seymourblack-1 Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy this movie's dark, intriguing and moody opening titles which, very simply and effectively, set the scene for the murder mystery that follows. Its deliberate pace, disturbing atmosphere and visual style all contribute to a constant sense of unease and coldness which is often magnified by the rather restrained natures of its two main characters who are interesting to watch because their actions aren't always logical and their motivations aren't consistently clear.A little while after successful Manhattan psychiatrist Dr Sam Rice (Roy Scheider) hears that George Bynum (Josef Sommer), who was one of his patients, has been brutally murdered, Bynum's mistress Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep), visits his office to give him her lover's watch so that he can pass it on to Bynum's wife without telling her about their affair. Sam is reluctant to do this but is rushed into agreeing when NYPD Detective Joseph Vitucci (Joe Grifasi) arrives at his office to ask for any information he might have which could help to identify the murderer. Sam tells him that he's unable to help because to do so would involve a breach of patient confidentiality and Vitucci then tells Sam that he could be in danger if the killer thinks that he does, in fact, possess this type of information.After Vitucci leaves, Sam starts to review his records of the sessions he'd had with Bynum during which the serial womaniser (who'd worked as an antiques curator at the upmarket auction house called "Crispin's") had explained how he'd cheated on his wife and dumped his previous mistress to start his affair with Brooke. Furthermore, he'd added that he knew that she'd killed someone in the past and also described a dream he'd had which had left him feeling both puzzled and disturbed.Sam, whose interest in Brooke had been piqued during his sessions with Bynum, finds himself powerfully attracted to her and abandoning his usual cautiousness, decides to try to find out who'd actually murdered his patient. His investigations then put him in extreme danger before some further analysis of Bynum's dream provides him with the breakthrough he'd been seeking."Still of the Night" is a wonderfully atmospheric and elegant-looking thriller that uses numerous Alfred Hitchcock references and motifs that range from passages inspired by "North By Northwest", "Rear Window", "Vertigo" and "Spellbound" to some less obvious ones, such as a mention of an Uncle Charlie ("Shadow of a Doubt") and the technique of suddenly putting the focus on a prop to create suspense (in this case, George Bynum's watch).Although it's essentially a rather lightweight thriller, this movie is very stylish and visually impressive and these qualities combined with its mesmerising performances from Roy Scheider and Meryl Streep result in a higher quality end-result than would otherwise have been possible.

ma-cortes This intriguing movie packs thriller , tension , suspense, romance , unlimited excitement and plot twists . Sam Rice (Roy Scheider) , a Manhattan psychiatrist probes a patient's murder and soon afterward falls for the victim's mysterious mistress . Dr. Rice is visited by George Bynum (Joseph Sommer)'s co-worker and mistress Brooke Reynolds (Meryl Streep) with increasingly suspicious behavior . Later on , there comes the investigating officer Detective Vitucci (Joe Grifasi) dealing with the rare events . As Dr. Rice reviews the case notes on his sessions with Bynum and he suspects that Brooke may or may not the murderer . At the same time , Sam investigates the mysterious deeds and he puts his own life in risk .This Hitchcock-style mystery/thriller contains suspense , tension , chills and continuous intrigue . The picture promises much but fails its objectives . It's suspenseful but often the mysterious elements have not quite gelled . There's also an exciting and intriguing dream sequence in which results to be resolved the killing similarly to ¨Spellbound¨ by Alfred Hitchcock . Roy Scheider gives good performance as a psychiatrist who starts his own investigation about a murder and falling in love for enigmatic blonde Brooke excellently acted by Meryl Streep . After her greatest hit ¨Kramer vs Kramer¨ that pushed Meryl's career forward , she was impressed enough to work again with Benton and played this ¨Still of the night¨ , however , it resulted to be a flop . Stylish cinematography by a magnificent cameraman , the Spanish Nestor Almendros , Benton's usual and full of lights and darks .The motion picture is professionally directed by Robert Benton but without originally and this flick turns out to be thinly spread . Texas director has a varied career as he was an editor of magazine , production designer , set decorator and has written a number of imaginative stories for children . He realized few movies even accounting for those in whose screenplays he wrote as ¨Bonnie and Clyde¨ , ¨There was a crooked man¨ , ¨What's up doc ?¨ , ¨Superman¨ and even ¨Still of the night¨ . His big hit as director was the weepie ¨Kramer vs Kramer¨ and won him the Oscar for writing and direction , the next was warm-hearted ¨Places in the heart¨ with basic human values and revealed his softer side . Following filmmaking the underrated ¨Nadine¨ , a comic-strip comedy with Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger . After that , he directed a gangster movie ¨Billy Bathgate¨ with Nicole Kidman and Dustin Hoffman , ¨Nobody's fool¨ which won Paul Newman an Academy Award nomination and he worked again with Benton four years later on ¨Twilight¨ . ¨Still of the night¨ was a failure and turned out to be a flop at the box office . Rating : Average , 5,5 . Only for Meryl Streep fans .

tcab I almost turned this movie off in the middle because I was tired of being manipulated by the corny scary stuff that was overwrought and too dragged out. That stuff was okay for the master, Hitchcock, but today it has whiskers. I was very surprised to see Meryl Streep looking more beautiful than ever before or since. It was the way her hairdo framed her face, I think. Any way, this movie was all Streep. Scheider has a certain gravitas which many Hollywood Idols never achieve even though they are far more popular. But Streep—from her first moment on screen I said to myself, I've never seen this side of her! She's created an entirely original person! Then she delivered a soliloquy toward the end of the movie which she fashioned with such skill and insight that one would think it was Shakespeare!There is simply no one as good as Streep, man or woman. She turns this average movie into something worth watching.

James Hitchcock "Still of the Night" is one of the more obscure entries in Meryl Streep's filmography, even though it came out in 1982 in between two of her greatest films, "The French Lieutenant's Woman" and "Sophie's Choice". (Until it turned up recently on British television I had never previously seen it or even heard of it). It is a psychological thriller, directed by Robert Benton who had earlier directed Meryl in "Kramer v Kramer". It has often been described as having been influenced by the works of Alfred Hitchcock, and one of the obvious signs of this influence is the fact that the main character, like the heroine of "Spellbound", is a psychiatrist. (Hitchcock was fascinated by psychology and psychiatry, and often makes reference to them in his films).Another Hitchcock touch is the idea of the "man in the street" who suddenly finds himself in trouble or in danger. When one of his patients is murdered Dr Sam Rice, a Manhattan psychiatrist, finds himself becoming emotionally involved with a young woman named Brooke Reynolds, who was not only a colleague of the dead man but also his mistress, and who is also a suspect in his murder. The plot is a complex one, involving Rice falling under suspicion with the police, who believe that he may be withholding evidence about the killing, and his placing himself in danger by his own attempts to solve the crime.The film makes quite deliberate reference to a number of Hitchcock films. Besides the general psychiatric theme, there is also a dream sequence reminiscent of the one in "Spellbound". The appearance of a bird during this sequence is a reference to "The Birds" and possibly also to "Psycho", where Norman's hobby is stuffing birds. A fall from a bell tower recalls "Vertigo" and, as in "North by North West", there is a scene set in an auction room. (The murdered man, George Bynum, was a senior employee of an auction house). There are also scenes reminiscent of "Rear Window" and "Marnie". Jessica Tandy who plays Rice's mother (also a psychiatrist) appeared in "The Birds". Many of Hitchcock's films, including "Notorious", "Strangers on a Train" and "Psycho", feature a strong, dominant mother-figure.Perhaps the most effective Hitchcock touch is the use of a trademark blonde heroine. Although this is far from being one of Meryl Streep's greatest films, she nevertheless gives a very accomplished performance as Brooke, portraying a woman who is clearly disturbed and frightened and who might just also be a psychopath, while leaving (as the conventions of the thriller genre require) that second point open to doubt. Had Meryl been twenty years older, she might have become one of the Master's great muses, along with the likes of Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly.And yet any number of Hitchcock references do not in themselves make a Hitchcock film. "Still of the Night" falls along way short of the great man at his best, or even at his second-best. Roy Scheider does not make a very charismatic hero and, except perhaps in the final sequences, Benton never succeeds in generating the sort of nail-biting tension that Hitchcock was so skilled at conjuring up, even in some of his lesser films. Whereas Hitchcock could normally relieve that tension with some effective use of humour, "Still of the Night" is a pedestrian and humourless film, no more than an average eighties thriller. 5/10, largely for Streep's performance.