Other Side of Midnight, The (1977)

Other Side of Midnight, The (1977)

“Cathy, you have to know how I feel about you.”

Synopsis:
During WWII, young Noelle (Marie-France Pisier) falls in love with pilot Larry (John Beck), who promises to return and marry her. When he fails to show up for their rendezvous, Noelle spends the next eight years plotting to get him back — a plan which gets more complicated when she learns that Larry has married an American woman (Susan Sarandon).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Flashback Films
  • Love Triangle
  • Revenge
  • Romance
  • Susan Sarandon Films
  • World War Two

Response to Peary’s Review:
This melodramatic adaptation of Sidney Sheldon’s novel — a “kitsch prototype” — is notorious as Andy Warhol’s favorite film. Peary refers to it as “embarrassingly bad”, and many reviewers concur, but I think it’s actually a reasonably enjoyable saga; other than a couple of slow patches here and there, it doesn’t feel long even at 165 minutes. However, its lead performers leave much to be desired. Beck is utterly unappealing:

… and while Pisier is a fine actress in her native language, she’s not up to the leading role here.

Not surprisingly, Sarandon steals the show; fortunately, her supporting role is fairly substantial.

Note: Apparently expectations were initially much higher for this film than for Star Wars (1977), which was released at the same time, so studio execs pressured theater owners into booking both simultaneously. The rest is history.

Redeeming Qualities:

  • Susan Sarandon in yet another early, star-making role
  • Fine cinematography

Must See?
No. Though it holds some notoriety as Andy Warhol’s favorite film, it’s no longer essential viewing.

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One thought on “Other Side of Midnight, The (1977)

  1. Not must-see. At all. It’s a long, dull and tedious soap opera which, in the making, was apparently taken way too seriously. It’s not even bad enough to have fun with. Meh.

    …and who cares what Warhol liked? John Waters’ favorite film is ‘Boom!’ – which is universally recognized as a terrible film…but at least it’s hilariously awful.

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