Midnight Lace (1960) - film review

American heiress Kit Preston has recently moved into a London apartment with her husband Tony, a financier.  Whilst walking home through the fog one evening, Kit hears a strange voice calling out to her, threatening to kill her.  In a panic, Kit hurries home, but her husband assures her she has been the victim of a practical joke.  Not long afterwards, Kit begins to receive anonymous phone calls.  Again, she hears the same voice, the same threat.  As her behaviour becomes more erratic, Tony becomes convinced that she is suffering from a mental aberration.  Is it all in Kit’s imagination or is someone really planning to kill her...?

Midnight Lace is a curious departure for Doris Day, who was then at the height of her popularity having appeared in a string of hugely successful romantic comedies, including the hit Pillow Talk (1959).  A suspense thriller with a distinctly Hitchcockian feel to it, Midnight Lace reminds us of Day’s previous outing in the genre, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), in which the actress gave what many consider to be her best dramatic performance.  As the helpless hunted female in a jungle full of nasty male predators, Day has the opportunity to give a  thoroughly hysterical turn, and she certainly doesn’t hold herself back. 

Whilst it is a well-crafted and atmospheric production, the film suffers from having a denouement that is a little too obvious.  If you haven’t correctly guessed the identity of Day’s tormenter after the first twenty minutes you clearly haven’t been paying attention.  This minor flaw doesn’t spoil the film’s enjoyment value much, however.  The charismatic leads, Day and Harrison, give appropriately bravura performances, with sterling support from John Gavin and Myrna Loy.  Roddy McDowall is superb as a deliciously slimy red herring, and there are some pleasing cameos from Herbert Marshall and Hermione Baddeley, which help make this feel more like a British rather than an American production.  Definitely not the greatest of mystery thrillers, but it’s all good fun nonetheless.

© filmsdefrance.com 2010

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