Themes: Ladder to the Top, Romantic Betrayal, Treacherous Spouses
Main Cast: Marie-France Pisier, John Beck, Susan Sarandon, Raf Vallone, Clu Gulager
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 165 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
One woman's life of love and larceny is recounted in this soapy drama based on the best-selling novel by Sidney Sheldon. In the midst of WWII, innocent French girl Noelle Page (Marie-France Pisier) falls in love with dashing American pilot Larry Douglas (John Beck). When Larry is given new orders taking him back to America, he tells Noelle that he'll come back for her -- when he doesn't, she becomes bitter and pledges to use men for their money and power, not for love. Noelle goes on to become a famous actress and weds Constantin Demeris (Raf Vallone), a Greek multi-millionaire. But she can't shake her passion for Larry, and eventually she hires him to work as her personal pilot. While at first he does not recognize her, soon Larry and Noelle are once again involved in a torrid affair, and when Larry's wife Catherine (Susan Sarandon) refuses to give him a divorce, he and Noelle begin planning a scheme to arrange an "accidental" death for Catherine. The Other Side of Midnight marked the American debut of actress Marie-France Pisier, following her role in the international success Cousin, Cousine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
This epic, lavish adaptation of Sidney Sheldon's best -selling 1974 novel is so misguided in so many ways that it plays like a self-parody instead of the glossy romantic tragedy the filmmakers obviously intended. The first problem is the script, which mixes ludicrous plotting, paper-thin characterizations and howl-worthy dialogue into one overstuffed, wrong-headed mess. To make matters worse, the story's tone shifts back and forth between screwball comedy and lurid melodrama in a thoroughly jarring fashion and it gives the viewer no reason to become emotionally involved in what's going on (John is such an obvious cad from the start that it seems ludicrous for the film's two heroines fall in love with him). Director Charles Jarrott only accentuates these problems by giving the film a limp pace that makes its two hour and forty minute running time positively numbing and a flat, television-styled look that robs the film's locations of their color and appeal. The final nail in the coffin of The Other Side Of Midnight is its misguided casting: Susan Sarandon is likable and energetic as Catherine but Marie-France Pisier's acting style is too steeped in remote, European cool to hit the melodramatic heights the character of Noelle requires and John Beck lacks the looks and charisma to make Larry the lady-killer the plot needs. To sum up, The Other Side Of Midnight is so inept that it might amuse devotees of camp misfires (Andy Warhol once proclaimed it one of his favorite films because of its plastic quality) will test the patience of most other viewers. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Christian Marquand - Armand Gautier; Michael Lerner - Barbet; Sorrell Booke - Lanchon; Louis Zorich - Demonides; Charles Cioffi - Chotas; Dimitra Arliss - Sister Teresa; Jan Arvan - Warden; Josette Banzet - Madame Rose; John Chappell - Doc Peterson; Lilyan Chauvin - Mrs. Page; Denise de Mirjian - Nun; Roger Etienne - Jacques Page; Howard Hesseman - O'Brien; George Keymas - Dr. K; Lidia Kristen - Housekeeper; Curt Lowens - Henri Correger; Peter Mamakos - Cocyannis; Jacques Maury - Philippe Sorel; Louis Mercier - Paris Cab Driver; Noelle Page; Antony Ponzini - Paul Metaxas; Lina Raymond - Sultry Girl; Charles Siebert - Steve; George Skaff - Doctor; George Sperdakos - Spyros; Titos Vandis - President of Council; Than Wyenn - Greek Priest; Roger Til - Hotel Detective; Matilda Calnan - Old Dressmaker
Credit
Jack B. Bernstein - Associate Producer, Irene Sharaff - Costume Designer, Fred Brost - First Assistant Director, Charles Jarrott - Director, Donn Cambern - Second Unit Director, Donn Cambern - Editor, Harold Kress - Editor, Michel Legrand - Composer (Music Score), Lee C. Harman - Makeup, Robert Huke - Camera Operator, John De Cuir - Production Designer, Fred Koenekamp - Cinematographer, Frank Yablans - Producer, Raphael Bretton - Set Designer, Anthony Mondello - Set Designer, Larry Jost - Sound/Sound Designer, Theodore Soderberg - Sound/Sound Designer, Daniel Taradash - Screenwriter, Herman Raucher - Screenwriter, Sidney Sheldon - Book Author
In World War IIFrance, Noelle Page (Marie-France Pisier), a young and attractive French woman, falls in love with Larry Douglas (John Beck), an American pilot stationed in France. The couple has a torrid love affair that ends abruptly when Larry receives orders to return to the United States. Larry promises Noelle that he will come back for her and marry her. He never does come back and Noelle becomes very bitter. Vowing revenge, Noelle is determined to become rich and famous by using men for their money and power. She becomes a famous actress and marries Greek multi-millionaire Constantin Demeris (Raf Vallone) whom she does not love. In the meantime, Larry is married to Catherine Alexander Douglas (Susan Sarandon), a beautiful and very trusting young woman from Chicago.
Noelle and Larry’s paths cross again. Noelle hires Larry as a pilot for her private jet but he does not recognize her, not even after they rekindle their romance and begin a love affair. Once it becomes clear to him who she is, he informs her that he intends to keep his previous promise and stay with her and leave Catherine. But when Catherine refuses Larry’s request for a divorce, Larry and Noelle plan Catherine’s murder.
According to the Star Wars documentary Empire of Dreams, since the book was very successful, anticipation was that the film would translate to success at the box office and it resulted in 20th Century Fox heavily promoting the film. The studio was promoting Star Wars at the same time, even as it was controversial for its growing expense.
Fearing that Star Wars would be a flop, the studio made a peremptory decision to grant prints of The Other Side of Midnight -- a 2-hour, 45-minute long feature with graphic sex and nudity -- only to those theaters that agreed to book Star Wars as well.
Ultimately, in spite of the former's massive critical acclaim, The Other Side of Midnight proved to be the box office failure. Despite the controversy surrounding the huge expense involved in the making of Star Wars, the latter ultimately grossed a then-record $237m in North America in its first run and would eventually spawn a multi-media franchise that continues to this day.
