevor Howard, it makes this movie a must see for fans of the off-beat. His character, as the dark plot evolved, begged the question: "Is he crazy-or genius?" Definitely, an underrated and under-viewed film for many years.