The Night Visitor

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Audience Member Salem (Max Von Sydow) has escaped a near-inescapable insane asylum, a place where he's been trapped since being wrongly charged with killing a farmhand. Now he truly is deranged and is out for revenge on those he believes are guilty: his younger sisters Emma (Hanne Bork) and Ester (Liv Ullmann) and her husband Dr. Anton Jenks (Per Oscarsson), the man who accused Salem of the murder. Beyond the fact that the villain is actually the hero of this, it has an incredible score by Henry Mancini that was made for synthesizer, 12 woodwinds, organ, two pianos and two harpsichords — with one tuned to be flat and add dissonance. Originally entitled Salem Came to Supper and released again ten years later by 21st Century Film Corporation as Lunatic (before that company was bought and rebranded by Menahem Golan after the breakup of Cannon), this was directed by Laslo Benedek (who made the 1951 Death of a Salesman) and written by Guy Elmes, who adapted several Italian films for Western audiences. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member This Swedish thriller was long thought to be lost. I'm glad it's now newly discovered and released on Blu ray. It tells the tale of a mental institution resident who is thought to have escaped to take revenge on the people involved in his case who forced him to plead insanity. But if he escaped, how did he do it as it seems impossible? Also, doesn't returning back to the asylum after he has committed the crime just as impossible? Max Von Sydow plays Salem, the criminal in question and is (predictably) brilliant in the lead. In fact, all of the actors are fantastic with great support from acting heavyweights such as Liv Ullman and Trevor Howard. Theres even a small supporting role by Gretchen Franklin- Ethel Skinner (from 1980's episodes of EastEnders) herself! No sign of her Willie though (but there is a parrot).  The locales are gorgeous and provide a very picturesque backdrop to the film's events whether it be the large imposing monolith of the institution or the gorgeous snow-laden villages that Salem escapes to. The ending is unexpected and completely from left-field. No wonder the film ends with Salem laughing at the absurdity of it.  A low key delight. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review delysid d a creepy as hell murderer sneaks out of prison to commit the perfect crime! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/17/20 Full Review Audience Member a plot that still works, after all this time! Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member This film opens up with Max von Sydow running across snowy fields in his underpants. Good lord, we wonder, what's he doing out there? Isn't he freezing? Soon he cleverly figures out a way to get into a house via an upstairs window, and it becomes apparent that he knows the three people who are engaged in a disagreement in the kitchen below. We're not sure what he's up to, and as it's best you don't know a lot about the plot before watching this one, I won't say more. The story is taut and well-told by director László Benedek, who wisely avoids extraneous detail, and there are moments of real tension. It's dark, but Benedek exercises restraint, which I liked, but which may turn off viewers seeking more explicit thrills. Trevor Howard, who you may recognize from Brief Encounter (1945) and The Third Man (1949), is strong as a detective, and the rest of the cast are all good as well. I liked the way we eventually see how von Sydow is able to do what he does, though you'll have to suspend disbelief a bit. Clever ending too. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review eric b "The Night Visitor" is an obscure, thoroughly strange drama that somehow managed to cast Ingmar Bergman regulars Max Von Sydow and Liv Ullman in their prime. The entire film takes place in freezing cold and snow. Wrongly sentenced for murder, Von Sydow is imprisoned in a decrepit insane asylum (the real-life location, an ancient Swedish fortress by the sea, is astounding). The real killer lurks in his old family home nearby, where his three sisters and one brother-in-law awkwardly reside. Von Sydow has found an elaborate way to slip out of his cell undetected involving a delightful assortment of tools and tricks, and he aims to sneak home, avenge himself and return to the asylum with a perfect alibi. Unfortunately, this plot involves tying his clothes into a rope, which means poor Von Sydow spends much of the film stumbling through the snowy wilderness in his skivvies. Incredible to watch. The logic of the story doesn't quite hold up and its ambience is strictly B-movie (director Laslo Benedek had a spotty career, highlighted by Brando's "The Wild One" and a version of "Death of a Salesman" shot almost 20 years earlier), but there's a wonderful twist at the end. Don't expect much from Ullman - she barely has anything to do beyond making distraught faces - but the wizened veteran Trevor Howard adds a good turn as an investigating police inspector. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Night Visitor

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