Night Unto Night (Full Screen)

A bleak mansion sits ominously on a cliff above the sea somewhere on Florida's east coast. In its shadows, two people meet: a scientist haunted by incurable illness and a beautiful woman haunted by the voice of her dead husband. Ronald Reagan and Hollywood-debuting Viveca Lindfors star in an eerie drama steeped in religious faith and supernatural fear, in the destructive power of sexual jealousy and the redemptive power of love. In one of his earliest directorial efforts, Don Siegel (Dirty Harry, The Shootist) displays his command of pacing and camerawork, building the action to a climactic hurricane that parallels the tumultuous emotions of characters precariously balanced between now and the hereafter.

Filmed in 1947, Warner Bros. NIGHT UNTO NIGHT wasn't released until 1949. Based on a novel by Philip Wylie, the film stars Ronald Reagan as John, a young scientist suffering from epilepsy (In 1951, Reagan would play another epileptic, baseball star Grover Cleveland Alexander, in THE WINNING TEAM). Viveca Lindfors co-stars as Ann, who is recovering from the loss of her husband. Both John and Ann head to the coast of Florida for rest and relaxation, and it is here that they fall in love. While John and Ann contend with their individual afflictions and private demons, their mutual friend Shawn (Broderick Crawford) dispenses philosophical advice. The psychological aspect of NIGHT UNTO NIGHT seems dated and simplistic when seen today; even so, Reagan and especially Lindfors are convincing in their difficult roles.

Beaches | Love | Physically Impaired | Psychodrama | Romance | Romances | Scientists

Genre:

• Drama Movies

Product Series:

• Warner Archive Collection