With an unusually moody script by Karl Tunberg and Leonard Spigelgass, this must be one of the gloomiest films ever made! Admittedly, it's well directed by Fletcher Markle, although Ray Milland's portrayal of the bereaved professor is somewhat overwrought. On the plus side, the screenplay is more literate than the usual Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer offering and Markle does ensure that the atmosphere of a small university town is effectively conveyed. The support cast led by John Hodiak and Nancy Davis is fine, and it's good to Lewis Stone, Dawn Addams, Jean Hagen and company. Also helpful for creating the right ambiance are the sets created by art director, James Basevi. The use of the clock tower as a recurring symbol is dramatically presented with fine aerial photography and eye-catching camera set-ups. Also unusual by M-G-M standards is the use of off-screen sound effects in the fire sequence – a notion by writers Karl Tunberg and Leonard Spigelgass that is chillingly effective.
Review of Night Into Morning
