Wait Until Dark

Been reviewing most of the new ones lately. So about a couple of weeks back I decided to go back a bit in time. Actually almost 50 years back in time, in Technicolor however. Sometime back on a Facebook update I had mentioned that Katherine Hepburn is probably the best actress ever to be born. I still hold on to that opinion. Although it’s the other Hepburn, the Audrey variety, who would take the title of probably the most beautiful actress of both her time as well as the decades to come. Marrion Cotillard probably comes really close but just not up there. Now some of you may debate that Catherine Zeta is incomparable, but you will kinda figure out what I am talking about if you see Audrey in her element.


In Wait Until Dark, Audrey plays the central character of Susie Hendrix, the twenty something, blind protagonist. A role that would remain as probably one of the best that she has ever executed in her career (other than Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s)

Sam Hendrix (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is a reasonably successful photographer who bumps into the sexy looking Lisa (Samantha Jones) who uses him, without his knowledge, as a mule to transport a good quantity of coke across customs. The coke is slipped in neatly into a doll which Lisa leaves with Sam in an attempt to avoid her contact. She kinda wants to go out on her own in the drug business. But she does not realize that Roat (Alan Arkin – who looks much younger than the Arkin we know who won the academy award for Little Miss Sunshine) is not going to be pleased with the idea.

Mike Talman (The incredibly handsome Richard Crenna) and Carlino (Jack Weston) are 2 small time criminals who run suspicious odd jobs for a fee. They come over to the Hendrix residence thanks to a message assumed to have been sent by Lisa. A message on the door asks them to be comfortable but there is no sign of Lisa. Warily they make their way inside but quickly do as instructed – get comfortable. A few minutes later Roat walks in but without Lisa. As of now, both Mike and Carlino have no idea that this is the Hendrix residence.

Roat offers them a large sum of money to recover the doll which obviously get the 2 suspicious. They casually start searching the house only to find Lisa’s body stashed away in a cupboard. Their obvious immediate attempt to pull out of the deal comes to naught coz by then they have left fingerprints all over the place.

Around this time Susie returns home. Although she is blind, she does sense something amiss but is not sure. Once she leaves, the trio of Roat, Mike and Carlino decide to leave and work on a plan to figure out what needs to be done to recover the doll.

What follows is an extremely thrilling 60 minutes which show several layers of emotions. On one side there is Sam who is a caring husband to a blind wife but still pushes her to be independent in every way possible. He does not hand hold her for every small thing and does his best to ensure that Susie lives as normal a life as possible. Then there is an extremely soft corner that Mike develops towards Susie during his efforts to recover the doll posing as Sam’s close friend from Philadelphia. The tension between Roat, Mike and Carlino is way too obvious to be missed with Mike and Carlino on one side as the bad guys with heart and Roat on the other as the really mean drug dealer who will go to all extents possible. Last but not the least, there is the most pivotal character of the movie – a ten year old – Gloria (Julie Herrod) who is the next door neighbour of the Hendrix’s and helps Susie with odd jobs around the area. She shares an extremely bitter sweet relationship with Susie. But all she does is act her age.

Terence Young’s claim to fame is that he directed the first few Bond Movies Dr. No, From Russia with Love and Thunderball. He far exceeds these performances with Wait Until Dark. Fredrick Knott was the original playwright for the Broadway production. I get goose pimples by simply thinking about how powerful the play would have been. Rest assured, dear Mr. Knott would be extremely pleased at the conversion to celluloid.

Performances are brilliant. I really cannot say enough about each an every one of the 6 main members of the cast and the 2 supporting actors. Each person delivers exactly what is expected of him or her. Surprisingly Julie Herrod did not take up a career in acting. Her performance as a 10 year old should have given her enough encouragement to take a career in acting very seriously.

For those who love the classics, a simply MUST WATCH. A clean 8 on 10!!!!