A photographer’s blind wife, trapped in her New York apartment by an evil trio who are ready to murder to retrieve a heroin-filled doll hidden in her apartment, cleverly outwits them. Music by Henry Mancini. Based on the long running Broadway play by Frederick Knott.Audrey Hepburn’s last Oscar nomination was for this adaptation of Frederick Knott’s famed stage thriller about a blind woman, a con man (Alan Arkin), and a doll full of heroin. Thanks to Hepburn’s husband, a photographer who does a good deal of traveling, she’s unknowingly come into possession of said doll, which was given to him on a plane by a comely young drug runner who winds up dead. The murderous Arkin, aided by sympathetic henchman Richard Crenna, will let nothing stand in the way of his obtaining it, even if it comes down to assaying multiple “personalities” in order to visit and terrorize Hepburn; Crenna is unwillingly enlisted to help. However, the “world’s champion blind lady” (as Hepburn sardonically states) is more than up to the task of defending herself in her basement Manhattan apartment in a heart-stopping climax that to this day still defines the way horror movies with jack-in-the-box psychos are made. Despite the obvious staginess of it all (the entire action takes place in Hepburn’s apartment), it still works magnificently, thanks to Hepburn’s steely will and Arkin’s deadly, sadistic madman. A helpful hint: turn out all the lights when you watch it; theaters back in 1967 did so, killing the guiding lights during the film’s last 15 minutes. We can’t tell you why, but trust us, it’s worth it. –Mark Englehart
Buy “Wait Until Dark” For Only $9.98
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on Dark
March 12, 2010
#1
This movie is not scarey. This movie is not even funny because it’s trying to be scarey. Just an incredible waste of film and time.
March 12, 2010
#2
THIS MOVIE WAS NOT SCARY, IT WAS BORING AS HELL! Sure, the performances were good, but not much else. Both my parents said that since I love scary movies, I would love this terrifying film. Boy, were they wrong! Watching this movie was about as much fun as trying to teach a man with no fingers how to light a match. If you want to see a film about a blind girl being terrorized by a psycho that is actually scary, watch Jennifer 8, but not this.
March 12, 2010
#3
The concept for the movie is great, ie. a blind women who has perceptions other than vision which allow her to figure out a dangerous situation. Alan Arkin is terrific. Unfortunately, Audrey Hepburn can’t act. She talks like a little girl, makes inappropriate movements relative to her part as a blind person, and is simply unbelieveable. I have just seen her in Charade and she acts like Audrey Hepburn, not an actress in a role. She is pretty, petite, and elegant but not an actress. Meryl Streep or even Julia Roberts could have handled the part.
March 12, 2010
#4
Beautiful inspiring movie. It shows how strong love can be. Sam loves Susy so much.
Pure love is not weak. It makes a person stronger. Sam supports Susy, encourages her and helps her in learning all the essential things of life.
Love is patience.Sam is calm. He never looses his temper while helping Susy and patience pays.
Love is to respect.Sam never insults or hurt Susy because she is blind.He treats her like a normal person and Susy complements Sam
completely.
Sam and Susy are made for each other.Totally,the movie shows wahat a true love should be.
It is very difficult to survive in this world with bad people trying to ruin our lives. Life for Sucy was not easy being blind and trying to adjust to the new blind world. Bad guys come looking for a doll stuffed with drugs when Sam was away at work.She fights back so hard.She uses her inner sense. The way she remembers the foot steps,switching off all the lights and smelling gasolene and scaring the villain by lighting the matchbox is thrilling.
Story ends with a happy note and lots of inspiration.
March 12, 2010
#5
Wait Until Dark is another old movie that has sadly lost something as the years go by. I think the whole style of film making has changed, and as such my generation has grown up with a different idea of what can be done within the realm of celluloid. This movie is really all build up. Not to take anything away from the script or the brilliantly put together plot, but it reads like a play adapted for cinema. The scenes are slow and stay in one location and the movie keeps building to one large climax at the end. I feel a modern movie would mix it up more, with several denouements and a few more settings.
However my main beef with this movie is the overall absurdity, or perhaps naivete of the plot. 3 bad guys want to get a heroin filled-doll off a blind chick. So they concoct this overly elaborate scenario whereby they trick poor Audrey into thinking her husband killed some broad he had an affair with and this doll could be the only evidence tying him to the crime.
I sat there for an hour thinking – is this plausible, or wouldn’t thugs like these really have just held her down and beaten her until she told them?
So this story creeps on for an hour, brilliant acting, good pacing, but in the end (POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD) what happens?
The baddest bad guy holds her down and beats it out of her!!! Great. Couldn’t you just have done that in the first place.
The other weird thing is the relationship between Hepburn and her husband – it think it’s supposed to be strong and encouraging, yet through my eyes it appears abusive and derogatory – even when he first sees her after her ordeal he doesn’t run to her, he make her (blind, terrified, beaten up, shaking) come to him!!! Craziness.
Audrey deserves better than him and this movie. File for divorce, spousal abuse, and get your name taken off the credits while you’re at it honey.
P.S. The baddest bad guy was last spotted playing a psychiatrist in “Gross Point Blank”… He’s going up in the world.