359:, Vanning and his friend Dr. Edward Gurston ("Doc") have been camping, hunting, and fishing. As they make plans to leave because of an impending snowstorm, they see a car go off the road. John, whose arm has been fractured, and Red, emerge from the wreck. While Doc tends to John's arm, it is revealed that a bank has been robbed of $ 350,000 and a guard has been killed. Red pulls out a gun. The thieves are going to steal Doc's car, but wanting no witnesses, Red shoots Doc with a rifle that he places in Vanning's hand and then shoots Vanning with a pistol to make the scene look like a murder-suicide. The shot misses Vanning, but Red believes he's dead because a ricocheted piece of rock struck Vanning and drew blood. When Vanning comes to, he finds the men and the car gone, but discovers that they had taken Doc's medical bag instead of the one with the money. The killers soon realize their mistake and return. Vanning flees with the money, through the snow to a deserted shack.
352:). They thank Marie for distracting Vanning and she quickly goes away. The two men drive Vanning to a deserted spot by some oil pumps and demand that Vanning tell them where to find the $ 350,000 he took from them. They threaten him with torture. Vanning insists that he does not know where the money is. The men discover a slip of paper with Marie's name, address, and phone number.
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spot John and Red coming out of a car on the street, they go out the building's back door to
Vanning's apartment. There he tells her more of his story. He wants to retrieve the money from Wyoming to prove his innocence and has been waiting for the roads to clear there, but he will have to search for it because he really cannot remember where he let it go.
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Marie agrees to go to
Wyoming with Vanning after she has finished a modeling job at a fashion show. Vanning goes to the city bus station to buy tickets to the town of Moose. Fraser follows him and buys a seat on the same bus. Marie displays several outfits at the fashion show but spies John and Red
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In the present, Vanning manages to escape from John and Red. He goes to Marie's apartment and angrily confronts her, believing she set him up. She convinces him that she was an innocent bystander and he convinces her that he is not guilty of Doc's murder as news accounts have suggested. When they
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When they reach Moose, Fraser reveals himself and his job to
Vanning and that he believes in Vanning's innocence. In a rented car, Fraser, Vanning, and Marie drive to the campsite and head toward the shack that Vanning has recalled. They realize that John and Red have gotten there first and have
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found the bag with the money. Following a standoff, Red, intent on keeping all the money for himself, shoots John and retreats to a nearby snowplow which he drives toward the shack. Vanning manages to knock Red out of the cab and steer the plow away, but it runs over Red.
329:), who has been nursing her drink because she has no cash to pay for it, sits next to him. Vanning pays for her drink, and the two have dinner together. As happens several times in the film, the scenes with Vanning are intercut with scenes of Fraser and his wife (
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protagonist is typically noir. Although he is a victim of several mischances, Vanning struggles to “comprehend how violent but basically simple past occurrences have put him in such a dangerous and complicated present."
560:. Tarantino said, Willis "reminded me of a 50s leading man... a Ralph Meeker, Aldo Ray and Brian Keith kind of man. I went to his house and we did actually watch one print of an Aldo Ray movie, we watched
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isn't worried about purity of genre; it occasionally threatens to become an almost light-hearted caper movie..,” which he regarded as falling somewhere between mediocrity and
Tourneur’s very best.
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published a review on
December 5, 1956, stating that the film had "a generous slice of mystery, action and suspense" but the modest budget only delivered fair entertainment. A review in the
506:, "a heart-pounding experience that had all that a suspense-yearning public could hope for," but its plot had enough holes in it to “drive two trucks through".
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argues that despite being made near the end of the cycle, and that even though the film's locations include bright snow-covered landscapes, the dilemma of
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observed that despite the plot being complex and unlikely, the film unfolded “in an atmosphere of deliberate obscurity”, amplified by many flashbacks.
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who has lived in several places but does not say much else about his past. Leaving the restaurant, Marie and
Vanning encounter two thuggish men, John (
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Retrospective critic Dennis
Schwartz felt that Jacques Tourneur got the most out of a “minor film noir about a paranoid man haunted by his past".
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The lead role eventually went to Aldo Ray, who was under long term contract to
Columbia but had been on suspension for refusing the lead in
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to play the female lead with filming to begin in
September. William Wright was going to produce. Power did not want to appear in the film.
321:). At a corner, Fraser asks Vanning for a light, and the two men chat briefly, with Vanning revealing that he is a veteran who fought on
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333:) discussing Vanning, who is wanted for murder. Fraser's real interest is in retrieving $ 350,000 in stolen money for his company.
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FILMING SLATED FOR 'NIGHTFALL': 1949 Novel Will Be Basis for Copa
Productions Movie -- Raphael Hayes Scenarist By THOMAS M. PRYOR,
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The film was based on a novel by David Goodis which was published in 1948. In 1950, it was adapted for TV as
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and Tyrone Power who released through Columbia. Raphael Hayes was to write the script. Richmond wanted
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Hunted Man: NIGHTFALL. By David Goodis. 214 pp. New York: Julian Messner. $ 2.50. By SEYMOUR KRIM.
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film noir analysis by Alain Silver, page 206, 3rd edition, 1992. Woodstock, New York:
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NIGHTFALL Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 23, Iss. 264, (Jan 1, 1956): 155.
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as a device to tell the story, which was based on a 1948 novel by
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film review, August 24, 2005. Last accessed: January 23, 2008.
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film review, March 24, 2005. Last accessed: January 22, 2008.
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Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style,
564:... have fantastic banter. And Brian Keith is excellent."
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and "Charles Harold" (Charles H. Cuppett), with lyrics by
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887:. Vol. 26, no. 2. February 2016. p. 25.
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MOVIELAND BRIEFS: Katzman Seeking Deal With Arnold,
670:Louella Parsons: Aldo Ray Gets Recall at Columbia,
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in the war. Vanning enters a bar. Marie Gardner (
23:. For the science fiction short story and novel by
19:This article is about the 1956 film noir starring
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776:Columbia Noir: A Complete Filmography, 1940-1962
743:"New Films in Hub: "Nightfall" Hectic Melodrama"
502:In a contemporary review Marjory Adams declared
631:NEWS OF TELEVISION AND RADIO By SIDNEY LOHMAN.
718:. December 6, 1956. p. 38. Archived from
463:Filming took place in downtown Los Angeles on
1376:Films with screenplays by Stirling Silliphant
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383:as James "Jim" Vanning / Art Rayburn / Wilson
285:The theme song, "Nightfall," was composed by
685:"Nightfall (1956) - Filming and Production"
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490:was released in early December 1956 in
336:At dinner, Marie reveals that she is a
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29:Nightfall (Asimov novelette and novel)
1386:English-language crime thriller films
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672:The Washington Post and Times-Herald
741:Adams, Marjory (December 6, 1956).
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1361:Films directed by Jacques Tourneur
881:"The Interview: Quentin Tarantino"
809:. December 1956. pp. 155–156.
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574:List of American films of 1956
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1351:Films scored by George Duning
1326:American crime thriller films
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622:, January 11, 1948: pg. BR32.
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16:1956 film by Jacques Tourneur
1341:1950s English-language films
941:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
751:. p. 38. Archived from
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548:The film was influential in
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524:Critic Jay Seaver wrote, "
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661:, July 15, 1955: pg. 18.
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1213:Appointment in Honduras
1173:The Flame and the Arrow
648:, July 6, 1955: pg. 23.
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1285:The Comedy of Terrors
1269:The Giant of Marathon
1221:Stranger on Horseback
802:Monthly Film Bulletin
515:Monthly Film Bulletin
1381:1950s American films
1371:Films set in Wyoming
1133:Experiment Perilous
967:at Noir of the Week
465:Hollywood Boulevard
305:At night on a busy
244:is a 1956 American
68:Stirling Silliphant
1293:City Under the Sea
1253:Night of the Demon
1197:Anne of the Indies
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1007:Films directed by
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860:The Overlook Press
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1181:Stars in My Crown
1061:They All Come Out
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659:Los Angeles Times
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190:Release date
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25:Isaac Asimov
1165:Easy Living
1037:To Be Loved
836:Seaver, Jay
694:November 9,
537:Nightfall's
387:Brian Keith
346:Brian Keith
307:Los Angeles
261:Brian Keith
111:Brian Keith
89:Produced by
54:Directed by
1316:1956 films
1310:Categories
1093:Cat People
580:References
424:Production
295:Al Hibbler
276:flashbacks
274:. It uses
217:79 minutes
201:1956-12-05
166:Production
1346:Film noir
1245:Nightfall
971:Nightfall
948:Nightfall
935:Nightfall
924:Nightfall
913:Nightfall
902:Nightfall
602:Nightfall
562:Nightfall
526:Nightfall
504:Nightfall
498:Reception
488:Nightfall
417:Rudy Bond
350:Rudy Bond
249:film noir
241:Nightfall
135:Edited by
78:Nightfall
37:Nightfall
1277:Timbuktu
954:TV Guide
918:AllMovie
568:See also
471:and the
381:Aldo Ray
311:Aldo Ray
257:Aldo Ray
230:Language
145:Music by
106:Aldo Ray
99:Starring
74:Based on
21:Aldo Ray
1229:Wichita
938:at the
927:at the
509:Variety
483:Release
389:as John
323:Okinawa
233:English
222:Country
199: (
168:company
1296:(1965)
1288:(1964)
1280:(1959)
1272:(1959)
1264:(1958)
1256:(1957)
1248:(1956)
1240:(1956)
1232:(1955)
1224:(1955)
1216:(1953)
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1200:(1951)
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1176:(1950)
1168:(1949)
1160:(1948)
1152:(1947)
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1136:(1945)
1128:(1944)
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1072:(1939)
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1048:(1934)
1040:(1933)
1032:(1933)
1024:(1931)
866:
782:
759:May 2,
726:May 2,
544:Legacy
492:Boston
419:as Red
27:, see
338:model
246:crime
1029:Toto
907:IMDb
864:ISBN
780:ISBN
761:2020
728:2020
696:2020
607:IMDb
375:Cast
301:Plot
263:and
951:at
916:at
905:at
605:at
443:or
81:by
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259:,
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