Wait Until Dark

Rating:
Summary: "And then, topsy turvy. Me topsy and them turvy."
Review: Wait Until Dark (1967) is based on a popular play by Frederick Knott and directed by Terrance Young who also did the 007 classic Thunderball (1965).

The lovely Audrey Hepburn plays Susy Hendrix, a woman left recently blind by a car accident, who is learning to adjust and cope with her new perspective on life. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is Sam Hendrix, Susy's photographer husband, with whom she shares a basement apartment in New York. Also starring is Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, and character actor Jack Weston.

The story involves drugs being smuggled into the United States within a doll, and then the doll being passed along to Susy's husband at the airport under curious but strictly coincidental circumstances. Alan Arkin plays Roat, a seedy character who was supposed to be the intended recipient of the doll/drugs, and Richard Crenna and Jack Weston are two thuggish types who get roped into helping Roat try to retrieve the doll.

Hepburn plays her role wonderfully, never once giving the viewer the impression that she isn't blind. A number of subtle points are made to allude to the strengthening of her other senses, hearing, smell, etc., that one finds common with the loss of sight. As the criminals construct their elaborate plans to liberate their illicit merchandise, Hepburn's character, being somewhat naive in the beginning, soon realizes the true sense of the danger she's in, and reacts perfectly within the nature of her character. Arkin plays his character(s) with the smooth cunning of a predator hunting its' prey, maliciously savoring the moments before the figurative kill. His beatnik appearance and demeanor mask his true form, which is revealed later on within the unfolding of the plot.

This film is very suspenseful for those with the patience to follow it through to the end. It may not have the out and out scares the title might imply, but the gradual building of tension and suspense is delicious as the viewer is 'in the know' while the main character is left to struggle with the situations. Although an exceptionally strong supporting cast helps, Hepburn really makes this film, and was awarded with an Oscar nomination for her performance. She even went so far as to attend a school for the visually impaired and learn to read Braille to better understand her character.

The print on this disc looks very nice and is in wide screen anamorphic format. Special features include a featurette on the film, an essay about transferring the play to the silver screen, and trailers for the movie. This is truly a taut thriller worthy being released on DVD, and I am appreciative of Warner Brothers for putting it out, even if I find their plastic and cardboard packaging to be cheap and annoying.

Cookieman108

Rating:
Summary: Do not miss this!!!!
Review: Wow. This movie is great. The suspense is very well brought out. The use of light and dark gives a tremendous sense of fear. Audrey Hepburn was amazing. She pulls you inside her character. Mel Ferrer was great to deliver such a great film. I was not born in time to see it in the theater. :( Alan Arkin was superb. It was interesting to see a real actor living his character.

Rating:
Summary: In the dark...
Review: Audrey Hepburn as Susy Hendrix, a blind wife to a photographer, unknowingly ends up with a doll stuffed with drugs in her basement apartment. The story becomes highly suspenseful as criminals attempt to retrieve the doll at all costs. Audrey Hepburn performs brilliantly and convincingly as the blind wife who must face her handicap as well as the hardened villains. At the end, Wait Until Dark offers a strong cinematic experience.

Rating:
Summary: TIMELESS..!!!
Review: I've just bought this DVD as an important part of my collection,and I definitely recomend this title to be part of yours..!!
I last saw this movie about 15 years ago ,and when I saw it again last night it was sacriest than ever!!
For sure you will see one of the most breath taking finales in movie history.....

Rating:
Summary: Pure Suspense.
Review: Wait Until Dark (Audrey Hepburn, among others) is a thriller that will make you sit on the edge of your chair, or on whatever else you're sitting. The suspense is very tangible and also increases during the movie, never fading.

I'm not sure about this, but I believe WUD is based on a play. If not, it will make a good one. The script is clever and the cast is just wonderful, with Richard Crenna playing an amiable Mike Talman (just amazing). Alan Arkin, who plays the many Roats, is far more sinister, but even this villain possesses a certain charm.

Now I must honor Audrey Hepburn, who deserves a paragraph of her own. So... It's her performance that really hits the nail. She plays a blind woman, and she's not to be underestimated...

Watch this, and don't expect a mere 'contemporary' horror movie. Excellent!

Rating:
Summary: THE WORLD'S CHAMPION BLIND LADY....
Review: Audrey Hepburn is superb as Susie Hendrix, a recently blinded woman in New York whose photographer husband is frequently away on assignments. This leaves her on her own to fend for herself and adjust to being blind. Thugs Richard Crenna and Jack Weston invade Susie's apartment while she is in "blind school" looking for a woman accomplice they know who led them there. But it's a set-up by slimier thug Alan Arkin who has killed the woman and forces Crenna and Weston to join him in searching for a doll containing heroin that Arkin knows is in the apartment somewhere. He knows that the woman slipped it to Sam, Susie's husband, at the airport. Sam, of course, not knowing what was in it, brought it home. Susie is then subjected to dupes, harrassment and then outright terror as the trio try to retrieve the doll. A neighbor girl, Gloria, is her only aid. Yet Susie begins to rely on what she already had---her wits and her senses---to survive at the hands of Arkin, the sickest and deadlier of the trio of thugs. "Wait Until Dark" is a fine, gripping thriller that builds slowly and surely to it's terrifying climax as Susie and Roat, Jr. (Arkin) are left to square off. Arkin does some neat turns in disguises in his efforts to trick Susie. Crenna is almost likeable as the coolest of the trio while Weston is sweaty and nervous. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. ("The FBI") is OK as Sam and Julie Herrod is good as Gloria the young neighbor, a troubled girl who proves her worth to Susie. Then you have Henry Mancini's effectively suspenseful score...he did a LOT of 60's films...so this is a memorable treat as a whole. The DVD print is fine and the sound is good. But I would love to know who the smooth female vocalist is who sings the title song "Wait Until Dark" over the cast list at the end. I didn't see her credited. Film is based on Frederick Knox's famous Broadway play.

Rating:
Summary: If you haven't seen it, SEE IT!
Review: This movie is a classic. Most of the movie takes place in a single locale, but that doesn't take away from the excitement of it. I've seen the movie several times yet I still enjoy watching the story unravel and the tension build. A great film for any movie fan, especially one who enjoys a subtle thrill with a twist.

Rating:
Summary: A slow paced thriller
Review: I remember this movie differently to what I saw the other night. It didn't have the same impact that it once did. Nonetheless, the film remains a classic cemeted by Audrey Hepburn's fine performance as a blind woman who is been harrassed over a doll containing drugs. It doesn't have as much scare value as one would hope, but worth seeing for the fact that is was a very successful play for a number of years. The biggest let-down is the slowness of the film. It seems to take ages for anything exciting to really happen, and when it does, it disappoints in a way. Perhaps that is contributable to it been made in 1966 - shock values were different then. I still think the best scene is when Suzi returns home and the three crooks are in the apartment. She can feel a presence but is not sure.

DVD SUMMARY:
Warner Bros have cleaned up the film, although a level of grain seems persistent throughout the entire film. The extras include a 8 minute (whoopee) featurette which mainly talks with Audrey's then husband Mel Ferrer and Alan Arkin (the main crook). Considering it has taken Warners so long to release this film to DVD, the special features are somewhat disappointing, but better than nothing I guess.

Rating:
Summary: SUSPENSE THRILLER IN A BORING TRANSFER
Review: "Wait Until Dark" has Audrey Hepburn playing Suzie, a blind woman who is victimized by a trio of men after a doll stuffed with heroin turns up in her apartment. Richard Crenna plays the most deceitful of the "baddies".
TRANSFER: Warner has done a rather average job of mastering the film for DVD. Colors are dated, at times faded. Fine detail tends to get lost during the night scenes in a sea of undistinguished black levels, while certain darker scenes also suffer from excessive film grain. Flesh tones are not accurate and reds appear more orange than red. Overall, a boring video presentation, though edge enhancement and pixelization are kept to a bare minimum. The audio is mono and strident.
Extras: A featurette with producer Mel Ferrer sharing his favorite memories and the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: This is a worth while thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat. But the transfer may have you falling asleep.

Rating:
Summary: Classic psychological thriller
Review: What would it be like to be blind and to be trapped knowing that many bad men are coming to kill you? Well, steel your nerves and find out with Audrey Hepburn.

This is one of my all-time favorite films -- it shocked and thrilled me when I first saw it many years ago, and even though some of the atmosphere has magically turned to camp these days, it still is a solid vehicle. The performances are unforgettable, especially Hepburn's portrayal of a not-so-helpless blind woman with nerves of steel. Guaranteed you'll never look at Alan Arkin the same way again.

This film contains some of the most chilling lines and epiphany moments I've ever witnessed. The plot unfolds at such a meticulous pace that the psychological tension has no where to go but up. "Keep tapping!"

Here's a hint to make it even better: WATCH IT IN THE DARK!!! Orginally the theaters where it was shown blacked out even the exit signs so that the climactic scene would plunge everyone into the same darkness.

Sure, some of it is campy fun now, but prepare yourself to be startled and to feel as trapped as Audrey Hepburn. Go on, scream for help -- will anyone hear you?