Eyes in the Night

Starring:Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Donna Reed, Stephen McNally, Katherine Emery, Allen Jenkins, Stanley Ridges, Reginald Denny, John Emery, Rosemary DeCamp, Erik Rolf, Barry Nelson, Reginald Sheffield, Steven Geray, Mantan Moreland, Friday (II), Marie Windsor, Milburn Stone, John Butler, Frank M. Thomas
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Nice Little Movie
Another Totally Implausible WWII Propaganda Film
Friday steals the show!
Just a lot of fun!
A Solid B Movie With A Blind Detective And Ruthless Nazi Spies

Eyes in the Night
Starring: Edward Arnold , Ann Harding , Donna Reed , Stephen McNally , and Katherine Emery
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Mystery | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00008AOUV
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Customer Reviews:

Nice Little Movie.......2006-11-17

This is a Thin Man movie with a dash of Val Lewton hastily thrown in. Not quite your typical film noir, but close to it. Nazi's? Donna Reed behaves like a Nazi, completely against type, even though she is unaware of all the real goings on. She treats her stepmother cruelly, and even accuses her of murder. (Cue the blind detective. Only at the end does she show any remorse. No wonder the characters were so brutal! Two murders, a hostage situation, and a German shepherd guide dog for a rescuer makes for a riot of a film. A little bit of slapstick is thrown in to make this MGM movie from 1942 funny. The print could have been better. Certain scenes are a little murky, inclunding the credits, on my new widescreen Toshiba television. The black and white is not as vibrantly displayed as on a Turner DVD, but for $7.98 or less, this is worth it, until Turner releases it, after which I would recommend an upgrade. All in all, an improvement over most Alpha titles, and a nice form of entertainment.

Another Totally Implausible WWII Propaganda Film.......2006-10-03

Another WWII Implausible Propaganda Film
"Eyes in the Night" is another example of the power of WWII propaganda to freeze the brains of screenwriters. Adapted from a decent detective novel, the Nazi spy element was amped up to cash in on home front paranoia. Along with the better detective elements went most of the logic, suspense, and character motivation of the original story. In its place is a confused mess that even Director Fred Zinnemann (later to do "High Noon" and "Here to Eternity") could not salvage.

Along with simplistic motivation you will find a lot of stupid pet tricks as the blind detective's (Duncan Maclain played by Edward Arnold) seeing eye dog can open doors and obey vague fetch commands that confuse his step-and-fetch-it black servant (Mantan Moreland).

Set in the United States, Duncan's long-time friend Norma (Ann Harding) lives on a country estate with her new husband who for unknown reasons stores top secret scientific plans in his small unguarded wall safe. You know they are critical to the war effort because the spies say they are worth ten armored divisions. As the story unfolds it is slowly revealed that almost everyone is a Nazi spy; the entire household staff, a community theatre group, and a few guys of unknown origin. There are almost enough German personnel to fill up those ten armored divisions.

Although they enjoy a huge numerical advantage the spies conveniently wait around until Norma and her husband leave town to make their move on the safe.

A melodramatic back-story concerns Norma's relationship with her new stepdaughter and aspiring actress Barbara (Donna Reed). Barbara is supposed to be just 17 but Reed was in her early 20's and looked about 30. Harding (as always) is quite good and Reed (as always) is quite bad, the talent disparity gives their scenes together a farcical quality. These actually are bad enough to give the movie a certain camp appeal. Reed might be the only aspiring movie actress to have been challenged by the role of an aspiring movie actress.

Zinnemann does infuse his production with a certain style. Playing off the blindness of his main character with frequent blackouts and generally understated lighting. There may never have been a feature film whose negative had less exposure to light than this one did.

Arnold's performance is a bit over the top, apparently compensating for his character's blindness with aggressive flailing (imagine an extremely fat man replacing Patty Duke as Helen Kellor) and a loud voice.

Along with Harding, Katherine Emery (a stage actress in her film debut) gives a great understated performance as the leader of the huge band of Nazi's. She may remind "Narnia" viewers of the best performance in that film, Tilda Swinton's White Witch.

There are no extras on the DVD but it is a very good print.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Friday steals the show!.......2006-03-22

To be honest about it, I got this disc by mistake, thinking it was another film. It turns out that the mistake was a brilliant one, because "Eyes in the Night" is a near-forgotten gem. This is a movie that should be a favorite in the rotation on TCM, but somehow it escapes notice.

The plot centers around a blind detective played by Edward Arnold (very effectively) who appears from the very beginning to be an eccentric sort. At first glance, you might mistake him for a gruff Nero Wolfe clone, but any such misconception melts away when you discover that there's no Archie Goodwin here to do all the leg work. No, Arnold does his own, with the able assistance of his seeing eye dog, Friday.

Arnold's niece has married a wealthy inventor doing government work. Her strained relationship with her step-daughter gets worse when a lover they shared is murdered. The girl blames her step-mother, who seeks Arnold's help in finding the real killer.

As it turns out, that murder is the tip of an iceberg of espionage, and the victim belonged to a ring of spies seeking the inventor's latest classified formula! Arnold finds himself trapped in the house with the family, prisoners of the spies. That's when the blind man shows what he can do! And most of all, that's when Friday gets serious!

I won't ruin it for you, but let's just say that Friday engages in canine heroics that would give Rin-Tin-Tin and Lassie both inferiority complexes. Actually, the animal stunts are fairly spectacular, even if the dog's intelligence level seemed to surpass that of just about anyone else in the movie (not that Arnold's human helpers are that hard to top in the mental category, another fun part of the movie). When Friday escapes from a locked basement, it's almost worthy of McGyver!

"Eyes in the Night" is a great blend of action, mystery, and humor. There are a few stretches where the film drags briefly, but it doesn't hurt the overall product. This is a load of fun. Friday alone makes it worth watching. Arnold's effective performance and the antics of his zany non-canine employees are just bonuses!

Just a lot of fun!.......2006-03-05

This film will provide a good solid evening of entertainment. Yes, it is a Grade B detective film from the 40's, but it contains some distinctive, fun moments. The detective (played by Edward Arnold) is blind and must employ his own set of tricks to nab the bad guys. His Dog FRIDAY is a hoot. This dog is brighter than most of the humans in the movie! It is worth the price of the film to watch this dog act! Donna Reed at her youngest, is one of the female actresses, she adds a bit of interest in her "bad girl" routine.
To sum it up, this is a film that provides a good entertainment. It certainly is different!

A Solid B Movie With A Blind Detective And Ruthless Nazi Spies.......2006-01-16

Eyes in the Night has Nazi spies with a ruthless leader, a country home atmosphere, a spoiled daughter and a noble stepmother, and a secret in a safe that, in 1942, is worth ten armored divisions to the Germans. Most of all, it has a smart, confidant, resourceful private detective who happens to be blind.

Duncan Maclain (Edward Arnold) lost his sight in WWI. Now he's a successful detective who has mastered Braille, judo, and has honed his other senses to a keen edge. He has as his associates a tough but humorous assistant (Allan Jenkins) and his smart guide dog, Friday. One day he's visited by an old acquaintance, Norma Lawry (Ann Harding), for whom he has great affection. "You're just as beautiful as ever," he says, after "seeing" her face with his fingertips. "The only time I miss not having eyes is when you're around." Norma has married a scientist who is working on a great discovery for the war effort. Her daughter, Barbara Lawry (Donna Reed), however, dislikes her intensely, wants to be an actress and has begun seeing the lead in a play they're rehearsing. The man is a cad who had also wooed Norma before she married Barbara's husband. Norma wants Mac to help her discourage the actor, but one night someone does it first and permanently. The actor is killed, the body disappears and Mac suspects there is more to things than meets the eye. When he visits Norma's country estate, he quickly finds a nest of Nazi spies intent on learning the secret Norma's husband has discovered.

There's murder to be done, men to be tortured, a safe to be broken into and the ruthlessness of the Nazis to be exposed. Mac Maclain must use all his wiles, from acting like a drunk to strong-arming a few of the bad guys. "Where are you?" cries one of the Nazis, trapped in the darkened basement with no bullets left in his revolver. "In the dark," Maclain says quietly, "In the dark. In my kingdom." It's quiet for a minute. Then there's a strangled cry. He even matches erudite quotations on blindness with the butler, topping the man with these words from John Milton, "O loss of sight, of thee I most complain! Blind among enemies! O worse than chains, dungeon, or beggary, or decrepit age!" Maclain may be blind among enemies, but it doesn't slow him down at all. Eventually Maclain beats the Nazis at their own game, with the help of Friday, and Norma and Barbara are reconciled.

This is one of the many, many well-crafted B movies turned out in the Forties. It's a tight story of espionage, made interesting by the skills and cleverness of the blind Duncan Maclain. Edward Arnold, one the of the great Hollywood character actors, dominates the movie with his characteristic blend of confidence and good humor. One of the villains (it's no secret; we learn her true nature early on) is played by an actress named Katherine Emery. She made only a dozen or so films, preferring the stage. She's a forbidding combination of Gale Sondergaard and Mercedes McCambridge. She is eerily self-possessed. Typical of many of the films of the era, there's a black servant, played by Mantan Moreland, who is all rolling eyes. There is a roster of actors with familiar faces or whose faces will be, such as Reginald Denny, Rosemary DeCamp, John Emery, Steven Geray, Barry Nelson and Steven McNally (billed as Horace McNally). It's also worth remembering that first-class directors such as Fred Zinnemann, who later made such films as From Here to Eternity, High Noon, A Man for All Seasons and The Day of the Jackal, learned their craft by making studio programers like Eyes in the Night.

This Alpha Video is in better shape than we might have expected. It's watchable. There are no extras and only six chapter stops.

Mystery Classics Volume 7: Impact, He Walked by Night, Quicksand, Eyes in the Night

Average customer rating:

"Hollywood Crime Dramas ... Ultimate of Film Noir ... Passport Video"

Mystery Classics Volume 7: Impact, He Walked by Night, Quicksand, Eyes in the Night
Starring: Brian Donlevy; Richard Basehart; Mickey Rooney; Donna Reed
Manufacturer: Mill Creek Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Dark Crimes Collection: 50 Movie Pack

ASIN: B00083BAGC
Release Date: 2004-01-01

Product Description

This is a 4 Movies in One Pack DVD. It includes Impact staring Brian Donlevy, Helen Walker, and Tony Barrett - He Walked By Night starring Richard Basehart - Quicksand starring Mickey Rooney and Peter Lorre - and Eyes in the Night staring Donna Reed, John Emery, Ed Arnold, and Ann Walker.

Customer Reviews:

"Hollywood Crime Dramas ... Ultimate of Film Noir ... Passport Video".......2006-10-17

Passport Video presents "THE ULTIMATE FILM NOIR" (1945-1953), --- (Dolby digitally remastered) --- ten tantalizing tales of Film Noir on five suspenseful discs --- featuring top performances from the '40s and '50s with outstanding drama and screenplays, along with a wonderful cast and supporting actors to bring it all together ... another winner from the vaults of Film Noir Hollywood gems.

Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe Hollywood crime dramas that set their protagonists in a world perceived as inherently corrupt and unsympathetic...Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography, while many of the prototypical stories and much of the attitude of classic noir derive from the hardboiled school of crime fiction that emerged in the United States during the Depression...the term film noir (French for "black film"), first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946, was unknown to most of the American filmmakers and actors while they were creating the classic film noirs..the canon of film noir was defined in retrospect by film historians and critics; many of those involved in the making of film noir later professed to be unaware at the time of having created a distinctive type of film.

Five-disc collector's set includes "SCARLET STREET" (1945) (95 mins/Universal Pictures), featuring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea and Margaret Lindsay --- "DETOUR" (1945) (67 mins/PRC), featuring Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake and Edmund MacDonald --- "THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS" (1946) (117 mins/Paramount Pictures), featuring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Kirk Douglas, Lizabeth Scott and Judith Anderson --- "WHISTLE STOP" (1946) (85 mins/United Artists) featuring George Raft, Ava Gardner, Victor McLaglen, Tom Conway and Jorja Curtright --- "HE WALKED BY NIGHT" (1948) (80 mins/Eagle-Lion), featuring Richard Basehart, Scott Brady, Jack Webb, Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell and James B. Cardwll --- "TRAPPED" (1949) (78 mins/Bryan Foy Productions / Eagle-Lion), featuring Lloyd Bridges, Barbara Payton, John Hoyt, Russ Conway and James Todd --- "IMPACT" (1949) (83 mins/United Artists), featuring Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn and Helen Walker --- "D.O.A." (1950) (83 mins/United Artists), featuring Edmond O'Brien, Pamela Britton, Luther Adler and Beverly Campbell --- "QUICKSAND" )1950) (79 mins/Samuel Steifel Productions / United Artists), featuring Mickey Rooney, Jeannie Cagney, Peter Lorre and Barbara Bates --- "THE HITCH-HIKER" (1953) (71 mins/RKO Pictures), featuring Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy and William Talman --- and the documentary "THE BEST OF FILM NOIR".

Film noirs tend to revolve around heroes who are more flawed and morally questionable than the norm, often fall guys of one sort or another...the characteristic heroes of noir are described by many critics as "alienated"; in the words of Silver and Ward, "filled with existential bitterness."...certain archetypal characters appear in many film noirs--hardboiled detectives, femmes fatales, corrupt policemen, jealous husbands, intrepid claims adjusters, and down-and-out writers...as can be observed in many movies of an overtly neo-noir nature, the private eye and the femme fatale are the character types with which film noir has come to be most identified, but a minority of movies now regarded as classic noir feature either...crime, usually murder, is an element of almost all film noirs; in addition to standard-issue greed, jealousy is frequently the criminal motivation...a crime investigation--by a private eye, a police detective (sometimes acting alone), or a concerned amateur--is the most prevalent, but far from dominant, basic plot...in other common plots the protagonists are implicated in heists or con games, or in murderous conspiracies often involving adulterous affairs...false suspicions and accusations of crime are frequent plot elements, as are betrayals and double-crosses...amnesia is far more common in film noir than in real life, and cigarette smoking can seem virtually mandatory.

This collection of "The Ultimate Film Noir" (1945-1953) --- still has the magic that we remember from those bygone years --- but as long as we have the labels and networks who play and show these wonderful films of yesteryear, they will never be forgotten --- plus the Bonus of Best of Film Noir on the final disc --- and a great job by Passport Video for this release --- looking forward to more of the same from the '40s and '50s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or Passport Video, stay tuned once again for more remarkable films from the vaults of classic television and Hollywood during the Golden Era of Film Noir --- All My Heroes have been Gumshoe Detectives!

Total Time: 909 mins on DVD ~ Passport Video #5480 ~ (5/02/2006)

Average customer rating:

Eyes in the Night

Manufacturer: Synergy Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000QRIK68
Release Date: 2007-05-14

amazon.com

Blind detective Duncan Maclain is visited by old friend Norma Lawry, looking for help in getting rid of one of her old beaus, who is courting Norma's 17-year old step-daughter. When the old beau is found murdered, Norma is the chief suspect until Duncan (aided by his guide-dog Friday) pays a visit to her home and uncovers a plot to steal her husband's military secrets for the enemy.

Mystery Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack

Average customer rating:

Mystery Movie Marathon Volume 1: 8 Movie Pack

Manufacturer: RightNow Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

BONUS: Each movie comes with a portable-media friendly version that can be downloaded to your Apple iPod!
Eight feature films on four DVDs
Doomed to Die;Bulldog Drummonds Revenge;Sherlock Holmes: The Woman in Green;Eyes in the Night;Fog Island;Mystery Liner;The Mystery of Mr. Wong;The Mysterious Mr. Wong

ASIN: B000GW4E86

Product Description

The legends of Mystery are gathered here for you in this definitive DVD collection of some of the greatest Mystery classics to ever come out of Hollywood. This 8 DVD collection is sure to provide you with countless hours of entertainment. Volume 2 includes: Doomed to Die directed by William Nigh and starring Boris Karloff; Bulldog Drummonds Revenge directed by Louis King and starring John Howard; Sherlock Holmes: The Woman in Green directed by Roy William Neill and starring Basil Rathbone; Eyes in the Night directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Donna Reed; Fog Island directed by Terry O. Morse and starring George Zucco; Mystery Liner directed by William Nigh and starring Noah Beery; The Mystery of Mr. Wong directed by William Nigh and starring Boris Karloff; The Mysterious Mr. Wong directed by William Nigh and starring Bela Lugosi

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