Wait Until DarkOne of life's predominant fears has to do with a fear of the dark...what lurks in shadows and beyond our senses. So by that line of reasoning, Susy Hendrix (Audrey Hepburn), a young woman recently deprived of her sight, living in New York City with her photographer husband Sam (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.), should be particularly prone to the fear of the unknown, and especially so of hazards and perils that are dangerous regardless of the absence of sight. Much of Wait Until Dark, a taut and tense thriller which sadistically toys with our sense of dramatic irony, Susy is afraid; but her capacity to overcome her fear is her greatest weapon in the lion's den her own apartment is transformed into.
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Our story does not begin with Suzy, but rather Lisa (Samantha Jones), an attractive woman smuggling heroin inside of a doll from Canada into the United States. But Lisa--we discover--has caught the ire of a rival, one "Harry Roat Jr. from Scarsdale" (Alan Arkin)...the quotes are necessary, as whatever Roat Jr. says, what he does is perpetually suspect, and Alan Arkin's performance as the slithering criminal mastermind represents one of film's greatest villains. What Roat Jr. has gleaned from Lisa is that the doll was given to Sam out of fear of Roat at the airport where he spotted her. When Lisa--no doubt under duress from Roat--phoned to inquire about the doll, Sam claims that he couldn't find it. So Roat enlists a pair of former accomplices of Lisa's to aid him in retrieving the doll: the sharp, yet surprisingly moral Sam Talman (Richard Crenna) and "Sergeant" Carlino (Jack Weston), who in keeping with their professions as con men, lie and deceive their way into the Hendrix residence, in what should be a piece of cake to trick the blind Susy into revealing the location of the doll. Only...Susy is either a better con than the cons, or she really doesn't know what their talking about, and the prospect of Sam receiving dolls from pretty women is a fear that Roat (posing as both "junior" and "senior" incarnations...disguises in disguises) stokes to try to undermine her will. The three men work Susy mentally, but their game is to convince her that--through elaborate means--that discovering the doll is in her best interest, all without direct threat or obvious coercion. What the three men do is underestimate Susy, and that is their real flaw. Her resolve, her intelligence, and her altogether cunning way of exploiting her handicap as an advantage are all strengths that the criminals lack.
Considering Audrey Hepburn is best known for playing beloved characters from romances and comedies, her turn as Susy Hendrix in Wait Until Dark is all the more startling because it represents such a significant change in genre. It's strange to imagine Holly Golightly being chased with a knife, but Audrey Hepburn's performance is startling and her fear is palpable. Our experience is all the more harrowing because we see what she cannot, and even at times when she tries to best her opponents, her visual tells reveal her to us...and to them. I was first exposed to Wait Until Dark not as the film, but as my only Broadway experience, where it was performed with Marisa Tomei as Susy, Stephen Lang as Mike, and Quentin Tarantino as Roat. It was a stunning experience and made for a delightful play--and it drew me to the film, as it should, because of how fraught with excitement and chills it was. Henry Mancini composed the theme to Wait Until Dark, and it creeps along, in a delightfully minor key, like a anxiety lurking in the pit of your stomach. And I dare not elaborate in great detail here, but the film lures you in with a clever plot and a resolution that seems clear...but things change, and before we know it, it's "topsy-turvy", as Roat would say. Susy is taken out of a situation that is menacing and find herself in one that is genuinely horrifying, as the terror escalates as the stakes of the game are raised. Her confrontation in the final stages of the film is carefully calculated, requiring quick thinking on her part, and especially subverting her opponent's dependence on sight by setting them on equal footing. For a film that edges along at a creeping pace, Wait Until Dark still surprises us and shocks with scares and thrills...one particularly climactic moment that leaps to mind is sure to deliver a guaranteed scream.
Recommended for: Fans of creepy thrillers and wonderfully unlikely casting in Audrey Hepburn, and in retrospect, a seemingly unlikely role for Alan Arkin. Definitely enjoy with the lights turned down...you'll know when to jump.
Considering Audrey Hepburn is best known for playing beloved characters from romances and comedies, her turn as Susy Hendrix in Wait Until Dark is all the more startling because it represents such a significant change in genre. It's strange to imagine Holly Golightly being chased with a knife, but Audrey Hepburn's performance is startling and her fear is palpable. Our experience is all the more harrowing because we see what she cannot, and even at times when she tries to best her opponents, her visual tells reveal her to us...and to them. I was first exposed to Wait Until Dark not as the film, but as my only Broadway experience, where it was performed with Marisa Tomei as Susy, Stephen Lang as Mike, and Quentin Tarantino as Roat. It was a stunning experience and made for a delightful play--and it drew me to the film, as it should, because of how fraught with excitement and chills it was. Henry Mancini composed the theme to Wait Until Dark, and it creeps along, in a delightfully minor key, like a anxiety lurking in the pit of your stomach. And I dare not elaborate in great detail here, but the film lures you in with a clever plot and a resolution that seems clear...but things change, and before we know it, it's "topsy-turvy", as Roat would say. Susy is taken out of a situation that is menacing and find herself in one that is genuinely horrifying, as the terror escalates as the stakes of the game are raised. Her confrontation in the final stages of the film is carefully calculated, requiring quick thinking on her part, and especially subverting her opponent's dependence on sight by setting them on equal footing. For a film that edges along at a creeping pace, Wait Until Dark still surprises us and shocks with scares and thrills...one particularly climactic moment that leaps to mind is sure to deliver a guaranteed scream.
Recommended for: Fans of creepy thrillers and wonderfully unlikely casting in Audrey Hepburn, and in retrospect, a seemingly unlikely role for Alan Arkin. Definitely enjoy with the lights turned down...you'll know when to jump.