The Fallen Idol

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The Fallen Idol

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1h 34m

Mystery & Thriller

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35 Reviews

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1,000+ Ratings

The young son of a diplomat, Phillipe (Bobby Henrey), often finds himself alone. To entertain the boy, the household butler, Baines (Ralph Richardson), creates adventurous stories of his past. As a result, Phillipe idolizes the servant, seeing him as a hero. But when Baines' wife (Sonia Dresdel) falls to her death, the police believe Baines was behind it. Phillipe, who witnessed the event, will do anything to protect the butler -- but he only makes things worse by doing so.

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Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

06/10/2016

4/4

The Fallen Idol finds innocence and inquisitiveness at odds with corruption, violence, desire, deceit - all the stuff that grown-ups trade in.

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Alan Scherstuhl

Village Voice

05/25/2016

The Fallen Idol stands as one of the great films about looking, about perspective, about the way we watch and interpret not just film plots but each other.

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Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

08/25/2006

4/4

As a portrait of the sometime destructiveness of innocence and as a sharp fresco of post-war Britain, this movie is a little masterpiece, an idol that has never fallen.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

02/14/2022

4/4

Although Reed's auteurism has been debated and doubted, The Fallen Idol underscores several recurrent motifs in his career.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

08/05/2020

9/10

It's all quite moving and nerve-wracking - and believable.

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

11/24/2018

4/5

One of the movies' great treatises on the projection and (ultimate) limitations of a child's inner-world.

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Leo P

Oct 13

Spoiled brat holds hostage everyone ,including the viewer, in this thrilling study of infantile universe. By telling lies he nearly manages to incriminate an innocent man, and when he finally reveals the truth, no one believes him anymore.

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J.A. W

Jul 16

Most beautiful cinematography, perfect pacing and a brilliant adaptation of Greene's fascinating story. Set in the French embassy in London, it features a stellar performance from little Bobby Henery as the innocent young boy whose parents are both away, leaving him in the care of the English butler, (Ralph Richardson) and his cruel wife. Until recently I was only watching modern movies as I felt the old ones would be too full of outdated attitudes for my taste. I now realise that visual quality and great talent doesn't have a date stamp.

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Lawrence F

12/12/2024

What a terrific movie! The movie begins slowly then storms full speed ahead by the end. The pacing is deliberate and captivating. Initially it seemed like a comedy about a lonely child, but progressed into a suspenseful mode. The acting and dialogue were superb. Unusual story, screen play, and plot/character development. Highly recommend.

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Steve D

04/01/2024

Ok bur not worth the hype.

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Blobbo X

@Blobbo 02/23/2023

Not a Hitchcock, but what is? Nicely done, and very well-acted by the young boy.

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charles d

12/28/2022

Carol Reed directed, but you'da thought it was Hitchcock. Terrific photography, top-flight acting.

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Carol Reed

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Baines

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Synopsis

The young son of a diplomat, Phillipe (Bobby Henrey), often finds himself alone. To entertain the boy, the household butler, Baines (Ralph Richardson), creates adventurous stories of his past. As a result, Phillipe idolizes the servant, seeing him as a hero. But when Baines' wife (Sonia Dresdel) falls to her death, the police believe Baines was behind it. Phillipe, who witnessed the event, will do anything to protect the butler -- but he only makes things worse by doing so.

Director: Carol Reed
Producer: Carol Reed
Screenwriter: Graham Greene, Lesley Storm, William Templeton
Distributor: Selznick International Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: London Film Production, British Lion Film Corporation
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 1948, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Feb 10, 2006
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.1K
Runtime: 1h 34m
Sound Mix: Mono