Night Has a Thousand Eyes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Night Has a Thousand Eyes
Directed by John Farrow
Produced by Endre Bohem
Written by Cornell Woolrich (novel)
Barré Lyndon
Jonathan Latimer
Starring Edward G. Robinson
Gail Russell
John Lund
Virginia Bruce
Music by Victor Young
Cinematography John F. Seitz
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date(s) October 13, 1948 (U.S. release)
Running time 81 min.
Language English
IMDb profile
see also the disambiguation page, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.

Night Has a Thousand Eyes is a 1948 black-and-white film noir starring Edward G. Robinson. The movie, directed by John Farrow, is based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich. The screenplay was written by Barré Lyndon and Jonathan Latimer.

Contents

[edit] Plot

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

John Triton "The Mental Wizard" (Robinson) is a nightclub fortune teller whose con act becomes real when he starts really seeing the future. All his predictions are bleak, however, and Triton must struggle with the power that was given him. Maltese Falcon actor Jerome Cowan plays Whitney Courtland, Triton's best friend in the film, who gets rich using tips from Triton.

[edit] Critical reaction

The rarely-seen bleak noir is usually praised for adapting writer Woolrich's dark writing. Time Out Film Guide, while praising the cinematography by John F. Seitz, gives the thriller a negative review:

"Aside from the fine opening sequence - Lund's rescue of Gail Russell from the brink of suicide, and discovery of her mortal terror of the stars - a disappointing adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's superb novel".[1]

Eddie Muller, in the book Art of Noir, writes: "No film more faithfully captured Woolrich's sense of doomed predestination than Night Has a Thousand Eyes..."

[edit] Featured cast

Actor Role
Edward G. Robinson John Triton 'The Mental Wizard'
Gail Russell Jean Courtland
John Lund Elliott Carson
Virginia Bruce Jenny Courtland
William Demarest Lt. Shawn
Richard Webb Peter Vinson
Jerome Cowan Whitney Courtland

[edit] Music

The song from the film (written by Jerry Brainin) later became popular amongst jazz musicians, being performed by Horace Silver and John Coltrane.

[edit] External links

[edit] References