Tomorrow, May 21, is the birth anniversary of actor Robert Montgomery, and as such, TCM is running several of his films during the morning and afternoon. However, it looks as though there's an error on the schedule, as the movie at 2:30 PM, both in YouTube TV's listings as well as TCM's own listings, is the 1964 remake of Night Must Fall. Montgomery earned his first Oscar nomination for the 1937 version, so presumably that's what's actually going to air. (It's also a pretty darn good movie, and definitely worth a watch.) But since I've got the 1964 version on my DVR, I decided to watch it and do a post on it here.
Now, having seen the original movie (technically, the real original is a stage play) many years ago, as well as having seen the remake at some point in the past, I knew what was coming watching the remake a second time, so I was payint more attention to things that, as I remember it, are different between the two movie versions. The first big difference is that it's made explicit almost in the opening that the Danny character (played in the remake by Albert Finney) is guilty of murder. He kills a woman who has a reputation for being loose, chops off her head, and then disposes of the body and the axe in a pond. This remake also opens up the action more than a stage play could or the 1937 movie does, that being a Hollywood version of England.
For those who haven't seen either version of the movie, Danny works at a bar attached to a hotel in a small British town, and is the boyfriend of Dora (Sheila Hancock), who works for wheelchair-bound Mrs. Bramson (Mona Washbourne). Also living in the house is Bramson's niece Olivia (Susan Hampshire). Danny has gotten Dora pregnant, so Mrs. Bramson, who is a bit of a controlling figure which would explain why Olivia doesn't really like her, wants to see Danny to try to convince him to marry Dora. Instead, Danny is such a charmer that Bramson takes him on to do odd jobs around the house.
Meanwhile, Danny is a massive jerk to Dora, trying to put off any marriage, as well as intimating that he might be willing to get into a relationship with Olivia despite the fact that she's got a guy pursuing her. The only reason she doesn't go off with that guy is that it would require her to leave Bramson which she feels she can't do morally. Olivia starts to suspect Danny isn't everything he seems to be, while Dora eventually figures out what's going on between Danny and Olivia, which really ticks her off.
In another change from the earlier movie, this 1964 version, being able to get off the sound stage more, shows a fair bit of the police looking for the dead body and finding the body and axe leading them to talk to Danny. Danny opens up the hat box earlier in the movie, but Olivia doesn't take much notice of the box the way she does in a key scene in the earlier movie.
In reading up on this 1964 remake, apparently cinematographer Freddie Francis said that if they had made this movie but not let on that it was a remake of Night Must Fall, eg. by giving it a different title, it would probably have a better reputation than it does. I think I'd have to agree with him, as the story still works but doesn't center the suspense around the hat box, which is what the 1930s movie is known for. Robert Montgomery may be a bit more charming, but I think Finney is actually better at playing troubled than Montgomery was.
So, if you tune in to TCM tomorrow you're probably going to get the Robert Montgomery Night Must Fall. But the Albert Finney Night Must Fall is pretty good, too.
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