Midnight peaks (movie)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Midnight peaks |
| Original title | Midnight Lace |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1960 |
| length | 110 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 (re-examination) |
| Rod | |
| Director | David Miller |
| script |
Janet Green , Ivan Goff , Ben Roberts |
| production |
Ross Hunter , Martin Melcher , Edward Muhl , Universal |
| music |
Frank Skinner , Curly Howard |
| camera | Russell Metty |
| cut |
Leon Barsha , Russell F. Schoengarth |
| occupation | |
| |
Mitternachtsspitzen (Original title: Midnight Lace ) is an American film thriller by David Miller from 1960. The film is based on the play Matilda Shouted Fire by Janet Green and is modeled on the Hitchcock thriller.
action
American Kit Preston, who comes from a wealthy family, has been married to British businessman Anthony Preston for three months - and is in seventh heaven. Both live in London, the honeymoon to Venice is planned.
One day when Kit is walking home through the foggy park, the disguised voice of a man rings out who threatens to murder her within a month. First, Tony tries to calm his wife down; there are people who would go about their mischief with such macabre jokes. But soon the stranger answers again, this time on the phone, and threatens Kit with murder again. Scotland Yard's Inspector Byrnes , whom the Prestons ask for help, remains suspicious at first. He has often seen wives neglected by their husbands to think of anything to get their partners' attention.
At a construction site in front of her apartment, Kit is almost hit by a steel beam. Construction manager Brian Younger can save Kit at the last moment. When Kit gets stuck in the elevator of her house, she panic. Younger can save the now completely scared woman this time too. The Prestons are friends with the neighbor Peggy, Tony and the visiting Aunt Bea try everything to calm Kit down. Nobody but Kit has heard the strangers on the phone. And Kit's growing suspicion is that you don't believe her.
Kit also feels harassed by the son of her housekeeper, Nora, Malcolm, who is constantly relieving his mother of money and is now begging for Kit. Tony suspects him over the phone calls. And then to make matters worse, Tony has to postpone the trip to Venice. Because someone in his company embezzled a million dollars in the form of shares, apparently to damage a business partner.
Finally, Kit is examined by a doctor, but nothing is found. The doctor recommends Tony to start the trip to Venice anyway. On the evening of the last business meeting before departure, Kit receives another call, this time Tony can overhear. The caller announced the murder that evening. Tony calls the police to monitor the house. Pretending to be leaving for his meeting, he leaves the house and re-enters through the back door in order to deceive the killer.
Meanwhile, Younger observes a suspicious man in a pub across the street and stays close to the house to be on the safe side. The mysterious man gains access to the apartment. He has a gun and Tony tries to overpower him and shoots him down in battle. But instead of calling the police, he reveals to Kit that he planned the murder himself in order to disguise it as a suicide. He is supported by his secret girlfriend Peggy, whose husband is supposedly at sea in the Navy. The stranger was not included in the plan, but after a brief consideration it can be built into the bad plan.
When Peggy identifies the man who was shot down as her husband Roy, Kit seizes the opportunity and escapes from the balcony to the scaffolding next door. When Tony tries to follow her in order to realize his plan, Younger and a police officer appear below. While Tony is withdrawing, Inspector Byrnes arrives at the apartment with other police officers. Younger saves Kit from the scaffolding at the same time. Byrnes hadn't been contacted by Tony, but to be on the safe side, he had tapped the phone that day and discovered the plan. Peggy's husband had become suspicious, as she had often written to him and sent parcels. He then put Tony and Peggy under surveillance.
background
For Doris Day, midnight peaks was the last thriller of her career, after which she only shot comedies. During filming, she got very involved in her role, so that she once even collapsed after a dramatic scene and production was stopped for several days so that she could recover from it.
Reviews
“Fast-paced, excellently built suspense thriller with a surprising Doris Day. [...] Rating: 2½ stars, above average "
"A very exciting and well-kept crime film, without corpses, but also without depth."
Awards
In 1960 the film was nominated for an Oscar in the category of best costume design . In the same year, Doris Day was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category Best Actress - Drama . Also in 1961 were Laurel Awards nominations in the categories of Best Actress in a Drama (Doris Day) and Best Drama .
DVD release in Germany
In 2008 the film appeared in the "Hollywood Highlights" series by Universum Film. The FSK has meanwhile downgraded the film from FSK-16 to FSK-12.
Web links
- Mitternachtsspitzen in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Midnight peaks in the online movie database
- Mitternachtsspitzen atrotten tomatoes(English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for midnight peaks . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , October 2007 (PDF; test number: 23 681 DVD).
- ^ Doris Day, Rex Harrison, Midnight Lace (1960) | The Films of Doris Day. Retrieved February 12, 2019 .
- ↑ Adolf Heinzlmeier and Berndt Schulz in the lexicon "Films on TV" (extended new edition). Rasch and Röhring, Hamburg 1990, ISBN 3-89136-392-3 , p. 575
- ↑ Munich, Review No. 15/1956