Comments on: Brian G. Hutton’s Night Watch (1973)

by: Peter Van Oyeb

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:25:36 +0000

I saw this movie on the silver screen in the 70s and feel it is one of best horror movies ever made, have been trying now for months to get a copy on video or dvd, but are unable to buy one anywhere, if you or anyone else out there know where to buy a copy could you let me know please, also another great horror one made around the same time called siamese twins also seems impossible to locate.

by: prodeep

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:45:00 +0100

it is funny, but i have been trying to get a hold of a dvd for years now, if for no other reason than to relive this gem of a movie. one can obviously reference a lot of hitchcockian moments. but the ending is brilliantly executed, and even the master has possibly done nothing better except in vertigo.

by: Velveeta

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:44:41 +0100

I am badgering Turner Classic Movies to play this movie. I would love to see it again.

by: Mary

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:58:13 +0000

I saw this movie for the first time at the movie theatre when it came out in 1973.I loved it.I was terrified and scared out of my wits!Elizabeth was in a most unusual movie part and I was fascinated by her,Laurence Harvey and Billie Whitelaw.The cast in this wonderful thriller was absolutely fabulous.I love the music, the sets, and of course Elizabeth’s costumes for the movie.Her costumes were so rich and beautiful like they were in Cleopatra.The song at the end was beautiful.I cannot say enough about this fabulous thriller.

by: Gary

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:46:24 +0000

I also saw this great movie in 1973 in Dallas,I would love a copy on dvd of it.

by: Jackie

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:22:57 +0000

I saw this movie with a friend when it came out. I was 10 yrs old. I was never fond of horror movies and though this is deemed a thriller, it scared me. I’ve never been able to remember the name of this movie until doing a search of it now, but I remember the basic premise of the movie. In particular, I was haunted by that evil smile that spreads across her face when she realizes what’s actually going on. You know, the smile as she’s hiding behind the curtain with the knife in her hand? The smile scared me so much because it was the same smile I’d seen when I’d witnessed a violent traumatic act at a much younger age.

Elizabeth Taylor did a great job in this movie.

by: Anbreen

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:44:09 +0100

I guess this is what the Net is for!

I have been looking for two flicks for YEARS!

I was very intrigued by the beginning of a Liz Taylor flick I saw years ago. All I could remember was that her character was very good at puzzles, and that there was a husband and BFF.

I could feel some tension building, and I wanted to see how she’d stay ahead of it, by using her puzzle-solving skill. I’ve been haunted by it since.

Today I found it, in “Night Watch.”

The other was a Mia Farrow flick. Excellent performance. Surprise ending– scared the crap outta me. It turned out to be called, “Full Circle,”AKA “The Haunting of Julia.”

Thanks!

by: Dr. Insermini

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 04:08:45 +0100

I didn’t know this one. Thanx!

by: Eksantrik Presler

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:35:36 +0000

As one might expect, the film is a bit dated but nonetheless compelling. When I first saw Night Watch I was completely mesmerized by Liz Taylor’s performance. The “murder scenes” that she observed from her window at night were used masterfully by the director. I believe that the director of “What Lies Beneath” must surely have paid homage to this classic because several scenes are strikingly similar. The tension builds slowly as does the mystery until you’re shown the knife rack in the kitchen with the one missing knife. About that time you’re beginning to wish you’d opted for the Disney film. The film’s last 10 minutes of frenzy are etched forever in my mind and come to the forefront whenever I try to recall truly terrifying moments in cinema. I do hope that future generations will be able to experience this film even though it hasn’t had the notoriety so many other films have enjoyed.

by: ARBOGAST

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:20:56 +0000

Billie Whitelaw is an odd looking bird, but I like her a lot. She reminds me of David Bowie’s less attractive older sister.

I kind of go for a mannish woman. I like her especially bitchy, as in Hitchcock’s FRENZY, and tend not to like her so much in girly roles (as in FLESH AND THE FIENDS). I recommend her in THE KRAYS, as the Mum from Hell.

by: cinebeats

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:45:26 +0000

Arbogast - Billie Whitelaw is an odd looking bird, but I like her a lot. She reminds me of David Bowie’s less attractive older sister. She’s actually really good in this and I should have mentioned her terrific performance more.

semiosteve - Thanks for stopping by! I found the film really creepy when I first watched it too. There’s something really unnerving about the atmosphere at times and that creepy old dark house that everyone in the film ends up in at some point is very eerie! And indeed, I have seen Don’t Look Now and it’s a favorite of mine. It even made my list of “31 Films That Give Me the Willies” which I compiled at Halloween.

Frank - Thanks so much for the nice words about my blog! I try to write about lessor known films as much as possible in an effort to introduce them to more people. I would loved to have seen Night Watch in a theater when it was released! Hutton was a strange choice to direct this film. I suspect he might have taken the project since he had previously worked with Taylor and Burton on other films. Maybe Taylor suggested him? I was trying to find more background about the making of the movie but I didn’t come across much at all I’m afraid.

Campaspe - I fully agree about Harvey. His acting was uneven and occasionally over-the-top, but he was so damn gorgeous. Like Taylor, he’s a personal favorite actor of mine just because he’s so wonderful to watch in anything, no matter how lackluster the film. Lucille Fletcher is a fascinating writer and after I wrote this, I added some of her books to my Amazon wish list. I really want to read some of her thrillers.

by: Campaspe

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:30:24 +0000

Oooh, I have seen this one too, ages ago and I am sure I watched it for Laurence Harvey, an uneven actor in my view but so damn gorgeous I frequently don’t care.

***POSSIBLE SPOILER***

The twist ending was well-done and it’s great to know it was based on something written by the woman who wrote Sorry, Wrong Number, since that movie’s attitude toward its victim always bothered the hell out of me. As I recall, deep down I didn’t really believe Elizabeth Taylor would murder anybody but it was sure fun watching her do it.

by: frank anderson

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:39:36 +0000

Brian Hutton was such an odd director choice for this film. Up to this point in his career he was the king of mayhem, the master of overly orchestrated violence. I remember reading about the complicated ballet of explosives, movement and camera placement he needed for a battle scene in “Kelly’s Heroes.”
“Night Watch” was very enjoyable. Going to the movies during this era was not. Audiences attendance was at an all time
low. I as 15 when this film came out and like many of the movies noted in your blog (I’ve seen most of them), I viewed it in an empty theater. By the way, at the same time “Night Watch” came out in the theaters, both “Boom” and “Dr Faustus” were playing weeknights on The CBS Late Night Movie, competing with Johnny Carson. Thanks for your excellent work. I’ve spread the word as much as I can. I love it.

by: semiosteve

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:51:49 +0000

It is so strange. I was just telling my 25 year old daughter and her husband about this film yesterday, and I wasn’t absolutely sure I remembered the name correctly. Then I stumble on this great site and here it is.

This film scared the pants of me at the time and was also aesthetically and technically terrific. In fact, I suspect it would stand up very well today (where blood and special effects mask script weakness and lack of acting).

Do yourself a favor and skip the trip to the mall cineplex and find a copy of this genuine gem.

Now does anyone remember “Don’t Look Now” ? My wife cried because than one was even scarier and weirder..

by: ARBOGAST

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:22:30 +0000

I saw this many years ago and remember almost nothing about it apart from a vague dissatisfaction and a throbbing urge to rub up against Billie Whitelaw. God, that scary woman sends me. I should see this again.

by: cinebeats

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:17:25 +0000

Vanwall - I’m glad I’m not the only person who’s seen and enjoyed this film. I could spend hours writing about all the Hitchcockian elements in Night Watch, but I figured no one would care much but me. ;) I really hope you’re right about the studios releasing all of Taylor’s films on DVD in the future. Most of her late sixties and seventies films were considered critical disasters and failed to make much box office so I suspect that the studios don’t think they’ll get much of a return on DVD sales either.

Jonathan & Keith - I hope you both get a chance to see this sometime. If you’re a Hitchcock fan, it’s really fun to watch just to spot all the Hitchcockian references and I think it’s a genuinely suspenseful film, plus a crazy drunk pill-popping Taylor can be damn fun to watch!

by: Keith

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:17:12 +0000

I’ve seen parts of this film, but never the whole thing. I guess it was on some cable station years ago. What I saw I really enjoyed. I don’t think I remembered the title of it until I read your blog post and saw the pictures. It sounds great. I was careful not to read the spoilers. I do want to check this one out.

by: Jonathan Lapper

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:54:39 +0000

This is one Taylor movie I’ve never seen (at least not in it’s entirety). I saw parts of it years ago (probably TBS or WGN or some early cable station like that) and had completely forgotten about it until this. I skipped over the spoiler section so as not to ruin it when I do see it.

And Arbo does so enjoy getting his kill face on, your post should make him very happy.

by: Vanwall

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:05:01 +0000

One of Liz’s better works from that period, and a kind of neurotic/eroticism was her specialty by then. Poor Harvey looked tentative and ill, which of course he was, but it wasn’t something expected at all. Whitelaw is totally eclipsed by Taylor, tho, poor thing. This was a very well produced, straightforward suspense film that would’ve faded away quietly without Liz’s surprisingly vital performance - the throat-cutting is right up there with Brando being offed by Nicholson in “The Missouri Breaks”, altho it’s enactment is much more lush and almost over the top - Liz must’ve had fun! I like the lighting more on Whitelaw’s corpse than Leigh’s - Sternberg would’ve been proud - he had a thing about lighting women’s faces. ;-) I hope it does come out on DVD soon, but my guess is sooner or later all Taylor’s films will be available - she’s too iconic for the Studios to pass up that opportunity, with a ready-made audience. Fine job, Kimberly.