Endless Night (1972)

Director:

Sidney Gilliat

Writers:

Agatha Christie (novel)
Sidney Gilliat (writer)

Release Date:

September 1972 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Victim... or killer?

Plot:

A woman is hired to scare someone to death. |

Plot Keywords:

Agatha Christie | Independent Film | Based On Novel

Cast

Hayley Mills	...	Fenella 'Ellie' Thomsen
Hywel Bennett	...	Michael Rogers
Britt Ekland	...	Greta
George Sanders	...	Andrew Lippincott
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Bauer	...	Uncle Frank
Peter Bowles	...	Reuben Brown
Geoffrey Chater	...	Coroner
Patience Collier	...	Miss Townsend
Windsor Davies	...	Sergeant Reene
Mischa De La Motte	...	Maynard
Walter Gotell	...	Constantine
David Healy	...	Jason
Helen Horton	...	Aunt Beth
Robert Keegan	...	Innkeeper
Lois Maxwell	...	Cora Walker Brown
Robert O'Neil	...	Broker
Per Oscarsson	...	Santonix
Aubrey Richards	...	Dr. Philpott
Madge Ryan	...	Michael's Mother
Ann Way	...	Mrs. Philpott
Nicholas Courtney	...	Second Auctioneer (uncredited)
Leo Genn	...	Psychiatrist (uncredited)
Steven Wallen	...	Young Michael (uncredited)

Directed by
Sidney Gilliat

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Agatha Christie		novel
Sidney Gilliat		writer

Produced by
Leslie Gilliat	....	producer
Sidney Gilliat	....	producer

Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann

Cinematography by
Harry Waxman

Film Editing by
Thelma Connell

Casting by
Thelma Graves

Production Design by
Wilfred Shingleton

Art Direction by
Fred Carter

Costume Design by
John Furniss

Makeup Department
Allan McKeown	....	hair stylist
John O'Gorman	....	makeup artist
Alan Brownie	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Roy Parkinson	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Douglas Hermes	....	assistant director

Art Department
Peter Wood	....	scenic artist

Sound Department
Charles Crafford	....	dubbing editor
Paul Le Mare	....	sound
Bill Rowe	....	dubbing mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerry Anstiss	....	camera operator
Ronnie Maasz	....	additional photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Barbara Gillett	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Howard Blake	....	musician: Moog synthesizer
Bernard Herrmann	....	conductor

Other crew
Kay Rawlings	....	continuity

Production Companies

• EMI Films
• National Film Trustee Company
• British Lion Film Corporation

Distributors

• British Lion Film Corporation (1972) (UK) (theatrical)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (USA) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Lumière Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures (II) (199?) (USA) (video)

Also Known As:

Agatha Christie's Endless Night

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:AA (original rating) | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | UK:15 (re-rating) (1989) | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Albergo San Pietro, Positano, Salerno, Campania, Italy

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

The lyrics Hayley Mills sings to Bernard Hermann's song are from William Blake's "Auguries of Innocence" (ca. 1803). "Every morn and every night Some to misery are born. Every morn and every night Some are born to sweet delight. Some are born to sweet delight, Some are born to endless night."

10 Minutes of a Half-Decent Thriller

I was looking forward to seeing this as I had heard lots of good things about it from friends and family, plus I love a good mystery thriller. While not your typical Christie tale, it's very much like a Hitchcock, which was okay by me. Unfortunately, this movie is a long drawn-out drama which only sparks into life in the last ten minutes. The performances are good, plus Hayley Mills was never lovelier, it's just that while the occasional red herring hints at something exciting in the climax, the denouement gave me the feeling of "that's it?" To me, the plot twist seemed pretty predictable. Maybe in 1972 it would have been more of a surprise, but even then it's pretty similar to Diabolique which came out two decades before. If you're a Christie fan, best stick to a Poirot film.

Bond Alumi Count: 4 (Lois Maxwell, Walter Gotell, David Bauer & Britt Ekland)