Nightfall (1956)

movie

(4554)

Country: USA
Genres: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Release: 1956-11-09
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Writers: Stirling Silliphant (I) (1918–1996) , David Goodis
Language: English | Spanish | Italian
Stars: Aldo Ray , Anne Bancroft (I) (1931–2005) , Brian Keith , Jocelyn Brando , James Gregory , Frank Albertson , Rudy Bond , Arline Anderson , Monty Ash , María Belmar
Runtime: 78 min
Awards: N/A
AKA: Nightfall , Arhontes tis nyhtas (Greece) , O zmierzchu (Poland) , Nightfall (France, French Republic) , Nightfall (India) , Nightfall (Canada) , Al caer la noche (Spain) , Achtervolging (Belgium) , Molis pesei i nyhta (Greece) , A Maleta Fatídica (Brazil) , Nightfall (United Kingdom) , Nightfall (United States of America) , Se acerca la noche (Argentina) , Ao Cair da Noite (Portugal, Portuguese Republic) , Nattens mareridt (Denmark) , Poursuites dans la nuit (France, French Republic) , Căderea nopţii (Romania) , Poursuites dans la nuit (Belgium) , Сумерки , L'alibi sotto la neve (Italy) , 夕暮れのとき (Japan) , Wenn die Nacht anbricht , Misstänkt för rån (Sweden)
Plot: There is money missing from a bank job, an attractive model, an insurance investigator, and two extremely dangerous thugs. James Vanning (Aldo Ray) portrays an innocent man on the run, being pursued by the criminals who stupidly misplaced their take from the crime and think he has it or knows where it is hidden. Add model Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft) who crossed paths with nice guy Vanning, while he is on the run. This all adds up to a thriller wherein the viewer is drawn into the story and becomes part of the drama. When Marie says "things that really happen are difficult to explain" it captures the theme of this film. A nice girl helps a nice guy, who is innocent and is drawn into the drama. As tension mounts she says: "I am always meeting the wrong man, and it leads to doomed relationships." Marie inadvertently leads Vanning into the hands of the villains. However, she is a pseudo-femme fatale, innocently involved in the intrigue and, like the viewer, is gradually drawn into the plot. Beside one of the more chilling murder scenes for that era, the film has a three part flashback, which takes the viewer from a cityscape and menacing oil wells to the snow-covered plains of Wyoming and back to the streets of Hollywood. The interplay of high contrast images makes it worth seeing, but the story keeps the viewer engaged.
IMDB:tt0049552