WAIT UNTIL DARK And Audrey Hepburn’s Full Range
For our final stop on Audrey Hepburn Month, we’re making two changes:
We’re jumping ahead about a decade,all the way to 1967. Yes, we’re skipping some monumental entries in her filmography, including BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S and CHARADE, and entering the tail end of her second prime. But as mentioned at the beginning of the month, this is at its core a solipsistic exercise, and since I’ve seen those movies already, they now inherently have no value;
We’re taking a hard turn on the genre this week. No more romantic comedies or wistful, playful films. No, this week, we’re going straight to the dark underbelly of the home invasion thriller.
Yep, we’re doing WAIT UNTIL DARK.
This felt like a good place to wrap up this month because….well, frankly, I’ve always wanted to see it (usually the overriding factor in putting these things together). But, it also helps fully illustrate Hepburn’s range. Yes, she could make you fall in love. Yes, she could make you cry. Yes, she could make a dress instantly iconic. She could sing. She could dance.
But, she could also project abject, unadulterated fear.
Look, sometimes the temptation to write “just watch it, you’re going to love it” and leaving it at that is very strong. But I think I owe you a few more words than that. So let’s do it! WAIT UNTIL DARK!
WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967)
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna
Directed by: Terence Young
Written by: Robert Carrington, Jane-Howard Carrington
Released: October 26, 1967
Length: 106 mins
If you’ve never seen it, WAIT UNTIL DARK is, essentially, a home invasion thriller, although the home in question isn’t really invaded by brute force. Instead, it’s a slow, steady game being played by three criminals brought together by fate, and a blind housewife who isn’t as helpless as she seems.
The object the crooks are after (I’d call it the MacGuffin since that’s essentially what it is, but for whatever reason I have this aversion to using industry terms that have managed to permeate the public consciousness. It’s like when the term “bathos” hit the mainstream and everybody started saying it. I know it’s stupid, but it makes my teeth hurt) is a doll filled with heroin that is in route with a drug trafficker, Lisa (Samantha Jones). A man named Sam Hendrix (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) accidentally winds up with it after Lisa hides it in his apartment, and now her partner Harry Roat (Alan Arkin) wants it back.
Roat murders Lisa after it becomes clear she was going to run off with the heroin. He subsequently frames her partners, Mike Tallman (Richard Crenna) and Carlino (Jack Weston) for the crime unless they help him retrieve the doll from the apartment. Thus, a shaky partnership is forged.
Although Sam isn’t home, his wife Suzy (Audrey Hepburn) is. As it happens, Suzy is blind, which seems like it would be an advantage for the crooks. Their plan is to pretend to be other people and coerce her through fiction to tracking down the location of the doll for them. Thus, the back and forth begins, as they try to imitate law enforcement officers and convince Suzy her husband is mixed up in something dark and sinister. They will find, however, that they might be greatly underestimating Suzy.
WAIT UNTIL DARK is based off of a play that had been written the previous year by Frederick Knott. To be honest, it’s fairly obvious that the story originated on the stage. There’s really only five characters; the three criminals, Susy, and a preteen neighbor girl named Gloria that helps her with everyday tasks. Outside of a handful of exterior-set scenes, the entire movie takes place inside the Hendrix apartment. Most importantly, the movie hinges on its dialogue, with a lot of scenes of characters talking to each other and pretending to be somebody they’re not, or withholding the fact that they know something the other person doesn’t. This makes its moments of true and pure action pop all the more (including one of the most startling jump scares you’ll ever hope to see).
What I really loved about WAIT UNTIL DARK is that it’s one of those movies where the characters onscreen are all reasonably intelligent; you can see the wheels turn in Susy’s and the crook’s heads as they play their cat-and-mouse game. For example, once Susy realizes that darkness is her only way to level the playing field and she starts smashing all the lightbulbs in the apartment, it makes perfect sense. However, nobody is so smart that they all of a sudden hatch perfect plans with contingencies that nobody could have anticipated; you can see the “oh, shit” register on Mike’s face when he realizes Suzy can hear the blinds being drawn, removing one of his ways to communicate with and signal his fellow thieves outside.
For a movie with only a handful of characters, casting becomes critical for long-term success. Luckily, WAIT UNTIL DARK comes through. It should be noted that most of the people in this movie were kind of known primarily as comedic performers, at least at the time; it makes one reflect on the old adage that it’s easier to get comedic actors to do drama than it is to get dramatic actors to be funny.
Although Weston and Julie Herrod as Carlino and Gloria are great, I wanted to focus on the three headlining stars.
Richard Crenna is an actor I feel I should be more familiar with. I certainly knew his name, but the only other thing I think I’ve ever seen him in is a 1980 George Kennedy vehicle named DEATH SHIP. Needless to say, he comes off a little better here. Adding to the tension throughout the old film is that neither Mike or Carlino can really trust this man that’s bound them all together in this pursuit of the doll. His cat and mouse game isn’t just with Suzy, but with the guy calling all the shots. Crenna plays all of this very well.
Alan Arkin is mainly known, at least by people my age, as being an old crank now in stuff such as LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, ARGO and THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE. Folks, if you’ve never seen him young, please do yourself a favor and watch WAIT UNTIL DARK. That trademark half-rasp to Arkin’s voice adds so much menace to Roat, and the fact that he’s established as a remorseless killer from the jump makes us terrified of what he’s capable of (I also think it’s telling that his former partner, Lisa, happens to be a beautiful blonde; her slaying makes him seem crueler and darker than if he had just killed another crooked-looking man). Also, it should be noted that Roat’s outfit rocks. Dark glasses and a leather jacket over a turtleneck? Do less, my man!
And of course, there’s Audrey, whose trademark grace and poise still comes through, even as she plays probably her most normal role (at least in terms of life stature) up to that point. But leave it to her to take a role that could be somewhat maudlin on the page and make her feel like a living, breathing person. As it happens, there’s a whole scene where Suzy monologues to Gloria about how she became blind, which is usually a dangerous road to go down. After all, were we really wondering why? But, Hepburn makes it sound natural and heartbreaking. It all speaks to the strength of the writing that this explanation becomes a vital part of her characterization; losing her sight after once having it has forced her to become strong AND trust strangers in order to shape her reality, which cuts to the heart of WAIT UNTIL DARK so forcefully.
Playing a blind person is one of those things that an actor could really make a spectacle of; I reflect back on Jamie Foxx making a big deal of his wearing blackout sunglasses to prepare for his turn as Ray Charles back in 2004. Somehow, I don’t think there was a similar story for Hepburn to get ready for this movie. Instead, she just makes the circumstances of this person real to her. She navigates the different topographies of her apartment like she’s been doing it forever, but you never see her cheat the reality of Suzy’s blindness.
Last note: the smooth and assured direction of Terence Young goes a long way into building the tension and suspense of WAIT UNTIL DARK. Again, the film is primarily set in one location, and Young effectively sets up the inherent claustrophobia that you might expect. But you also get such a feel for all the different rooms and spaces in the apartment. It also feels like a living, breathing entity (you might say it’s like a character itself, man!).
If I had to recommend one movie from this month to check out, it would probably be this one. Even though my expectations were high, WAIT UNTIL DARK still managed to surprise me at many, many turns. It has that great mid-to-late-60’s vibe with a great, creepy Henry Mancini score, and it shows off a side to its major stars that deserves more recognition by modern audiences. What else do you need? Close out of this article right out, dammit!
From here, Hepburn wouldn’t make another film for almost ten years, pivoting to a family role. Her first major comeback was 1976’s ROBIN AND MARIAN, alongside Sean Connery. She reunited with Terence Young for 1979’s BLOODLINE, then worked with Peter Bogdanovich in 1981’s THEY ALL LAUGHED. A TV movie (1987’s LOVE AMONG THIEVES) and a cameo in Steven Spielberg’s 1989 ALWAYS followed. Then that was it! That would mark the end of a prolific career that still felt kind of short-lived.
Speaking of short-lived, she passed away in 1993, which means she only made it to 63. Although her film and television output went down dramatically, who knows what we could have gotten if she had made it another decade or two. Still, what we’re left with is a great, varied career where she got to fully show off her range, both comically and dramatically. This is to say nothing of her ability to be a fashion icon for a generation (and many others to follow), as well as be a decent humanitarian, partnering with UNICEF for the final half-decade of her life.
Thanks for following along with me this month. Next month, we’ll be pivoting to another amazing lady (who happens to still be with us!), although we’ll be focusing on her behind-the-scenes efforts for the next few weeks. Check out this space soon!