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Night Of The Eagle [1962]
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Editorial
Synopsis
Norman Taylor is hated by other university lecturers when rumours of a major promotion circulate. He is hated so much that someone pervades his life with sinister occult spells...
Unheralded classic
Review date: 2008-01-16 Rating: 8 out of 10
Night of the Eagle doesn't seem to get shown on television very much, which is really strange as its a cracking supernatural thriller. Peter Wyngarde (remember Department S?) stars with Janet Blair as Norman and Tansy Taylor. Its made clear right from the outset of the film that Norman is a sceptic and doesn't believe in the supernatural. Unfortunately Tansy does and is heavily involved in it.
The film was clearly influenced by Night of the Demon and it very nearly matches that film in most respects: The lighting and sound are excellent, its only 84mins long, so there really isn't a wasted minute, and the two leading performances are memorably good. Perhaps the only area where its a little weaker than Night of the Demon is the absence of any of that films occasional black comedy moments.
In short if you haven't seen this, then you've missed a minor classic that I believe will hold up to repeated viewings.
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Reviews
Great Black and White Chiller
Review date: 2008-01-04 Rating: 8 out of 10
Excellent cinematography and subtle use of tension and imagery. Excellent supernatural thriller. If you like the classic supernatural fiction, this is one you will enjoy.
Conjure Wife
Review date: 2007-11-11 Rating: 10 out of 10
Taken from Fritz Leibers effectively eerie novella, Conjure Wife, this crisp black & white piece has all the hallmarks of a classic. Not least of these the cinematography that gradually descends from brightly lit modernity into the primal shadows, reminiscent of Val Lewtons films.
Creepy & slowly unsettling yet strangely rattling along at a fair pace, the witchcraft versus science themes(intercutting of light & darkness, clarity & confusion) have rarely been so deftly underscored with such vague hints of menace. Fright comes from realization of the impending breakdown of mind & possibly body..Similar scenarios appearing in City of the Dead & Night of the Demon bare comparison... if you'd enjoy an evening that will leave you creeped, light a few candles, ignore that telephone.
Adlershoarse!
Review date: 2006-07-10 Rating: 8 out of 10
I agree with other reviewers about the poor sound, something which might be corrected on DVD re-release. This is one of an interesting strain of "mid-Atlantic" occult thrillers of the late 50's and early 60's, another being Curse of the Demon with Dana Andrews. That sceptic role is here played by the early Peter Wyngarde, later known in the UK for Department S and similar spy spoof series. Here he plays the confidently smug lecturer whose wife, unknown to him, is a witch. Very entertaining, while Wyngarde himself, although thin, is not yet the sinuously slim, moustached and catsuited figure he later became on screen and off, as I myself recall seeing circa 1976, in the bar of the Kensington Pistol & Rifle Club, where he was on the Committee.
Eppur si muove "nevertheless, it moves"
Review date: 2005-12-17 Rating: 10 out of 10
Professor Saylor and his wife Tansy are newcomers to the university. Even thought they are not of the same conservative material as the others they seem to be doing quite well. Professor Norman Saylor of the sociology department is the author of "Parallelism in Superstition and Neurosis." He gets this irresistible urge to snoop around in Tansy's personals and is surprised to find that she is a practitioner of the craft. He is not really upset, and only wants to help her to free her self by burning all the paraphernalia (except her diary).
It is not hard to guess what happens next. Yep his life falls apart and he is destined to be run over by a truck if other evil things do not get to him first. He finds that there are more evil forces at work (all female of course) each with her own agenda.
The real question is does Norman ever get sucked up in the system or is he still convinced that it is just coincidence?
As with most movies that are an abbreviation of the book the one made for his story has the same feel "Night of The Eagle, aka Burn Witch Burn" (1962) with Peter Wyngarde as Norman, and Janet Bliar as Tansy.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Anthony Nicholls
Janet Blair
Colin Gordon
Peter Wyngarde
Margaret Johnston
Creators:
Peter Wyngarde (Primary Contributor)
Janet Blair (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Optimum Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Optimum Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060034578697
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-04-30
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 83 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1963-11-29
Language: English (Original Language)