Endless Night

Endless Night
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Sidney Gilliat
Produced by	Leslie Gilliat
Written by	Sidney Gilliat
Starring	Hayley Mills Hywel Bennett Britt Ekland Per Oscarsson George Sanders
Music by	Bernard Hermann
Cinematography	Harry Waxman
Editing by	Thelma Connell
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	September 1972
Running time	95 min
Country	Great Britain
Language	English

Endless Night is a 1972 British detective film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Hayley Mills, Britt Ekland, Per Oscarsson, Hywel Bennett and George Sanders.^[1] It is based on the novel Endless Night by Agatha Christie.

Plot

Michael Rogers (Bennett), a young drifter chauffeur, has a chance meeting with the lovely Ellie Thomson (Mills). He dreams of building a magnificent house on a particular spot of land along the Devon coast. Unknown to him, she is actually a wealthy heiress and can make his dream come true. Ellie's family attempts to stop the romance, but with the help of her efficient German companion, Greta (Ekland), they marry and build a memorable home designed by noted architect Santonix (Oscarsson).

However, the land the couple purchased is known as "Gypsy's Acre" and is said to carry a curse. Mysterious accidents pile up, a self-proclaimed gypsy haunts the grounds, and after a midnight accident, Greta moves in with the couple to nurse Ellie back to heath, to the resentment of Michael.

A further equestrian accident results in the death of Ellie, and Michael is shattered. With the aide of her lawyer "Uncle" Andrew (Sanders) and Greta, Michael pulls together. But he remains haunted by ghostly images of Ellie and a devious murder plot-and another death-are revealed in the finale.^[2]

Michael carries Ellie through the woods after a midnight accident

Production

Shooting locations included Christie's Auction House, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, as well as the West Country and Albergo San Pietro, Positano, Italy.

The score was by Bernard Hermann. Ellie's singing in the film was dubbed by Shirley Jones.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. Although reasonably faithful to the novel, it is "An example of the sort of thing Christie was writing in her later years: moody psychological studies very different from, and not so much fun as, her early thrillers."^[3] Contemporary critics have noted "Nice performances all around, with special admiration for Oscarsson's role as the dying architect."^[4]

Christie herself was displeased by the "lack-lustre" adaptation of one of her favorite novels, although she had been initially pleased by the choice of Director-writer and cast. Further, she disliked the (admittedly brief) erotic nudity by Ekland in the film's final sequences.^[5]

After an unsuccessful run in Britain, UA did not release the film in the United States,^[6] although there were runs in Denmark and Finland in 1973.

References

1. ^ IMDB Cast list
2. ^ British Film Institute
3. ^ Time Out-London
4. ^ Amazon.com review by Tom Keogh
5. ^ Haining, Peter, Agatha Christie: Murder in Four Acts. Virgin Books, London, 1990. p 50. ISBN 1852272732
6. ^ Haining

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