Home
| Search
| Now Playing
| News
| My Movies
| Games
| Boards
| Help
| US Movie Showtimes
| Top 250
| Register
| Recommendations
| Widgets
Box Office
| Index
| Trailers
| Jobs
|
IMDbPro.com - Free Trial
| IMDb Resume
Copyright © 1990-2008
IMDb.com, Inc.
Terms and Privacy Policy under which this service is provided to you.
An
company.
Advertise on IMDb.
License our content.
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglinestrailers and videospostersphoto galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsIMDb user comments for
Nothing But the Night (1972)
2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Misguided Lee/Cushing effort, 30 November 2001
Author: The Welsh Raging Bull (leighton.phillips@sihe.ac.uk) from Port Talbot, South Wales,UK
Christopher Lee's own production company Charlemagne Productions survived for just one film - this one - it is no wonder why.
Stifled by a convoluted plot and a haphazardly written script, the viewer is continually left confused by various events which are put together in an alarmingly thoughtless fashion.
Even Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing look unsettled by what is going on around them. It is far from easy viewing and the end doesn't come quick enough.
This could easily be voted as the worst of the horror duo's collaborations!
3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A dull, stuffy, British "thriller", 18 August 2000
Author: WritnGuy-2 from New Jersey
I caught this on The Movie Channel, and taped it, planning to watch it later. Finally, I sat down, and tried to get into "Nothing But the Night," which, from the plotline offered by the TV Guide, looked pretty good.
Eh....
Well, let's start with the plot. Different people, I believe associated by an orphanage or some other organization, are all being killed. In the first two minutes of the film. Then a bus with orphans and some others crashes, and one little girl, Mary, becomes the focus of attention. A doctor and a colonel (Cushing and Lee, respectively) are introduced, but they really don't come into the plot much. First the focus is on a young doctor, Peter, who, after being intrigued by hallucinatory ramblings from Mary, begins investigating, along with the help of a reporter, Joan. Meanwhile, Mary's estranged mother, Anna, wants her daughter back, and will go to the extreme to get her. And then Peter is murdered, supposedly by Anna, and that's when Lee and Cushing's characters really come in. Eventually, this leads them and Joan to the island of Bala, where Mary has been returned to her orphanage, and Anna is headed for to get her daughter back, being refused many times. From there, it's a mix of weak investigation, a few murders, and a "The Fugitive"-like hunt for Anna, who is on the island and searching for Mary. (But Harrison Ford, Anna is not, and the hunt is pretty cheesy.) Nothing really connects or makes sense, and stumbles along to a semi-creepy climax.
What the hell does this have to do with that bizarre, very European title? I don't know.
The movie is pretty bland. While Lee, Cushing, and Georgia Brown (Joan) give good performances, Diana Dors (Anna) comes off almost like Bette Davis ala "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" with that big hair and brash disposition. The little girl who played Mary does a fine job, though, especially for a child actress, and that boosts this film a bit. But nothing masks the fact that the plotline is weak, and the film itself is overwhelmingly dull. As expected, there are far too many scenes of people talking. (I mean, c'mon, it's British after all.) And why does every manhunt need all the town's drunks coming out with rifles and dogs to go looking? You can almost see some of this coming at some points. Still, the movie has a pretty creepy climax, albeit short. And the twist in the end could have made a nice shock, but all the reviews for this movie give away the "big shock," as the plotline.
In any event, I don't recommend this. It's quite boring, and except for the acting, it's nothing to give the time to watching.
5 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Great title..., 6 August 2001
Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States
...but a lousy film. As Maltin says this was Christopher Lee's attempt to make a serious horror film. Well, it is serious...TOO serious! The plot is silly and slow (something about old people inhabiting the bodies of young children to achieve immortality)...the film is all talk talk talk talk talk talk talk about the same things over and over again. I actually dozed off a few times! The film is sooooo dull! The cast sleepwalks through this with the sole exceptions of Peter Cushing and Lee...but this was probably a labor of love for both (they often complained about horror movies being too violent...well, this has NO violence!). Avoid at all costs...unless you have insomnia...this will put you to sleep!
2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Disappointing C Lee Offering, 9 June 2005
Author: JD WaySide from Brisbane, Australia
I actually have a fondness for Christopher Lee, but this just wasn't up to his other performances... and he was one of the better actors.
The film does not live up to its premise. It's not that scary, it's overly melodramatic, and it draaaaaags. Every time I thought, "Oh, HERE comes the good part" the good part never quite arrived.
The Evil Ones aren't at all convincing. Most of the other characters were also lacking in depth.
Perhaps if I'd been in the proper frame of mind, I might have enjoyed some MSTie-fication at this film's expense, but.... Naaahhh... Didn't really seem to be worth the effort. It wasn't really very good, it wasn't really very bad, it was just mediocre.
3 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Nothing Not But Bad, 13 May 2004
Author: ic2 from The Forest of Dean
I won't add to the plot reviews, it's not very good.
Very improbable orphanage on Bala.
Cushing and Lee at their height.
Some nice scenery.
Good for face spotting, and I quote, "look at the mouth, that is Cassie from Fools and Horses".
Otherwise, a poor example of the British film industry.
Fulton MacKay was far better in Fraggle Rock, Keith Barron was better in anything else and Diana Dors did what she did best.
Redeeming feature? It was free to watch on the Horror channel prior to its going over to subscription. I won't be subscribing on this effort.
3 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Good vintage horror/mystery, 4 January 2003
Author: pumaye from Firenze, Italy
This adaptation of a John Blackburn novel is a very good British horror/mystery, reuniting for the nth time Lee/Cushing, as always very good: the plot revolves around a series of strange deaths of the old philantropic people that sustain an orphanage where lives a little girl, daughter of a psychic (Diana Dors); the final explanation, even if a little contrived and simplistic by today standards, is not without a logic and this mystery is definitely worth your time (and a place on your shelves).
0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
More then you let on., 25 June 2007
Author: lost-in-limbo from the Mad Hatter's tea party.
Three trustees of the Van Travlen have died within the last couple of months, their deaths looking less than natural. When a bus accident occurs involving the Van Traylen Trust, the only survivor is the young girl Mary Valley. The behaviour of Mary has Dr Haynes worried, so he tries his best to dig up information on her and this leads to her original mother/convicted murderer. She wants Mary back, but the Trust manages to bring her back to their orphanage on the Scottish isle of Bala. Police Colonel Bingham believes there's more to these deaths, and soon his trying to protect the Trust from Mary's mother who believes that they turned her daughter against her. Also pathologist Sir Mark Ashley and reporter Joan Foster start digging up some vital dirt, which could answer many questions.
"Nothing But the Night" seems to fall more in the interesting bracket, than the successful one. Peter Sasdy's minor mystery chiller is a moderate attempt made more accessible due to the presence of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It was actually produced under Lee's Charlemagne production company, and would be the last one too. These two icons of the genre can make anything watchable and even though they might not be as prominent here. They still have the ability to leave their mark when they aren't on screen. Brain Hayles' cryptic screenplay (taken off John Blackburn's novel) works up a smart, if overly padded script and captivating dying half, but the knotty plot doesn't seem to click, as it moves all over the place making it hard to get comfortable and come to terms with the haunting pay-off. You might find the twist kinda obvious, but the true revelation throws you off. It does take quite awhile to hit its straps. Which could turn people off from its talkative and slow progression. However the timidly restraint and uncertain nature only makes the final 10 minutes even more unnerving, as that's when the murder mystery makes way for some creepy horror strokes. Both Sasdy and Hayles do a good enough job in keeping the viewer interested. Sasdy uses the open locations to great effect, and ably stages the set pieces with efficient slickness and ominously dark shades. Malcolm Williamson's lightly smooth jazzy score stays on the back-burner and Ken Talbot's sturdy photography keeps it stark and upfront. The performances are considerably tailor-made. Lee (more uptight than usual) and Cushing are at their assured best, even if they only have lesser parts. The spruce Diana Dors makes for a good fiery, eccentric turn and Georgia Brown's is equally impressive as the down-to-earth reporter. Gwyneth Strong wonderfully draws up her part as Mary.
A middling hot (impeccably acted) and cold (unfocused story) mystery thriller.
1 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Slow mystery/thriller/horror thing. The thinking man's British horror film?, 11 April 2007
Author: Paul Andrews (poolandrews@hotmail.com) from UK
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Nothing But the Night starts as a coach carrying a load of orphans mysteriously crashes killing the driver & injuring young Mary Valley (Gwyneth Strong), taken to hospital she is cared for by Dr. Haynes (Keith Barron) who believes she has psychological problems connected with a recurring nightmare about fire. He convinces his mentor the pathologist Sir Mark Ashley (Peter Cushing) to help him which is just as well because Mark is also contacted by his friend Colonel Charles Bingham (Christopher Lee) who informs him that three of the trustees from Mary's orphanage, the Inver House orphanage located on the small Scottish island of Bala, have been killed within a short space of time & that he feels the coach crash was a deliberate act & no accident. Then Mary's mother Anna (Diana Dors), a convicted killer & prostitute, shows up claiming the orphanage kidnapped her daughter & she is going to kill everyone who stands between her & Mary, the answer to the murders now seem obvious but as Mark & Charles dig further into the puzzling case they discover the true horror of what's been going on...
This British production was directed by Peter Sasdy & was the one & only film to be made & released by Charlemagne Productions the company set up by Christopher Lee presumably in an attempt to mimic the success that Hammer & Amicus were having with Anglo horror at the time, if nothing else at least Nothing But the Night is a bit different although not always successful. The script by Brian Hayles was based on a novel of the same name by John Blackburn & for most of it's duration one could easily describe Nothing But the Night as a complex mystery thriller with a few horror elements thrown in there. The biggest problem with Nothing But the Night in my opinion is the fragmented, bitty, sometimes confusing & uneven narrative. It seems to go from one plot thread to another at random intervals & never really settles down into one consistent watchable story, all of the character's seem like bit parts & no one in the film stands out as the 'star' whom the action revolves around. The mystery elements are played up a bit too much & the red herrings are about as subtle as a sledge hammer hit into your face, the character played by Diana Dors has so much obvious suspicion placed on her you just know she's innocent. It's rather slow going at times although I thought the twist ending was just about worth sticking around for even if it does feature a young girl being set on fire & various other children committing suicide which seemed a bit distasteful. I will admit though the mystery elements did keep me watching & Nothing But the Night has that special ingredient that sort of draws you in to the point where you want to see where the films going.
Director Sasdy does OK but the film has dated badly although I think the 70's fashions & decor gives it a certain charm. There's some really nice location shooting here & there are a few nice moments but the annoying day-for-night process doesn't do the atmosphere any favours & I'm not sure keeping dynamite & the detonators in a wooden shed is a good idea from a safety point of view either! Forget about any gore or violence as there isn't a single drop of blood in the entire film worth mentioning.
Technically the film is fine with good production values although it's obvious the film was shot entirely on location rather than sets. The acting was alright & it's always nice to see the legendary Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing together.
Nothing But the Night is an OK mystery but just don't expect a straight forward horror film because this ain't it, a bit to confusing & uneven to be described as great but I thought it was OK none-the-less.
3 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Call it a masterpiece, 9 January 2000
Author: davidcristol (basseo@yahoo.com) from Toulouse, France
This unjustly forgotten film is a must! It is a pleasure indeed to watch Christopher Lee (who co-produced the film) and compadre Peter Cushing out of the traditional horror setting they are associated with. A thriller rather than a horror film (not unlike THE SIXTH SENSE, for example), the film benefits from fine performances from the lead and supporting cast. Perfectly written and directed, this film ranks up there with the very best Cushing/Lee movies such as THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLE and HORROR EXPRESS. Highly recommended.
Add another comment
Related Links