Archive of films Dead of Night / Dead of Night

United Kingdom
1945, 104 min

Section: Midnight Screenings
Year: 2008

Strange, nightmarish tales of terror are recounted by guests at a remote country cottage. The eerie story of an unhinged ventriloquist, driven mad by his dummy, is just one of the many highlights of this influential portmanteau horror, directed by four of Ealing Studios’ most gifted filmmakers.


Synopsis

An architect staying at a country cottage is chilled to find that the house and its guests all feature in his recurring nightmare. His companions, too, have strange tales to tell. Few British horrors were made between the Second World War and the genre’s Hammer-led re-emergence in the 1950s. This one was influential as a ‘portmanteau horror’ - it featured a number of short tales of terror within a linking narrative – and inspired many similarly structured horrors produced by Amicus decades later. A collaborative effort, the film showcases the skills of four talented directors. Some sequences work better than others, but the whole is beautifully shot and tightly constructed. A strong linking narrative creates an eerie sense of impending doom, moving towards a dream-like end. Best of all is Michael Redgrave as a ventriloquist tormented by his dummy. Twitching, moving stiffly, rolling his eyes and unexpectedly modulating his voice, his dark and disturbingly doll-like performance is not easy to forget.

About the director

Basil Dearden (b.1911, Westcliffe-on-Sea, Essex; d.1971), director, producer, writer. Made comedies, then later ‘social problem’ dramas, including Victim (1961), the first British mainstream film about homosexuality.

Alberto Cavalcanti (b.1897, Rio De Janeiro; d.1982), art director, writer, director. Worked in Britain from the early ‘30s, on acclaimed documentaries and features, directing Went the Day Well? (1943).

Robert Hamer (b.1911, Kidderminster, Worcs; d.1963), film editor, writer, director; at Ealing Studios wrote and directed the classic comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).

Charles Crichton (b.1910, Wallasey, Cheshire; d.1999), film editor, writer, director; at Ealing Studios made The Lavender Hill Mob (1951); later worked in television, returned to film comedy with A Fish Called Wanda (1988).

Contacts

BFI
21 Stephen Street, W1T 1LN, London
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 255 1444
Fax: +44 207 436 7950
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.bfi.org.uk

Connaissance du cinéma
122 rue La Boétie, 750 08, Paris
France
Tel: +33 1 435 901 01
Fax: +33 1 435 964 41
E-mail: [email protected]

About the film

Black & white, 35 mm

Section: Midnight Screenings
   
Director: Alberto Cavalcanti, Robert Hamer, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden
Screenplay: John Baines, Angus MacPhail, dodatečné dialogy / additional dialogue T.E.B. Clarke
Dir. of Photography: Stan Pavey, Douglas Slocombe
Music: Georges Auric
Editor: Charles Hasse
Producer: Michael Balcon
Production: Ealing Studios
Cast: Michael Redgrave, Googie Withers, Mervyn Johns, Ralph Michael
Contact: BFI, Connaissance du cinéma

Guests

Vic Pratt

Film Institution Rep.

YouTube

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