Customer Reviews

Still Of The Night [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

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

 

 

This stylish 1982 suspense thriller is now available as a made-to-order DVD-R from MGM/Fox. Director Robert Benton, fresh from his triumph with KRAMER VS. KRAMER, turned his attention to that most popular pastime of modern directors--paying homage to the giants of the past. He directed this film as his tribute to Alfred Hitchcock.

When a randy curator at a Manhattan auction house (Josef Sommer) is murdered, his psychiatrist (Roy Scheider) is drawn into a mysterious plot involving the curator's mistress (Meryl Streep) and various other interested parties, including the police. The shrink soon realizes that he knows too many of the dead man's secrets--and that his own life is now in danger.

STILL OF THE NIGHT has many of the classic elements of Hitchcock: the innocent bystander who must solve the puzzle to clear his own name (and save his own life), the icy blond beauty who may or may not be the killer, and the shadowy Long Island mansion where the clifftop climax takes place. Most of all, we have several examples of Hitch's most distinctive contribution to cinema--the suspense sequence that builds slowly to a payoff. The symbolic dream, the creepy adventure in the basement laundry room, the eerie midnight excursion into Central Park, the unnervingly extended episode at the swanky auction house where the hero desperately tries to deflect the authorities who are closing in--these are pure Hitchcock, and Benton is better than most at making these classic ideas seem fresh and immediate.

What strikes me most strongly about STILL OF THE NIGHT is the loving care and dedication of everyone involved, not just Benton's direction but also the writing (Benton and David Newman), cinematography (Nestor Almendros), music (Broadway composer John Kander), and even the costumes (Albert Wolsky). And that cast can't be beat, from the glamorous stars (Streep has never looked lovelier) right down to the extras. If you love Hitch as much as I do, you'll want to see this. Recommended.

When New York City psychiatrist Sam Rice's (Roy Scheider) patient is murdered, the man's mistress (Meryl Streep) pays Sam a visit. She's cool and lovely, and the two feel a spark, but before they know it, it seems the doctor is being stalked by a killer.

Fair warning: This is not a movie to watch alone, at night, in the dark. Other than that, it's a great little thriller! The director made it as a tribute to Hitchcock and indeed, many of the old master's classic character-types and plot points are included: The icy blonde, the sensitive man who must prove his own innocence by solving a mystery, frequent chilling scenes in lonely rooms where no one ever bothers to turn on a light. Oh, and Jessica Tandy (who was in "The Birds") is here, too, playing Sam's mother. Streep is very young and beautiful, looking oh-so vulnerable and in need of rescuing. Her knight in shining armor, Scheider, plays it so low-key he almost disappears except in the intense, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night scenes where he's absolutely terrified (as is the audience).

This is edge-of-your-seat fun and it kept me guessing until the dramatic finale; a well-made mystery with good, old-fashioned characters and story and no profanity or on-screen violence. Recommended.

This film received mixed reviews when it came out in 1982, in part because it was competing with another Meryl Streep film, Sophie's Choice. But thirty years later, it holds up rather well as an understated murder mystery with some psychological elements -- similar to Hitchcock. The film is a melodrama rather than a thriller, and the emphasis is on plot rather than action. Roy Scheider plays a psychologist who is thrown into a web of intrigue after the death of one of his patients, who has been involved in a love triangle. Meryl Streep, who is here cast against type as anxiety-ridden and weak-willed (but handles the role well), may be a suspect, or she may be the next victim. There is a strong psychological undercurrent throughout: Scheider uses dream analysis to solve the case. New York locations provide a nice backdrop. The climatic scene, set out on the beaches of Long Island, involves a surprising plot twist. 3.5 Stars.

I have seen many reviews for this comparing it to Hitchcock, but for me, I let it stand on its own. It was a film that was shown late one night on UK television and I loved every minute of it.

I will not say anything about the plot, just that it's an intriguing murder mystery with some nice touches and Roy Schieder must be one proud actor to hav such a little known effort like this in his reportoire. Meryl Streep provides the glamour and the mystery and her performance is simply stunning and a joy to watch. She also, I think for the first and only time to my knowledge, appears in the nude, but from a distance. She has a lovely figure and a cute rear end, which I think she should have showed off more often, so it is definitely adult entertainment, but also a classic whodunnit in the greatest tradition. Difficult to get hold of though, I had to get the Australian edition, but now there's this release too, which I'm guessing is the US edition. Do yourselves a favour, get a copy and treat yourself to a great whodunnit and enjoy the beautiful Ms Streep in the buff too!

This is the film that first introduced me to Meryl Streep. She gives an incredible performance that should not be missed.

Please don't waste your time watching this sad little

movie. OK, it's directed by a fine director with a fine

cast, but even given those odds, it wasn't able to impress

me in the slightest. The actors do their best with what is

given to them, which isn't much. Granted, you can't get

water from a stone, but somehow Meryl is able to do so

in one scene, which is impressive, given the weakness of

the script, but her tears do not save this dog (sorry to drag

you into this morass Fido). Even the cinematography fails

at points, making me feel bad for Benton (or is it mad?).

I actually did feel mad at Benton at the end of the movie

for letting me down. Fortunately, I checked this movie

out from the library, which, if you want to back up this

review by watching it yourself, I would recommend checking

it out. But actually, I would recommend just watching Kramer

Vs. Kramer for the third or fourth time and skipping SOTN.

I don't get the comparison to Hitchcock or the great suspense genre. I think it tried to be that but just didn't make it. It was almost comical at hard it tried to be a great suspense to keep you on your toes and guessing. And then you feel let down so badly that it seemed like a waste of your time . . . of a movie. However, I will say that I can't remember a movie that showed NY in this light . . . clean, upper class without the trash side, etc. It was as if this wasn't set in NYC at all. And it is easy to forget how pretty Meryl Streep looked back in those slim days.

When is the great movie going to be put on DVD format for region one??????

DVD skips and unable to see beginning scenes. First bad DVD that I have purchased. All others have been fine. Unfortunately, I have waited for several years for this movie to go from VHS to DVD so I am disappointed.