Customer Reviews

Night Visitor

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This is an excellent European thriller, with a cast culled from both Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Denmark) and England.

Max von Sydow as Salem, the inmate in an asylum for the criminally insane, does a fine job as the lead, (supposedly) unjustly accused and sentenced for a crime he--maybe--didn't commit. Liv Ullmann (who's Norwegian, not Swedish as some people may think) is just as good as his sister, married to a doctor played by Per Oscarsson. The two of them, with the help of a greedy lawyer and a conniving sister, managed to have Salem convicted of the murder of an innocent farmhand. And Trevor Howard plays the investigating inspector who is equally strong--and certain there's more to the case than meets the eye.

Now someone is killing off the people who had Salem committed. Who could it be? Salem himself is locked away in the asylum, surely one of the dingiest and most desolate institutions ever shown on film. But the doctor shows some loopy behavioral tics, so there's a real chance it could be him.

The answer to the mystery is fascinating. This is not a horror film, as an earlier, extremely well-known and highly regarded reviewer for this venue has said (see below), but a thriller whose details are developed quite well. However, there are two logic gaps that are somewhat puzzling:

1) Why doesn't the bird make any noise before the climactic scene?
2) What happens to the rope once it's used? Does it magically reappear under the boat again?

Don't worry, I'm not giving anything away. You have to see this film to appreciate these questions. And it's definitely worth seeing.

This is a thinking mans movie. Keeps you on the tips of your brain stem. If you liked the TV series "Mission Impossible", because of the technical details, you'll love this movie. Reason is, the man that created those details for TV, also created the escape scenes in this movie. Everything is thought out and shown in major detail, except one. What is that one mistake? You won't hear a peep out of me!

To paraphrase Steven H. Scheuer, the man who published TV movie reviews before Leonard Maltin, "Make a hundred Grade B thrillers, and you're bound to turn out one gem, and this is it". He wasn't referring to THE NIGHT VISITOR, but he easily could have been. This early 1970s thriller was made for a small independent company called UMC Pictures who also gave us Mel Brooks' THE TWELVE CHAIRS and Dario Argento's THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE. It got good reviews, was directed by Laslo Benedek who did Marlon Brando's motorcycle flick THE WILD ONE, was shot on location in Scandinavia with a mostly Scandinavian cast, and had music by Henry Mancini. Nevertheless it disappeared, along with the company, into movie limbo until VCI, a first class purveyor of public domain titles, released it on video back in 2000 along with other UMC titles. It's out of print now and used copies cost a pretty penny but, if you can stream it or rent it, then it's more than worth your while.

Max von Sydow is accused of a crime he didn't commit and incarcerated in a local asylum for the criminally insane. After 2 years he manages to get out to have his revenge and then get back in again with no one being the wiser. The movie starts off like a Swedish version of COLUMBO as we know from the outset that he commited the crimes that he couldn't have. The brillance of the film lies in seeing how he did it and if the police can figure it all out. The harsh Scandinavian Winter is vividly portrayed and there are several fine performances. In addition to von Sydow, there is Liv Ullmann (at the height of her populatity then), Per Oscarsson, and Trevor Howard as the inspector investigating the case. The film was shot in English so that it could play in England and the U.S. but it is unmistakably Scandinavian in its outlook and execution. The ending, while somewhat implausible, is incredibly effective. Not an all time classic but a good, solid, entertaining B movie that should be better known than it is.

Filmed in Scandinavia, Max Von Sydow, Per Oscarsson, and Liv Ullman are first rate in this psychological thriller.

During this time The Emigrants, Scenes from a Marriage, The New Land and other Nordic pictures took center stage above the Night Visitor. Although the aforementioned 3 occupy the absolute elite of all-time Nordic cinema, The Night Visitor is well worth watching and an interesting departure from stereotypical Scandinavian pictures.

The ending of this movie is great. Watch until the end.