Customer Reviews

Night Watch (1973) [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Absolute delicious fun. Standard plot of woman (with shaky mental history) in big house witnessing murder as storm rages and then having her husband and "best friend" doubt her sanity is very well done here and loads of suspenseful fun to watch. Are her husband and "best female friend" in a plot to drive her mad and steal her fortune? What's going on in the house next door?

Elizabeth Taylor is perfect as the beleaguered woman -- magnificent looking, as usual, and waltzing around in Valentino gowns with plenty of "rocks" on view (gifts from Burton?) (hey -- what's with those kaftans and the Gothic sleeves on the cranberry dress? She was in her jet-setty "kaftans-and jewelry" stage, ever a glamorous movie star!). Whether waking up in the wee hours or running through a thunderstorm, her makeup is always perfect replete with glossy lipstick! That's part of the fun.

But the suspense is handled very well and hubbie and best friend are indeed well cast, too. Are they or aren't they in league? Yes, calvalcades of female stars have been put through this sort of wringer (Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia DeHavilland, Jean Simmons, Mia Farrow, the list goes on) and the results can be hit or miss, but here it's hit. Entertaining stuff with some genuinely surprising twists (that are a hoot alone to behold!)

Lucille Fletcher wrote several clever suspense stories back in the mid-1900s, the most famous one being Sorry, Wrong Number, in which a homebound paraplegic woman accidentally overhears a terrifying phone conversation and realizes that her life is in danger. Fletcher's 1971 Broadway play, NIGHT WATCH, had a similar premise, only this time the troubled woman doesn't hear something awful--she sees it. The play was filmed in 1973 as a vehicle for Elizabeth Taylor.

Taylor plays Ellen Wheeler, a rich widow who has recently married again. She's recovering from a nervous breakdown caused by her first husband's death in a car accident while running away with another woman. Ellen sits in her big house in London, fretting over her dead spouse's betrayal and growing increasingly suspicious of her new husband (Laurence Harvey) and her best friend (Billie Whitelaw). Is hubby #2 cheating on her like #1? Is he having an affair with her friend? Are they trying to drive her crazy, planning to do her in for her fortune? These are her thoughts one dark and stormy night when she happens to look out her rear window, over at the abandoned mansion that shares her backyard. A shutter has come loose on an upstairs window of the empty house, and it's flapping in the storm. She leans forward, staring at that window, and...I won't say any more, but I will say that the original posters for the movie showed an extreme closeup of Taylor's terrified face above the caption: "What this woman sees will haunt you for the rest of your life."

I've been a fan of this dark thriller ever since I first saw it in a theater in 1973, and it's now available as a DVD-R from Warner's wonderful Archive Collection. It's a nifty, intelligent mystery with some genuine surprises. Taylor is excellent, and she's matched by the rest of the cast. Director Brian G. Hutton (WHERE EAGLES DARE) uses every trick in the Hitchcock handbook to build the tension, and the final scenes are truly terrifying. The newly remastered DVD has great picture and sound, much better than all previous versions. The very dark night scenes have been clarified so you can actually see what's happening, and some of the music cues have been altered for the better (they replaced that incessant theme song with more appropriate music in several scenes). If you're already a fan of this movie, you've never seen it like this. And if you're simply looking for sleek suspense, you won't want to miss this Taylor tour de force.

One of the most momorable movies in years. Still with me all these years. Elizabeth Taylor outstanding. Atmosphere contribute to making this a spine chilling thriller. Would love this movie on dvd.

I saw Night Watch many years ago. The suspense kept building and you read more into the film than what was actually there. The story line kept you riveted and the ending stunned me as it totally altered the whole plot. Excellent acting and direction.

The first time I saw this back in 1973, it was so scary that I was afraid to turn off the lights after dark for several nights. After many years, I wanted to add it to my video library and was thrilled to get a copy even if it was only VHS instead of DVD. This film seems to not be well known in the US and isn't even mentioned in some of the biographies written about Miss Taylor; however, it was a British film and that could explain this fact. Laurence Harvey, who starred with Elizabeth in Butterfield 8, once again stars opposite her, this time in the role of her second husband who is somewhat aloof and superficially concerned about his wife's fragile state of mind and increasing descent into madness .

Elizabeth Taylor gives a convincing portrayal of a woman who is on the brink of losing her sanity, repeatedly seeing a dead body through a window in the spooky abandoned house next door to her lovely London home. Flashbacks to a traumatic past event in her life lend credence to her tenuous hold on sanity, and offer creepy insights into what appears to drive her continued sightings of a dead body that police are unable to find, as well as her increasing hysteria when the police do not take her seriously after their searches of the decrepit abandoned old mansion next door reveal nothing. Coupled with her paranoia and suspicions about her husband (Laurence Harvey) and a female friend who is their house guest (Billie Whitelaw), the portrayal of a woman who is losing her grip on reality is chilling. The viewer feels a sense of compassion for the increasing emotional fragility of Miss Taylor's character in view of her past experiences, and begins to understand her paranoid thoughts with regard to her husband's suspected infidelity and her friend's deceit and betrayal. Finally, after reluctantly agreeing that she must be hospitalized again for treatment of a mental breakdown, precipitated by past emotional trauma, she prepares to depart for a stay in an expensive private hospital and signs various legal papers which lead the viewer to believe that her husband is, indeed, conspiring to drive his wife over the edge of sanity. As a wild storm rages outside at night, she runs outside and heads to the deserted house next door, certain that everyone is conspiring to make it look as if she is insane and determined to prove that what she has been seeing is, in fact, very real. Her husband, fearing for her in her current state of hysteria, runs after her, to the deepening and ominous fright of their house guest. The denouement is terrifying and leaves the viewer stunned at the completely unexpected and macabre turn of events. Miss Taylor's final scene makes one realize what an accomplished actress she is, both in reality and in the character she portrays in this film.

I remember seeing this movie when it came out in the theatres in 1973. I was only a teenager then, but it has defined the word "suspense" for me. I have not seen a movie since that got me as white-knuckle, close-your-eyes anxious as "Night Watch" did. For best effect - watch it in the dark!

I was living in London when this film came out. Being a HUGE Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey fan, of course I saw it! I have been waiting for years for this film to be reissued on a DVD. At last, it has. It isn't at all dated. Even the Valentino clothes that Ms. Taylor wears are up-to-date looking.

The diamond and ruby ring (it is huge!) she wears throughout the film was sold a few days ago at an astronomical price.

To watch the film knowing the Ms. Taylor and Mr. Harvey are gone from us forever is very sad. Billie Whitelaw, the wonderful, talented English actress is still very much on the scene. The colors in the film are lush. Her London home is beautifully appointed and her English Garden lovely.

The story line is a bit over-the-top but that is why we went to see Liz Taylor back in the 60s. She was over-the-top! Every hair in place, her wardrobe spectacular, her jewels only the biggest and brightest. Her make-up flawless. Women wanted to be her and men wanted to have someone like her on their arm.

The film revolves around her delicate emotional hold on life. Her emotional problems started after the death of her first husband in a car accident. The fact he was with a young girl at the time sent her over the edge. Many flashbacks of that fateful night pepper the film.

The film begins a few years after her husband's death. She is now married to Mr. Harvey who always looks like he stepped out of a Gieves & Hawkes ad! I literally ran into him one afternoon in London and he was positively anorexic! But I adored him!

Billie Whitelaw (a very familiar face in the 60s)is her best childhood friend and has one guessing from the first frame. By the end of the film you realize why you don't really trust her, but it's too late. Yes, it has a surprise ending, but I won't spoil it for you.

As the credits roll you hate the fact you have gotten so old and all your favorite actors are gone or retired. This film brought back tons of memories of my youth in London and my love and respect for Elizabeth Taylor. I wish I could turn the clock back to 1968. The late 60s and early 70s were the best for films. So many remain popular to this day. This is a film to see if you love Ms. Taylor. She didn't make many really good ones after this one. This was her era to shine. And shine she did!

I saw this movie on tv as an adolescent and have remembered it numerous times since. Only trouble was I couldn't remember the name. I've looked for it video books and every chance I got. I just found the name tonight and I'm going to buy it. I now have a teen of my own. I enjoy sharing with her the REAL movies from the days when they made REAL movies and didn't resort to cheap tricks with fake blood to make the viewer squeemish!

I actually ordered this movie for a friend of mine who is not as computer literate as he'd like to be but loves Elizabeth Taylor and is trying to expand his collection. He said that the movie was in excellent shape and had no flaws when he watched it. He particularly liked the condition the cover was in and was very pleased with the timely arrival of his purchase. Thank you for making my friend so happy and I hope you get a lot more business.
Signed,
Chris Casey
Happy Customer

This is a great mystery/suspense movie! It really holds your interest and what a twist of an ending!! This is one I could watch again and again!