You know who was really good at writing Daphne Du Maurier-style novels? Daphne Du Maurier. You know who wasnt all that good at it? Agatha Christie. Endless Night, one of her later books, features drama, a hint of horror, thrills and romance, she throws in a curse and a rich damsel in distress and some sprinkles of gothic flair. It doesnt really gel - Miss Du Mauriers books are so good because she was able to weave it all seamlessly together - she delivered a grand tapestry in her best works. In Endless Night you can see the detective-yarn-writer at work. Every ingredient gets its place and a perfectly arranged one, too, but since we are talking about mood and atmosphere and not her beloved red herrings, she has difficulties to bring it together. The movie is better. Made in 1972 by veteran director and writer Sidney Gilliat, it is strong on atmosphere, features some chilling scenes and great settings and a haunting, sad ending. Its not faultless; the first 50 minutes could have been tighter for my taste and we are very close to soap territory here, but I dont really mind it that much, thanks to strong performances - especially by Hayley Mills and George Sanders - the thrilling Bernhard Hermann score and welcome senseless nudity, courtesy of Britt Ekland. If you want to see a very different Agatha Christie movie, you should give this a try. There is, by the way, a remake and it will air around Christmas on ITV. If this rings an alarm bell, your suspicions are spot on - Kevin Elyots screenplay will get rid of all that stupid moody, psychological, supernatural romance thriller nonsense and throw in a healthy dose of Julia McKenzie. Father Christmas gives you MARPLE - Endless Night. My educated guess is that next year they will work Marple into The Mousetrap. If youd rather see the original, you can watch it here: youtube/watch?v=04m2ctzFkbk&list=PLD11100A4D823AE2C
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 04:55:03 +0000
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